Greetings dear friends, from San Miniato, Tuscany: as promised, I want to share some of the recent meals I’ve been having on this camino, as I have been seeking out some delicious ones particularly at lunch. Day two of my walking was hot and by lunchtime, I was seriously hungry. First, I paused to elevate my legs in a beautiful park and daydream as I looked up at the trees. Then I mosied on over to a place that had some lunch specials that looked really good.
In Galleno, I ate lunch at a restaurant owned. by a Neapolitan family. For lunch I have spaghetti Capri, and a glass of wine from the region called mMonte Carlo which is a red wine. It’s rich and full bodied, and has a little bit of sweetness on the finish. And then they brought out some fresh bread that was baked this morning that was still warm from the oven. And I finished with a coffee (shot of espresso). I felt refortified, and walked for another 6-7 km.
The spaghetti was arranged really beautifully aesthetically and had room temperature sliced mozzarella like a fresh mozzarella log on the top. They were arranged in this beautiful swirl with red sauce and fresh tomatoes and little pieces of basil. And then I drizzled a little oil on the top and had a little bit of Parmesan cheese and it was flavorful and delicious. Nine Euros is a pretty good price. Delicious and love this tradition of sitting down for a lunch lunch. I can easily get really really used to it.
Today I arrived in another town, called San Miniato, deep in the Tuscan Hills. it is getting much hotter! Climbing the final hill it was quite a challenge. As soon as I arrived, I quickly realized it was a place known for its truffles. So I decided to brave a dish with truffles and ordered fettucine à la carbonara with thin slices of black truffles served over the top.
At the ‘piccola osteria del tartufo,’ I had a glass of Vermentino (a white wine from 5 km down the road). This is a sort of messy liquidity, egg yolk mixture over the noodles, and then the Tartufo on the top with freshly chopped guanciale (a pork does delicacy, a little bit like fatback for the southerners among you), mixed into the pasta. The Vermentino is on the drier side, and the pasta was really good, almost soup-like, and really fresh and kind of the perfect amount for my stomach as well. I ended the meal with a caffe’ and a small biscotto.
And
so this is my new rhythm, which has started to feel like the new normal colon I get up around five. I am walking by 630 or seven. I stop walking between 12 and one, I eat a long lunch, head to the hostel, check in and take a shower, and then take a long nap. Then I venture into the town to see what adventures await.
More, anon! Be well.
This sounds exquisite!