After an amazing time in Cinque Terre and Chianti, we geared up for the second half of our Italian adventure. We met up with our friends Nick, Laura and baby Genevieve to explore Tuscany. They've been a few times, and recommended basing ourselves in Pienza. First though, we checked out San Gimignano.
My parents raved about this medieval town, saying that it was home to the world's best gelato. It wasn't just them saying this: a gelateria in town (Gelateria Dondoli) actually won a few Ice Cream World Championships. How could we miss that? Let me cut to the chase. We spent around four hours in the town and ate a total of four gelatos; two were from Dondoli, and two were from the competing gelateria next door, Gelateria di Piazza. Don't judge us. We were conducting research to see which store could actually claim world's best gelato. Our conclusion: mixed results. I vote for the Gelateria di Piazza, with their out-of-this-world chocolate and pistachio flavors. Dan votes for Gelateria Dondoli. I certainly wouldn't pass up either of them though.
In between gelato, we had a fantastic meal at Peruca. The truffle gnocchi we had was incredible, as was the ravioli with pear and pecorino. The place was tiny and the chef used fresh, local ingredients. So delicious! The town itself is gorgeous with amazing views. We walked around the wall and were treated with a lovely recitation of Dante's Divine Comedy by a man dressed in period-costume who was accompanied by a woman playing the harp. It was surprisingly beautiful.
That evening we met up with Nick, Laura and Genevieve in Pienza. We had a great apartment right inside the city walls. It was a perfect base for exploring some of the nearby cities, including Montepulciano and Montalcino. More on that in the next post!
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| San Gimignano |
My parents raved about this medieval town, saying that it was home to the world's best gelato. It wasn't just them saying this: a gelateria in town (Gelateria Dondoli) actually won a few Ice Cream World Championships. How could we miss that? Let me cut to the chase. We spent around four hours in the town and ate a total of four gelatos; two were from Dondoli, and two were from the competing gelateria next door, Gelateria di Piazza. Don't judge us. We were conducting research to see which store could actually claim world's best gelato. Our conclusion: mixed results. I vote for the Gelateria di Piazza, with their out-of-this-world chocolate and pistachio flavors. Dan votes for Gelateria Dondoli. I certainly wouldn't pass up either of them though.
In between gelato, we had a fantastic meal at Peruca. The truffle gnocchi we had was incredible, as was the ravioli with pear and pecorino. The place was tiny and the chef used fresh, local ingredients. So delicious! The town itself is gorgeous with amazing views. We walked around the wall and were treated with a lovely recitation of Dante's Divine Comedy by a man dressed in period-costume who was accompanied by a woman playing the harp. It was surprisingly beautiful.
That evening we met up with Nick, Laura and Genevieve in Pienza. We had a great apartment right inside the city walls. It was a perfect base for exploring some of the nearby cities, including Montepulciano and Montalcino. More on that in the next post!
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