The small nearby town of Monterchi has a Sunday morning market so we popped down for an Italian breakfast and then perused the stalls. Breakfast here consists of coffee (usually a very short black espresso with sugar) and a croissant. This is consumed while standing at the counter before paying and moving on to make room for the next customer. We opted to sit down outside - luckily it was too cold for there to be any smokers out there with us.
The market was excellent although we weren't really there to buy anything. They had everything from fruit and vegetables to clothing and even kitchen gadgets and hardware. One stall even had chainsaws!
We headed back to Casa Tersalle with Porchetta Rolls (basically roast pork in a bun) which was to be our lunch. Miriam and Rob enjoyed theirs while I supped on my water bottle.
After lunch we headed off to another town (there are lots of towns nearby), this time Citerna. They were having an annual chestnut and truffle festival. Once again, a town built on top of a hill with fantastic views of the surrounding area. The place was abuzz with people and stalls selling roast chestnuts, a special local wine to go with them (Canaiolo - a partially fermented red-wine) and (very expensive) truffles. Miriam opted for chestnuts and wine. There was also lots of cheese (mostly Pecorino - with many variations on how to mature it). There was also an Alpaca stall and one showing how to create and nurture Bonsai trees! We plan to visit the alpaca breeder tomorrow.
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| Pecorino with various 'crusts' |
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| White (on the left) and Black Truffles |