Killing Batteries

This is already old news to my Romania pals, but I’d like to take this blogging downtime opportunity to generally announce the recent re-launch of my online Romania and Moldova Travel Guide.

The site originally debuted in late 2006, soon after my first thorough Lonely Planet research trip in Romania and Moldova, with a design and color scheme suggesting that it had been the morning project for the kindergarten class at St Catherine’s School for the Legally Blind. Though it was, by far, the most comprehensive and regularly updated online travel guide for these two countries, its appearance was difficult to disregard.

Flash forward to late 2009. After completing the write-up for the upcoming Lonely Planet Romania 5 (in stores May 2010), and after listening to years of static by trash-talking bystanders, my web expert pal Bertine and I spent weeks redesigning and updating the entire site. Notable changes include:

•    Not old and busted looking
•    Totally updated information, accurate as of summer 2009
•    Far more pictures, including the super cool, rotating title images
•    Requisite ‘Best of’ lists
•    New hotness

Old and busted

New hotness

Unfortunately, being the most complete, constantly updated, on-the-ground research-driven Romania and Moldova travel site in the history of the universe doesn’t result in an instantaneous top Google ranking like it should. So, if any of you Romania enthusiasts would be so kind as to link up (I’d be happy to link back), blog about or disseminate glowing word-of-mouth chatter amongst your Romania-bound travel friends, I’d deeply appreciate it.

And if you are at all curious, I can confidently inform you that Romania is among the greatest destinations in Eastern Europe and boasts, on a whole, more bang for your buck than just about any other country on the continent. Budget airlines have arrived, so why haven’t you?

See you there!

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This is it folks. For the final post of Tuscany Month, celebrating the release of the totally redesigned 2010 Lonely Planet Tuscany & Umbria, I am listing, by my modest estimation, the best places to eat in Tuscany. I’ve selected restaurants from the full budget range for various reasons that will be made clear in the reviews, however I’m leaving out the Michelin starred places, because featuring those would just be too easy and probably too expensive for most visitor’s inclinations anyway.

Caveats: the restaurants on this list are merely my personal selections, chosen on the strength of my two thorough Lonely Planet research trips through the region. However, this list has not been endorsed by Lonely Planet, nor for that matter, anyone with unassailable Tuscan dinning expertise. I have eaten at all of these places, usually only once, though sometimes twice, and I fully acknowledge that a single visit to any restaurant is not a wholly fair judgment of its full potential (or shortcomings). Also, again, I have not accounted for Florence and northwest Tuscany in this list, as this is not my research area. For my purposes, prices for a ‘meal’ include a pasta dish, a meat dish, a dessert and the coperto (service charge), but no drinks/wine. All prices listed were accurate as of spring/summer 2009.

Cantina Senese (Livorno)
Borgo dei Cappuccini 95; meals €17-20
Sound familiar? That’s because they made the “Best cheap eats in Tuscany” list too. It’s really a special place, for great food, reasonable prices, local color and all around atmosphere. The front half is a guys-guy hangout area, with food at prices that locals will pay on a weeknight being served just beyond at long wooden tables. It’s been almost a year, but I frequently think about the mussels and cacciucco di pesce (fish stew) that I had here. If, for whatever unlikely reason, you end up spending the night in Livorno, you may consider staying longer just to eat here again.

Antica Osteria da Divo (Siena)
Via Franciosa 29; meals €45-50
Despite my sizable eating obligations in Siena, not to mention the top-end prices here, I couldn’t help but eat at Divo twice last year. It’s very much a tourist place, but holy smokes is it ever good. Most seating is in the carved-out cellar with rough-hewn walls said to be former Etruscan tombs. The inventive menu includes dishes such as cannelloni with ricotta, spinach, grilled sweet peppers, tomatoes and Tuscan pesto sauce. The buckwheat lasagna au gratin with pheasant and fennel seeds in a creamed garlic and squash sauce is, obviously, quite the sight. Avert your eyes from the prices and enjoy an incredible eating experience.

La Libertaria (Portoferraio, Isola d’Elba)
Calata Matteotti 12; meals €28
This was an unexpected treat. Though I was directed here by the local Slow Food guy, I had initial misgivings as the place looks pretty moribund from the front. Seating capacity and backdrops are meager (a tent in the alley or out on the sidewalk, 5cm from speeding traffic), but the food is divine. Also, in the unlikely event that nothing on the menu turns your crank, the kitchen is open to requests! The linguine sarde e finocchietto (pasta with sardines and fennel) is unexpectedly excellent (I don’t normally dig on sardines) and the cooked-to-perfection tonno in crosta di pistacchi (tuna fillet with pistachio crust) was one of my favorite meals of the entire trip.

Gelateria di Piazza (San Gimignano)
Piazza della Cisterna 4
This is, hands-down the best gelateria in Tuscany. Oh you think you know a better one? One that’s not right on a famous, tourist-trap main square and therefore more authentic? Actually, you don’t because I probably ate the gelato wherever you’re thinking and I know what I’m talking about. Still unconvinced? Ask world famous gelato expert Tony Blair (OK, he’s nowhere near a gelato expert, but you know the guy has had the best of the best of everything) who is quoted, right on the wall, as saying “all the family thought the ice cream was delicious” See? Case closed. Master Sergio uses only the choicest ingredients, like pistachios from Sicily and cocoa from Venezuela. There’s a variant based on Vernaccia, the local wine, and, if you want to be more adventurous, saffron cream.

Il Pino (San Gimignano)
Via Cellolese 8-10; meals €37-42
When I first ate here in 2007, I had the raviolone di pecorino delle crete con lingua stufata e carote e porri all’aneto (sheep’s milk cheese ravioli with stewed meat, carrots, and leeks), which still ranks as the greatest pasta dish I’ve ever had anywhere in Italy. Sadly, it wasn’t on the menu in 2009, but the massive pasta plates and truffle-based specialties were still exceptional. The atmosphere here is spruce, vaulted and airy and the service is friendly and attentive. The ‘chocolate mousse with chocolate’ might sound funny, but the joke’s over when you taste it and realize it’s factually correct – and devastatingly good.

Ristorante Don Beta (Volterra)
Via Giacomo Matteotti 39; meals €30-45, fixed price menus €12-21
If you read my 2009 Best and Worst of Tuscany list, you’ll remember this place, as it earned the title ‘Best Meal’. And unlike most higher end Tuscan restaurants, both times I was here, the place was filled with locals. It’s all about the truffles at Don Beta. Four truffle-based primi piatti, and five secondi are enhanced by their fragrance. This is the place to sample the fungus, people. Prices aren’t listed, as truffle costs vary on a weekly basis, so it’s a good idea to inquire about prices before ordering, though they are generally reasonable. Alternatively, choose the mouth-watering tortellone di sfoglia di Spinaci Noci e Radicchio (spinach ravioli with walnut and radicchio sauce) or the Bistecca di Cinghiale alla griglia (amazingly tender wild boar fillets grilled with rosemary).

La Tana del Brillo Parlante (Massa Marittima)
Vicolo del Ciambellano 4; meals €30-35
OK, I didn’t actually eat at this place, though not for lack of trying. I was there on a weekend and it was totally booked out. However, a waiting list of discriminating locals can’t be wrong, so I’m putting my faith in this place anyway. Satisfying the Slow Food checklist to the letter, the diminutive interior ‘den’ seats a mere 12 people (in summer up to another six can squeeze into tiny alley tables). It’s billed as the ‘smallest osteria in Italy’. If you intend to dine here in summer or on the weekend, reserve 2-7 days in advance. Pork is their fixation, particularly the regional cinghiale alla Maremmana (Maremma wild boar).

Sobborgo (Cetona)
Via Sobborgo 6; meals €40
At the end of the piazza, the attentive staff serve an amazingly savory (and amazingly dainty) ravioli di chianina e dragoncelli con porcini (ravioli stuffed with beef and tarragon with porcini mushrooms). Even the bread here is swoon-worthy. If the idea of a €40 meal makes you take pause, you can off-set the price by staying a few blocks away in the perfectly nice La Cocciara, one of Tuscany’s best hostels.

Ristorante Fiorentino (Sansepolcro)
Via L Pacioli 60; meals €28-32
Exceptionally friendly and, having been in the same family for four generations, one of those legacy Tuscan restaurants known throughout the region. Daughter Alessia, an architect/sommelier with a degree in kitchen sciences and occasional guest on cooking TV shows, is guiding the restaurant into 21st century excellence. Dad, Alessio, still oversees day-to-day business, including the kitchen, where the pasta’s homemade, the imaginative menu changes with the seasons and there’s nary a freezer to be found.

Osteria del Teatro (Cortona)
Via Maffei 2; meals €32-40
Friendly service, fresh flowers on every table and a liberal meting out of truffle shavings awaits diners here. Featured in nearly every Italian gastronomic guide, its walls are proudly covered with photos of actors who have dined here. In summer, expect to find the recurring ravioli ai fiori di zucca (pumpkin-flower ravioli) among the recommended pasta plates.

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The Tuscany Month countdown to the release of the totally redesigned 2010 Lonely Planet Tuscany & Umbria is nearing its end. I’ve been saving the best for last, including my carefully considered list of the best hotels, pensions and agriturismi (farm stays) in the region.

As always, the caveats are: this list is merely the product of my personal opinions and is not endorsed by Lonely Planet. I have not slept in all of these places, usually for financial reasons, but I’ve thoroughly toured them all, usually more than once, and on the strength of having seen about a squillion properties in my travel writing career, I’m pretty confident I’ve got this list nailed. I have not accounted for Florence and northwest Tuscany in this list, as this is not my research area. All prices listed were accurate as of spring/summer 2009.

Speaking of ‘financial reasons’, you’ll notice that several of the places on the list are decidedly aimed for special occasions and lottery winners. I have nothing to say in my defense. Oh-wow moments and historic surroundings rarely come cheap, especially in Tuscany.

In no particular order:

Agriturismo La Cerreta (outside Sassetta)
Località Pian delle Vigne; per person per night with half board €55-65
You get a definite hippie vibe here, even before you see the owner’s impressive hair. Once he starts chatting about his 20 years in the business of engineering a “self-sufficient, biodynamic, harmonic project” (all in Italian, so bring your favorite translator), you start to understand that this farmhouse is more about providing a simple, gastronomically authentic Tuscan lifestyle tutorial rather than the run-of-the-mill tourist services – though they can do that too. They raise cinta senese (indigenous Tuscan pig), Maremma cows, and the rare Livornese chicken, among others. Cooking instruction, guided hiking/biking, farm activities and even photography are arranged onsite. Horse tours are nearby and a brand new, three-pool thermal spa was near completion when I last visited. Wwoofing stays are available.

Borgo Stomennano (outside Monteriggioni)
Room sleeping four people €900-1000 per week (including internet and swimming pool)
A sprawling unforgettable property 2km outside Monteriggioni. This historic collection of farmhouses dating from the 1600s has been converted into apartments, furnished and decorated with an amazing collection of heirlooms dating back hundreds of years – children under 14 are not permitted due to the delicate nature of these items. Though geared for large groups (six to 32 people) and events, couples are welcome during select periods. You can self-cater or request full board. Special touches include an infinity pool, welcome bottles of wine (with personalized labels!) and a private trail from the property, through undulating fields, leading to Monteriggioni.

Antica Residenza Cicogna (Siena)
Via dei Termini 67; singles €70-75, doubles €90, triples €130 (including breakfast, air-con and wi-fi)
Springless beds, soundproof windows (priceless with the way sound carries on the streets of Siena), ornate frescoes, wi-fi and antique furniture make this central option justifiably popular. With a mere five rooms and two suites, class exudes from prominent elements such as the four-poster bed, elaborate, thick-framed mirrors and the breakfast space (enormous buffet style). Reception has limited core hours (8am to 1pm), so arrange your arrival in advance. Parking is €18.

Palazzo Brandano (Pretoio)
Via di Valgelata 18; singles €150, doubles €225 (including breakfast, air-con, wi-fi and PC access)
Within the hilltop, 12th-century walls of peaceful, wedding cake-shaped Pretoio, the four-star Brandano is practically an attraction on its own. Rooms are sumptuous, wood-beamed affairs with frescos, classic furniture, plush beds, wi-fi, sensational views, and Jacuzzis. They have an impressive onsite restaurant, with a chef that’s available for cooking classes.

Hotel Leon Bianco (San Gimignano)
Piazza della Cisterna 13; singles €65-80, doubles €80-135, triples €110-135 (including breakfast, air-con, wifi- and PC internet access)
I love this place. When you take into account super expensive San Gim, it’s really a great value. The hotel, occupying a 14th-century mansion, faces the historic central square. It’s smoothly run and friendly, with a ground-floor abundance of plants, a pretty inner courtyard, a breakfast patio, billiard table and fitness room. Wi-fi (extra charge) is available in common spaces, though I was able to hop onto someone’s unsecured hub from my room.

Agriturismo San Lorenzo (outside Volterra)
Doubles €90; apartments (without breakfast) €95-110 (pool, internet available)
This is probably my favorite all-around agriturismo in all of Tuscany. Just 3km outside Volterra on the road to Siena, sits this giddying fusion of sustainable tourism, countryside vistas, modern conveniences and wonderful food (dinner per person is a very reasonable €28). The mountain spring-fed biological swimming pool, complete with frogs and salamanders, fronts the converted farmhouse, circa the 1400s. Rooms are ‘farmhouse chic’, individually decorated and colorful with modern kitchens and bathrooms. Walking, biking, horseback riding and hands-on, seasonal olive-oil production (October-November) are immediately available, as are cooking classes (€90 per person) with meals served in the 12th-century Franciscan chapel. Whether you consider it a curse or blessing, some mobile-phone services don’t work out here. They sell their own olive oil too!

Hotelito Lupaia (outside Pienza)
Doubles €240 (breakfast, swimming pool included)
Full disclosure: I was sent here for a magazine assignment and was comped for a three night stay. Just north of Pienza, this farm dates from 1237. Each room has been uniquely and meticulously designed by the family matriarch, a 30 year veteran of fashion and interior design. The main house, containing a sitting room, dining room and open kitchen, is similarly bedecked with restored and agreeably weathered furniture. The progressive use of medieval space, doing as little as possible and sigh-inducing countryside views punctuate stays here, which are only interrupted by alluring eating options in nearby Pienza, Montepulciano, Montichiello and Montefollonico.

La Frateria di Padre Eligio (outside Cetona)
Via di San Francesco; singles €140-160, doubles €220-240 (including breakfast)
This is probably the most historic, best-value sleeping option available to non-royalty. Up a signed lane (‘Mondox la Frateria Conv S Francesco’) 1km from Cetona on the road to Sarteano, this is a former convent dating from 1212. It’s been painstakingly restored and converted into an unforgettable, seven-room hotel and gourmet restaurant (meals without wine are a steep €110 per person), where you can expect a lavish eight-course dining experience, 90% of which is made from local products.

La Corte Del Re (Arezzo)
Via Borgunto 5; singles €60-75, doubles €70-90 (including air-con and internet)
A collection of six apartments, centimeters from Arezzo’s Piazza Grande, harmoniously blending contemporary design into elements of the historic building. The Pietro Aretino Suite has an ultra-modern bathroom that bleeds right into an Etruscan wall. Some apartments have kitchenettes and views of the square. There’s a three night minimum stay.

Hotel San Michele (Cortona)
Via Guelfa 15; doubles €79-220 (including breakfast, air-con and wi-fi)
This is Cortona’s finest hotel, which is surprising when you take into account their frequent discounted room rates. The property is primarily Renaissance, but with elements dating from the 12th century and modifications over subsequent centuries, it’s like a little history of Cortona in stone. Rooms are airy, spacious and exquisitely furnished. Unfortunately, for every week there are €79 rooms, there are two weeks with €200 rooms, so plan carefully. If you’re driving, parking will cost €20. Wi-fi costs €3 per hour.

L’Andana (outside Castiglione della Pescaia)
Doubles €500 (including breakfast, pool, internet, wi-fi and parking)
That’s right, rooms are €500 per night. When you coast down the gated, kilometer-long, tree-lined dirt track flanked by vineyards, olive trees and 50 sq km of rolling hills and rock up to this once summer abode of Duke Leopold, you’ll know why. Opened in 2004 and designed with the help of French three-star Michelin chef Alain Ducasse, this 16th-century property is the last hotel you’ll ever want to stay in. And you can bet your tongue that the onsite Trattoria Toscana (open for dinner only from Tuesday to Sunday) won’t disappoint. Avail yourself of the indoor and outdoor swimming pools, spa with signature treatments, tennis court, 18-hole golf course, lobby wi-fi and the largest showers in Tuscany – maybe Europe.

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