CONTENT WARNING: Contains Food Porn

As we bid arrivederci to our place at La Rimbecca, we were not altogether sad to see the last of that damn road!

First stop enroute to our next lodgings – lunch at Osteria Fonterutoli. Reservations duly made in advance, we had a lovely table in the garden.

Here comes the food porn:

Then it was off to another previously unknown accommodation, Castellinuzza – way up in the hills above Greve, on the road to Lamole. This place is stunning, so I will let the photos speak for themselves.

Of course, there is always “something”, and the something here is that there are no restaurants nearby, except the expensive (but so worth it) Ristoro di Lamole (where we have reservations for tomorrow night) and a place with a handmade sign saying “Monday night sunset pizza!” That we had driven past on our way up to Castellinuzza. These are the only two options within ten miles of us on a narrow, steep, and winding (but paved) road.

So after a lovely swim and a glass of wine that our hostess poured for Don when he just went looking for two wine glasses,

we headed back down the hill to try the sunset pizza. Monday nights only apparently. Good News! It’s Monday night! Bad News! No reservation!!

Turns out it’s a tiny little spot way down a gravel drive (grr) with a few tables outside all set up – totally empty – but the owner called to us and after determining that we did not have a rezzo, he was very sorry but no pizza for us! I assumed it was due to seating, and suggested that we could eat our pizza on the bench nearby, but no, alas, it was the fact that he only had enough pizza dough for the number of reserved guests, and could we come back tomorrow?

With Don growling and hangry behind me, I said yes please! Lunch? To which the owner said to come at 12:30 and he would make us something special because we were nice. Oh yes . . . We’re going!

Since we were halfway to Greve anyway, we went back to our pizza guy at La Cantina and he was so happy to see us again – shook our hands and chef’s kiss. I’m not sure his English was proficient enough to catch Don’s “it’s the only place to get a good pizza around here”, but he appreciated the repeat visit.

Tomorrow – now that we have lunch and dinner reservations nearby – is going to be about relaxing, Don doing his crosswords, me taking pics and reading my book,

swimming in the beautiful infinity pool and having it all to ourselves (where is everyone!?!) and probably throw a nap in there somewhere between a big lunch and a big dinner. All the while taking in the most glorious 180 degree view of absolute perfection. This is exactly why we love Italy – not necessarily the things you do, but the feeling you get when you just take the time to look around you and appreciate the timeless beauty here.