MOUNTAMIATA: A MOUNTAINFOR EVERYTASTE By Lucy Gordan pproximatelytwo-thirds of the ltalianboot is cov- both Dante'sDivine Comedyand Boccaccio's eredwith mountains;the Alps run acrossits north- Decameron,robbed medieval pilgrims going to Rome ern bordersand the Apenninesdown its centerto the toe. alongthe FrancigenWay). No lessevocative are its Onlytwo of the mostimportant peaks stand alone: medievalchurches, the mostsplendid of whichare the MountEtna in Sicilyand MountAmiata in the Tuscan Romanesqueabbazie or abbeysof The HolyRedeemer provincesof Grossetoand Siena. at Abbadiadi San Salvatoreand of St.Antimo not far AlthoughTuscany is certainlyone of ltaly'smost from Seggiano. populartourist destinations, Mount Amiatia, unlike Speakingof vultures, Chiantishireto the northand deutscheMaremma to the in MountAmiata's sev- south,remains off-the-beaten path. This extinctvolcano, eral naturereserves, 1,738meters at its summit,with enoughgeothermal with theirwell-marked activityto heat the bathsof little-knownbut bijouxspas at trailsfor trekkersand BagnoVignoni and BagniSan Filippo,is a worthwhiledis- hikers,are the undis- coveryfor Tuscany-explorersand ltalophileswho are in turbedhabits of many searchof unspoilednature, still down-to-earth and hos- gpes of faunaand pitablepeople, and genuinetraditional cuisine like nonna flora. All greatvenues or grandmaused to cook. The perfectplace to unwind for'photo safaris"! and pullout the stressplug! Monte Penna is home Culture-vultureswill enjoyAmiata's ring of numer- to numerousspecies of birdsof prey: sparrowhawk, ous quainthilltowns: among them Arcidosso (home of goshawk,buzzard, short-toed eagle, harrier, and hobby, the mystical19th-century prophet, Davide Lazzarefti, and as well as the skunk,wild boar,porcupine, fawn, and roe his sect),Castel del Piano(for its paintingsby the Nasini deer. Monte Labbrccounts 117 species of birds,53 of dynasty),Santa Fiora and Piancastagnaio(with their mammals,13 of reptiles,and 10 of amphibians,Of these Jewishghettoes dating to 1555),Roccalbenga (for its 76 are in dangerof extinction:the spottedsalamander, breadand castle),Radicofani (for its Carolingiancastle yellow-belliedtoad, short{oed eagle, lanner, barn owl, and localRobin Hood, Ghino diTacco, who, mentionedin mustachedbat, noctule,wolf, beechmarten, and badger, 27 to namea few. MonteAmiata is dedicatedto the studyof Besidestrekking, hiking (the "ChestnutTrail" the woll severalspecies of deer,mouflon, chamois, alone has six well-markedbranches), and bird-watching, Apenninewolf, the indigenous donkey, smallvultures, sport enthusiastscan enjoy horse trekking,bicycling, porcupines,fox, badger,squinels, foxes, and wild-boar. mountiain-biking,speleology in the grottoesof fn additiongiving refuge to mostof MonteAmiata's fauna Sassocolatoor di Baccheanear Monte Pennaand all snow-sportswith ski-liftsat Pratodella Contessa,prato delleMacinaie, la Marsiliana,and RifugioCantore for a totaf of c. 25 kilometersof down-hillruns and 12tor cross-country. When it comesto wine, the charmingtown of Montialcino,which givesBrunello di Montatcinoitrs name, is not quite on Amiatia,but itrsrival grows on its slopes near the hilltownof Seggiano. You will see yellowsigns plus pescinello, the skunk,wildcat and ofter, Rocconiand to the StradadelVino di Montecuc@,and you can sam- both owned by the WWF,are bird-watchers'paradises ple the wine at the Castleof Pontentino(tel. 001OSe$- where Egyptianvultures, hanier eagles,hobbies, lanners, 950326or telffax-0564-95001 4, e-mait: castellodipotenti- spanow-hawks,kite, kingfishers,and woodpeckersare [email protected]).The castle,which is almosta villagein easyto sight. itsell hasrecently been restored by wine-pro- Muchto theirjoy, ducerCharlotte Bolston Greene, niece of the botanistswill find beech, writerGraham Greene. chestnuts,firs, cork, Asidefrom vineyards, gastronomically- numerousspecies of oak, speaking,Amiatia's slopes are coveredwith Turk'scap, St. John's lily, olivegroves or the ubiquitouschestnut (found in deadlynightshade, almostevery local recipe) and beechwoods, full Solomon'sseal, three- of wildmushrooms and white truffes at the right quartersof the many seasonnot to mentionall kindsof edible speciesof wildorchids wildlife,in particulardeer, wild boar, hare, and foundin ltaly,and a pheasant,throughout the year. Lcral pearino plethoraof wildherbs and beniesused abundanUy in cheesemade with sheep's milk, if notyet as wellpubli- localdishes-the cuisineof the poor.A fairy-taleland- cizedas its namesakesin Sardiniaand the Abruzzi, is scapeespecially in spring! deliciousas are the productsmade with "cinfa 28 his bride;and thirdto "PiccoloBorgo" in Sempronianofor the locafspecialty, "acquacotta", a breadand egg peas- ant soup. The public'sfavorite was "TheHotel Contessa" v for its vast choiceof antipastiandits well-knownhospital- ity. Startingwith the Epiphany,folkloristic festivals and celebrationsfill up the calendaron MountAmiata. otq*t? Probablythe mostdramatic takes place on November24, senese,"a smalllocal black pig with a whitestripe. as partof the grand To promotetourism and the localcuisine, in 2001 finafeof Amiataa the TouristBoard revived the 1987food festival, Amiata a Tavola.A fertilityrite, Tavola.For five weekendsin May and Juneand a sixth it's called"La in Novembertourists and localsparticipate in localoil- Focarazzaa Sanfa and wine{astings,watch local craftsmen make their Caterina"and takes wares: ceramics,wood-carvings, wrought-iron, visit the placein this tiny coal minesonce the principalindustry here, and feaston frazionejust outside localspecialties. Sixty-seven restaurants joined in 2003's Roccalbegna.At sun- thvd Amiata a Tavola'scontest for the best local dish set a huge"haystack" madewith localingredients and servedwith a localwine. madeof heatheris A first round narrowedthe contestantsdown to twenty. builtat the top of a hill Roccalbegna On December4 at the comfortablehotel "Le Macinaie" just outsidetown. Whenit's completelydark out, the (Pratodelle Macinaie, 58033 Castel del Piano,(Grosseto, stackis blessedby the priestand then set on fire. When tel. 011 -39-05il-959001, FAX -95901 3, the blazeis over,all the bachelorsfrom SantaCaterina www.lemacinaie.it)a jury of localhistorians, nutritionists go into action,a genuine-tug-of-war,trying to grab and andjournalists specialized in eno-gastronomydelivered thendrag the still-smolderingsfo//o (the stack'smain theirverdicts. Firstprize went to the restaurant"La Pieve pole,a trunkof Turkeyoak) down the steephill to their di Semproniano"in Sempronianofor toftellidi baccaldt contradaor neighborhoodwhere it's triumphantlydis- witha leeksauce; secondto'll Poderedei Nobili"in the playedfor severaldays. Then it's burnedand its ashes naturereserve Monte Amiata for a traditionallocal are scatteredover the fieldsin the hopesof a good har- "sweet"called "Ciaramito",made with chestnutflour, vest. raisins,and pine-nutsby his futuremother-in-law when No matterwhat the season,wind up yourstay on her futureson-in-law officially asked for the handof 29 MountAmiatawith a visitto theDanielSpoeni Sculpture mentsallow visitors to get off at a stationto hike or bike Gardennear Seggiano, founded here by the Romanian- and then to get back on a later train or at another station. bomSwiss emigr6 sculptor, famous for his EatArtmove- Accommodations and Restaurants: mentand chef-owner of "GalerieJ" in Parisand "Spoeni" StabilimentoTermale di Bagno Vignoni, Piazza del and"Eat Art", both in D0sseldorf,all famousfor his Moretto32, 53027 Bagno Vignoni, (Siena), teWAX. 011' "CannibalSuppef. lfs a mustfor culture-vultures,hikers, 39-0577-887365, e-mail: [email protected]. andfood-lovers alike. lts manyhumorous worksof-art TermeSan Filippo, BagniSan Filippo,53020 BagniSan Filippo(Siena), tel. 0 11 -39-0577 -87 2982, e-mail: info:@termesanfilippo.it,www.termesanftlippo.it. Locanda La Pieve, Via della Societd Openia 3, 58055 Semprcniano(Grossefo), -05U-987252, FAX -0564- 987756, e-mail: Iapieve@latramarcmma. it, www.altn' maremma.it. Ristonnte Poderc dei Nobili,Parco F aunisticodell'Amiata, 58031 Arcidosso (Grosseto), tel. - O56+966867, -967720, info@parafauni stia. it. II Piccolo Borgo,Piazza Fazio Cacciaconti,Rocchefte di Fazio, are cleverlyplaced in a huge area and many have a eno- Semproniano,(Grossefo), tel. 4564-986173. Hotel gastronomicaltheme: The Throneof St. Grappa", Confessa, LocalitdPrato della Confessa, tel. -05M' "DrunkDemi-Johns", "Etemal Breakfast', "Etemal Lunch", 9 59000,fax -0564-959002. "TheCup", The Drip-Mouldingof Meat-Grinders",and For moreinformation, a calendarof localfestivals, "Bibendum'to name a few ln other words, "The Garden and the progreimof Amiataa Tavola 2004: APT AMIATA' of Eatin'"! Via Adua 25, 53021Abbadia San Salvafore, (Siena), ltaly' tel. 0 11 -39-0 577 -7 7 58 1 1, 0 11 -39'0 57 7'77 87 7, *m ail : PRACTICALTIPS: [email protected]; http:www.amiataturismo.it. Transportation: Ihe easiesfway to visit the numerousaftradions of MountAmiata is by privatecar from Siena. Othetwise,but only threetimes on Sundays, hop on the "NatureTrain", pulled by a tumof'the'century steamengine. lts circular 140kn. roufe sfarfs and finish' es af Sienaand passesby the Crete,the OrciaValley, MountAmiataand the OmbroneValley. Trainanange- 30.