Skip to main content

SIENA FOR FOODIES: FRIED ARTICHOKES IN THE CRETE SENESI


Fried artichokes, Tuscan ham and cheese, fresh broad beans and a glass of wine in Chiusure




Tuscans love to fry. Deep fry, that is. But not just fish and chips. In fact an Italian proverb says "fritte sono buone anche le scarpe" - even shoes taste good when deep fried. I prefer sage leaves though - picked in our garden and straight into the pan. But the most sublime thing in I can think of is a plate of deep fried artichokes in spring -  best if accompanied by a glass of Italy's Franciacorta sparkling wine (but I will also put up with a dry white wine or simply Champagne). 


If you have a car, skip lunch in Siena and drive through the hills of the Crete Senesi to join the crowd at Chiusure - Tuscany's Mecca for artichokes lover. 
Arrive early (not after 12 pm), as parking around the small hilltop village becomes a nightmare. In fact I've just seen that the contrada della Giraffa (Siena's neighborhood of the giraffe) will be also there for lunch on Liberation Day on the 25th. Which explains the parking problem.

Hills around Chiusure



CHIUSURE IN PIAZZA: 25th to the 28th of April, 2013
Four days dedicated to Tuscan wine and food pleasures, Chiusure's famous artichokes and countryside walks. 

 HOW TO GET THERE? Chiusure can be reached as a scenic round trip from Siena (ca. 45 minutes each way by car only). Start the drive via the road that leads to Asciano and have your camera at the ready. The hills of the Crete Senesi are at their most stunning during spring. After your lunch in Chiusure drive on towards Buonconvento, and take the time to stop over at the Monte Oliveto Maggiore abbey to pay tribute to Signorelli's and Sodoma's frescoes depicting the life of St. Benedict in the main cloister of the monastery.

 The monks of Monte Oliveto Maggiore also produce their own brand of herbal teas and digestive grappa - you may want to invest in one or the other in case you've overdid it with the deep fried artichokes in Chiusure. 

 WHAT ELSE? Have a stroll in Buonconvento before heading back to Siena. The beautiful little town sports two great museums, which take part in the #invasionidigitali grass root movement on Saturday 27th of April. In fact another cultural invasion is planned at the Monte Oliveto Maggiore abbey on Sunday the 28th at 4 pm. So give these Italians a hand in claiming back the country's artistic beauties.   
A white Tuscan dirt road in the Crete Senesi leading to Chiusure

Labels:
Location: 53041 Chiusure SI, Italia

Popular posts from this blog

BEST BIKE RENTAL IN SIENA

Villa Catignano: one of the many beautiful places an e-bike can get you to from Siena A few years ago, I interviewed an American writer , who during her month-long stay in Siena whizzed through the city on a bicycle. This was an unusual sight - vespas are the two-wheelers of choice in Siena's hilly town center, not bikes like in mostly flat Florence.  But the invention of e-bikes is about to change this. The city of Siena has installed an  electric bike sharing program which is functioning well. However, it's mostly aimed at locals and residents, as its set-up is a little complicated for visitors who only stay a couple of days in town. Hence, for tourists, the best bike rental options in Siena are with the privately owned shops which supply bycicles of every size and type for a day or two or an entire week.  Giulia from Julskitchen.com cycling through the hills of Siena Siena Bike Shop rents out racing bycicles, hybrid and e-bikes and is a great optio...
Read on...»

Ambrogio Lorenzetti's frescoes and paintings

From toddlers to octogenarians, when in Siena I schlepp everybody to see Ambrogio Lorenzetti's 'Buon Governo'. The long title of the painting is 'The Allegory of Good and Bad Government in the City and the Countryside' and it is exactly that - namely an accurate depiction of daily life in medieval Siena. The detailed and elegant fresco cycle is a rarity not just in regard to Lorenzetti's style and technique, but mainly due to its subject matter. In the 14th century, paintings and frescoes focus on stories and characters from the old and new testament and  not on the day-to-day tasks of builders and farmers.  Medieval Siena depicted on one of the walls of Ambrogio Lorenzetti's fresco cycle in the Palazzo Pubblico (©Wikipedia) And this is exactly why it's so much fun to spend some time in front of the fresco cycle in the  civic museum in Siena's Palazzo Pubblico. Whether its kids  - or meat lovers - looking for the famous Cinta Senese pig  ...
Read on...»

NINA ZILLI CONCERT IN PIAZZA DEL CAMPO

Whatever the exact financial situation of the city of Siena and its famous nearly broke bank - the fact that free concerts are back on Piazza del Campo is a promising sign! In the summer of 2012 ,   Patti Smith  sang 'People have the Power' on Piazza del Campo. The song and her fabulous concert in Siena feature in the book soundtrack - and hopefully also in the future film adaptation - of my memoir  Across the Big Blue Sea .  But while a spectacular full moon rose behind Torre del Mangia the night of Patti's concert, the city itself had just started its descent into a longlasting financial nightmare. The Monte dei Paschi bank -  founded in  1472 it is the world's oldest continually operating bank -  turned from  prodigy into Italy's problem child (more about this here ), and with the bank's debacle, the free concerts on Piazza del Campo had lost their main sponsor.  Nina may not be a world-star, but she's definitely one of th...
Read on...»