Hello my name is Matteo…Mathew. If you sit down we will go.

The bus driver was getting impatient with people on Wednesday, and I do not blame him. We left about 10 minutes late because people were a little slow getting up on Wednesday. This week we encountered yet another atmospheric condition for our field trip: fog. We begin to climb up this mountain weaving back and forth, and the fog only gets thicker and thicker.

We arrive at Montepulciano. We stopped to see a early Renaissance church. Tempio di San Biagio was interesting for several reasons:

1. The church was built outside the city.
2. It is set on a grassy plinth, separate from everything.
3. Organic ornamentation blends with the geometry of the church.
4. The second tower was supposed to be identical to the first, but was only built up to about 15 feet, and a clunky hip roof capped it off.
5. I have proved to you that I am in fact an architecture nerd.

We then rode the bus to Pienza. It was supposed to be a very scenic drive, but due to the fog we didn’t see much. We were going a long a ridge, and all of the sudden we could see a break in the fog, and before us was a beautiful rolling hillside of vineyards. It was spectacular. I can see why it is said to be the most beautiful area of Tuscany.

Pienza is a curious little place. It is another hill town with spectacular views of the valley below, but what makes it a delightful place is pecorino cheese, and Pope Pius II.  The Pope wanted to transform the medieval town into a modern Renaissance city. He envisioned a perfect city. Utopia was never achieved due to the fact that he was only Pope for six years before his death, and the shear expense a feat of this scope would be. The only thing completed was a small piazza  that was flanked by his Palazzo, a new Cathedral, the bishop’s house, and the town hall. All of which were very nice renaissance buildings.

The main attraction for the day was of course the lunch. Remember the pecorino cheese I was telling you about. We had heard about this lunch. It is legendary. It was to be the best meal of our Italian adventure.  The four courses did not disappoint. This is what we had (These are Laura’s Pictures.):

First Course (Primi Piati): I am not sure what to call this. It isn’t quite bruschetta. But the various spreads were delicious. One was onion, and the other two darker ones were unique flavors to me. Although I am told it was truffles and mushroom based.

Second Course (Secondi): Lasagna Bolgonese with pecorino chese. I must admit I had two helpings of this.

Main Course: Oops. We got too excited about the food to snap a picture of it. We had Salad and French Fries with a piece of roast beef, chicken, and a sausage. The sausage was my favorite. It had a nice smokey flavor.

Desert: Tiramisu. Laura said this picture makes it look like a hotdog. This is the best desert that I have had here. A beautiful finish to an amazing meal. Needless to say I ate too much. I really couldn’t help myself. I think almost everyone felt that way. The afternoon was spent fighting off a food coma. Very Nice.

Here are a few more pictures of the day (in no particular order):