Just D.I.N.K.ing Around: A Day under the Greve Sun

Shop, Eat, Wine, Repeat!

After a long day of wine touring the day before in the Montalcino, today is a slower more relaxing, wander around, Greve day.

We start the day at one of our favorite shops on the Greve Square, Antica Macelleria Falorni. This is the butcher shop and it is the oldest butcher shop in Italy. A lot of changes have taken place at the shop since the last time we were here two years ago.

They may have made some changes, but one thing that stays the same is the prosciutto hanging from the ceiling.... just walking into that view is guaranteed to put a smile on all our faces. The store may have changed, but our habits didn't. Davin went to his favorite spot, the meat counter, while Duane and Tari made a bee line for the cheese area.

The meat counters look the same, but they have moved the cheese from the "basement" area to upstairs in the main shop area. They also expanded the store space on both sides. so the shop is about double in size as it used to. The one side is actually a little restaurant where you can get glasses of wine and sandwiches made with their salumi.

We don't think the cheeses below are 80 and over 100 years old....but who knows! The shop has been around a while and they did have VERY old cheese in their cheese room.

Along with salumi and cheese you can also pick up store merchandise, like a butcher's apron, cutting boards, refrigeration bags or a poster of a pig. Kelly stood and stared at that poster for a while... thankfully for Jamie, she does not have any open walls in her kitchen to put it, so at the store it stayed.

I mentioned the lunch area they added to the shop, they also added an outdoor seating area so you can enjoy the square while you eat. Next to the outdoor seating is the Greve equivalent of a food truck.

Walking through the meat shop makes us all hungry for lunch. Instead of eating at the meat shop, we all vote to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, Il Portico.

Il Portico

One of the enjoyable things about Il Portico is that most of the menu is written by hand. When you see that anywhere in Europe, you know this is going to be a legit place to eat.

Another sign of a "legit" place is if they have their own wine. Il Portico not only has their own, it actually looks has a nice label and looks like something you would fine in your local wine shop...actually I think they do carry this in the local wine shop. Gotta say that makes it much easier to purchase and take back to the villa. In past years we had to purchase it with cash directly from our server.

We always attempt to get photos of our food before diving in. With Duane and Tari that can be hard as they are quick to start eating normally. Today, we were focused on the goal and made them stop or in a couple cases just took pics as they were dishing up. Honestly, can't say I blame them... the food is really good!

Zucchini flowers were in season while we were there, so we had them for lunch and dinner this day. I'm not a big fan of zucchini, but fried zucchini flowers, now that is a different story!

We must have worked up an appetite while shopping in the square! We had a few different appetizers. We, of course, had to have the panzella salad. That is one of my and Tari's favorites.

Along with that, we had fried mushrooms, the zucchini flowers. and, of course, some pecorino .

Some,how after all those starters, we still ordered pasta for lunch!

Italian food is always about simple ingredients. Pasta with a red sauce, gnocchi with truffles or shrimp scampi with toasted bread.

Enoteca Falorni

What better way to let the food settle after lunch than to make our way back to the "Wine Museum".

While Duane tries to take a quick shot, Jamie makes a comment that when Kelly has the camera, it is never a quick shot. Tari is much more appreciative of his comment. Kelly glares death upon him as he holds his pose for the picture. Jamie claims to be the trained professional in the group.

The same shot moments later, but the bags are now moved and there is better product placement of the incredible Brunellos that Jamie will taking home that day.

Dinner - Albergo Ristorante Giovanni da Verrazzano

For dinner, the four of us meet up with Davin and Christal to grab dinner at Albergo Ristorante. This is another family owned place on the square. This place provides great views to people watch as you can eat outside on the second floor balcony.

Just like at lunch, we order up a few starters.... everyone said the melon and prosciutto was great. I will take their word for it... why ruin prosciutto with melon??

I will stick to the pate and salad.

Another great Montalacino wine with some great food -
Duane and Tari have no reason not to have big smiles.

Albergo is one of the places you can order up an authentic Bistecca Fiorentina. Normally this is something the table shares and you order one. In our case, Davin and Jamie each order one for themselves.

More zucchini flowers and Christal decided to order something a little unusual....something called hush puppies. FYI, Italy does not have a dish called hush puppies...we were not sure what she actually got, but we would recommend not ordering it again. They basically looked like little fish sticks.