Italy-Day 12, Val d'Orcia, Artisinal Pasta Factory, Montalcino, and Wine Tasting

 Another amazing day in the beautiful Val d'Orcia.  Today, we started off at a pasta factory that prides itself on using ancient grains that are grown organically and then turned into pasta using nothing more than the ground grains and water.

Here, they specialize in pici, a thicker spaghetti-shaped noodle for which the area is known.  They also make other shapes of noodles using bronze dies.  They only use whole grains, never separating the parts, resulting in a darker color.  

After the pasta demonstration, it was a short drive to Bagno Vignoni, a small village in the valley, famous for its healing hot springs.  We were able to sit for a bit and soothe our aching feet after 12 days of much walking.

We stopped in the town of Montalcino, birthplace of Brunello wine, for lunch.  All of these towns and villages are in the hills, and the squares are always an uphill climb.  There are statues depicting a she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus throughout Italy.  This town of Montelcino has its own.

We, of course, ordered a bottle of Brunello to enjoy with our lunch.  We chose salads today, a refreshing break from the pasta and pizza we have been consuming.

After lunch, we headed over to Casato Prime Donne, a woman-owned winery in Montelcino.  Here is a little blurb about this winery......

Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino is a Brunello winery. The property is made up of 40 hectares of which 17 hectares are taken up by Sangiovese vineyards and the winery for the production and ageing of the Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino wines. The vintners are all women, as is the winemaker, a unique situation in Italy, a flagship for women in the wine business.

We toured the winery, learning of the process used for Brunello, which must be aged a minimum of two years before release.  We tasted 3 different vintages from youngest to oldest, noting the differences in weight and texture.

Throughout the winery are plaques with sayings from women who have made pathways in male-dominated fields.