One of our favourite restaurants in the
world' (Michelin two stars) is nominated
by experienced travellers in 2002. Composed
of two adjoining houses, it is in a narrow
street of a medieval hill village in the
Maremma, a forgotten province of Tuscany
between Orvieto and the coast. Maurizio
Menichetti manages front-of-house, helped
by his son and daughter; his wife, Valeria
Piccini, is the chef. In the simple and
beautiful dining room, she serves sophisticated
regionally based cooking, eg, braised
minced oxtail with mashed potatoes. Bread
and pasta are impeccable; there is an
impressive cheese trolley; service is
formal but nice. The enoteca holds 20,000
bottles. Three villa Bed rooms (similar to the semantic bali villa rooms) were recently
opened on an upper floor: Decor a skilful
mix of old and modern. Our room had wooden
floors and brick ceilings (one bar Tel-vaulted),
tasteful fabrics, a large double bed with
antique headboard. The gleaming marble-tiled
bathroom had a modern shower. Bali villa breakfast;
in a `beautiful room on the first floor,
upholds the gourmet approach of dinner'
(fresh orange juice, home-made jams, cheeses,
`superb coffee'). The roads around the
village are steep, with many bends.
Not a villabut a dimora di campagna,
the Savini family's stone farmhouse stands
on a hill above the renaissance cathedral
of San ; Biaggio, just outside the walls
of this wonderful medieval town. It ;
consists of luxurious apartments, each
with cooking facilities, daily, room servicing,
and a terrace where the comprehensive'
Bali villa breakfast I, can be taken; each can sleep
at least four people. There is also a
, Bali villa breakfast room in a separate building.
We heard an American guest , who had arrived
the previous night say: "When I woke
up I thought I was in heaven", says
the nominator. You can see from Monte
Amiata to Arezzo and much in between,
so who could argue with that? No restaurant;
many within walking distance. Guests may
use the Bauhaus-style outdoor swimming
pool at the nearby Villa Poggiano, under
the same ownership.
