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| Osteria Sant'Angelo Foodie pit stop in Sant'Angelo Scalo |
Sant'Angelo Scalo is one of those Tuscan villages that tourists keep missing out on by driving straight through. Utterly lacking in noteworthy sites, Scalo (as the locals call it) doesn't have medieval town walls or great views, let alone any Renaissance art. If anything travelers slow down their car to ask for directions to the nearby Castello Banfi and Col d'Orcia wineries (two of Montalcino's biggest Brunello producers).
The small village on the way to the Maremma, is just so not the Tuscany you were dreaming about when booking your flight a few months ago. But for once, forget about art, culture and quaint medieval hilltop villages. Join the locals instead, binge on Tuscan food and wash it all down with one of Italy's best wines.
The Orcia a Tavola food festival will make sure you'll remember the Val d'Orcia not just as a Unesco World Heritage site with cypress trees, but also as a place where one can have a good meal without a lot of fuzz.
FESTIVAL MENU Orcia a Tavola 2012
Friday, 31st of August
Rudolfo Cosimi's Bollicine (Montalcino's first sparkling wine)
Prosciutto e Fichi (figs and Tuscan ham)
Zuppa di Ceci con Tagliatini (chickpeas with homemade pasta)
Baccalà alla Sant'Angelese (cod prepared along a local recipe)
Salame Dolce (dessert)
Rosso di Montalcino DOC from Argiano and Ferrero wineries.
Saturday, 1st of September
Banfi's brut (sparkling wine)
Pappa al pomodoro (Tuscan tomato and bread soup)
Tortelli al ragù (homemade pasta with meat sauce)
Tegamata di maiale con animelle (pig, Tuscan style)
Zuppa Inglese (dessert)
Rosso di Montalcino DOC from Castello Banfi and Poggiolo wineries.
Sunday, 2nd of September
Sparkling wine from the Col d'Orcia estate
Trippa allo zafferano (tripe cooked with saffron)
Zuppa di funghi (mushroom soup)
Locio alla contadina con patate (local meat dish with potatoes)
Ricotta col miele caldo con castagne (dessert: ricotta cheese with warm chestnut honey)
Rosso di Montalcino DOC from Talenti and Col d'Orcia wineries.
Once you've chose your night call the organizers to book at least a day beforehand and expect to sit on long tables with the rest of the village. There will be live music, moving from table to table. Whether that's a good or bad thing, I don't know.
FOR RESERVATION CALL FEDERICA: +39 349 576 3216
If you missed the Orcia a Tavola festival, stop anyway. The Osteria Sant'Angelo is an insider tip when it comes to yummy Italian food. Perfect even if you have to keep an eye on your budget.