Arrival at Borgo Pignano - a beautiful hamlet in the hills near Volterra

Sunday, May 07 - We arrive at the Borgo Pignano and enjoy the beautiful evening

The main villa at the Borgo Pignano in the evening light

The terrace, with a view over the Tuscan hills to the town of Volterra

We used the GPS on my phone to help us find our way to the Borgo Pignano and we arrived at just before 6 PM. (www.borgopignana.com) The complex dates from the 12^th Century, and has a small castle (villa), a church and a number of village buildings.  We are staying in a large room in the villa, with terra cotta floors, 15 foot ceilings and a bathroom to die for.  Our room is filled with fresh flowers, and we have a lovely bottle of water on our desk, accompanied by a plate of fresh strawberries.  There are organic bath products and fragrant hand made soap, with a strong and enjoyable scent of lavender.  All the products are made locally on the estate.

Our room at Borgo Pignano "La Bandita" - a comfy, corner room on the 2nd floor of the Villa

All the comforts - flowers, herbal shampoo, lotion and bath salts made on the estate, robes and slippers..

Fresh strawberries, flowers and bottled water

Looking out from our room

View from our window, looking west to Volterra

The grounds are impeccable, with large pine and live oak trees and many flowers.  The evening sun was low in the sky, painting everything a warm golden color.  We came out to sit on the terrace and had drinks before dinner, where we were served a sampling of parmagiano cheese and locally cured prosciutto.

Mike had a brandy old fashioned with his spuntino of prosciutto and parmagiano cheese

We had reservations for dinner at 8 PM – and were the only ones dining on this Sunday evening.  They pride themselves on fine dining and all local and organic sources for the food.  We started with a shared plate of risotto – made with 2 kinds of black pepper with fresh green edamame beans, and small dollops of green puree, tiny slivers of candied lemon peel, and small fresh red flowerettes – beautifully colorful.  We opened a bottle of Vernaccia Riserva – so light and dry.  Michael had red snapper for dinner, and I had roast lamb.  My lamb was accompanied with dollops of almond crème and citrus crème, as well a bright green pureed asparagus.  And the bread – all grains grown on the estate and baked in house – was incredibly tasty.  They brought us a lovely sampling of sweet treats to close out the meal, and we called it a night.

All in all, a tremendous first day of our vacation!

Risotto, with 2 kinds of pepper, edamame whole and dollops of creme, candied lemon and dusting of cocoa - Yum!

Roast lamb, with asparagus, almond and citrus creme and a chilled glass of Vernaccia Riserva

An assortment of mini sweets served on a tufa rock to end a glorious meal