I have always wondered how certain towns get featured in guidebooks. As I’ve traveled the length of Italy, I have stopped in towns I am “supposed” to stop in and found most of them charming. But at the same time, I’ve stopped in so many towns that are simply not featured in the guidebooks and found most of them to be equally charming. The problem with going to the featured towns is that everyone else is going there too. Recently, in the heart of Maremma, the less-discovered southwestern portion of Tuscany, I stumbled upon a hidden gem. Welcome to Semproniano….a simple and charming town, which holds a special surprise.
My two-night stay at the seemingly unassuming Locanda la Pieve turned into one of my best hotel stays ever. Was it a five-star hotel? No. Was I served breakfast in bed, or drinks by the pool? No. In fact, there is no pool. What there is instead is the charming, gracious and wonderful hospitality of Angela and Enrico Cipolletta.
 | Angela and Enrico welcome you into their home. In fact, they live at the hotel where they also happen to have eight guestrooms. Each room has been charmingly decorated to a theme by Angela. Sound rustic? Yes, but not really. You see both Angela and Enrico have been trained in the hospitality industry and previously worked for many years for a major hotel in Rome’s historic |
city center. Eight years ago, they decided to leave the hustle and bustle of Rome and the corporate world behind, and move out into the country where they could create a home for themselves, and a home for their guests.
The two of them; the entire “staff” of the hotel do it all. Yet, they manage to do it with the utmost of grace, charm, humor and friendliness. They set their guests instantly at ease and welcome you into their “slow-living” life. Each morning there is a beautiful breakfast comprised of freshly baked breakfast cake among other things. During my stay, I was treated to a lemon-poppyseed bread on one day and a prune galette on the next, courtesy of Angela. In addition there are cereals, yogurt, croissants, bread, fresh fruit and always fresh ricotta served with homemade jams (again courtesy of Angela) and local honey. Coffees and teas of your choice are freshly served to you.
The two of them; the entire “staff” of the hotel do it all. Yet, they manage to do it with the utmost of grace, charm, humor and friendliness. They set their guests instantly at ease and welcome you into their “slow-living” life. Each morning there is a beautiful breakfast comprised of freshly baked breakfast cake among other things. During my stay, I was treated to a lemon-poppyseed bread on one day and a prune galette on the next, courtesy of Angela. In addition there are cereals, yogurt, croissants, bread, fresh fruit and always fresh ricotta served with homemade jams (again courtesy of Angela) and local honey. Coffees and teas of your choice are freshly served to you.
Lest you think Angela does all the work, let’s discuss what Enrico does. While Angela is queen of desserts from the kitchen, Enrico cooks everything else. Dinner is served each night and is only available to guests of the hotel. I asked them why this was their policy….wouldn’t they make more money opening up to the public every night? Enrico agreed this would be true, but it was simply not their philosophy. They don’t want to offer an endless array of plates to an endless line of diners every night.
Enrico concentrates on cooking just what he needs to cook for each night’s number of guests. He only serves what is in season, and what can be purchased locally. There is no menu, and a great part of the fun is sitting at your table wondering what is going to arrive next, and how it could possibly top the last plate Angela brought out from the kitchen. I felt as though I was “in” on a secret dining experience!
Enrico concentrates on cooking just what he needs to cook for each night’s number of guests. He only serves what is in season, and what can be purchased locally. There is no menu, and a great part of the fun is sitting at your table wondering what is going to arrive next, and how it could possibly top the last plate Angela brought out from the kitchen. I felt as though I was “in” on a secret dining experience!
 | The wine list contains only Tuscan wines, but even more specific than that, it contains wines only from the local area. You won’t find Tuscan Chianti Classico on the list even though Semproniano is in Tuscany. But you will find delicious wines you may not ever have heard of, such as Morellino di Scansano and Montecucco. These are all small production wines, not available for export. This is me, telling you to drink them up while you can, and this one was particularly delicious! And just to be clear, the dining experience is anything but rustic. Not knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised each night (I stayed for two nights) at every course. The appetizer always appeared in triplicate….small tastes of three exquisite items. That was followed by a pasta course, either fatta in casa, made “in-house” or purchased fresh from the local pasta maker. The sauces were delicate, fresh and simply delicious. The secondo was a meat course, each time prepared with care, expertise, a delicate hand, and oh-so-delicious. |
Stunned. I don’t know what else to say; I was stunned. How was I receiving these amazing meals, in the middle of seemingly nowhere, in a hotel that was so low-key, so unassuming? And then came dessert. Each time; delicious, perfectly portioned and made in-house. My apologies for the poor photography and the lack of a dessert picture from the first night. I ate my beautiful raspberry semifreddo before I remembered to photograph it! (If you hover your cursor over each picture, I try to give an explanation of the plate.)
FIRST NIGHT'S MEAL SECOND NIGHT'S MEAL
FIRST NIGHT'S MEAL SECOND NIGHT'S MEAL
One of the things I loved most about the meal was the portions. In a “normal” restaurant, I might start with an appetizer, and though I might see several items on both the primi menu and the secondi menu, I know there is no way, I can eat from both sections. I’m forced to choose only one additional item, and leave so many things on the menu untasted. The way Enrico serves the meal, you get three precious tastes for your appetizer, and a perfectly portioned size of pasta, which leaves you room for a small secondo and a hankering for the dessert you know is coming. Each night, I tasted six different things! I was very satisfied, but never unpleasantly stuffed. And the wines…did I tell you about the wines?! (I guess I already did….I hope you were listening.)
Locanda la Pieve is a lesson in service and hospitality, and a wonderful base from which to explore the many wonders of the area. Semproniano is surrounded by Etruscan ruins, wineries, and charming small villages, all aching to be explored (and fodder for another blog post). I would love to return with clients in tow. I have to eat here again in my lifetime! Join me won’t you, as we explore Maremma together; the sights, the colors, the history, the food and wine. Drop me a line at: irene@bellagiornatatours.com and let’s start planning your next vacation into a fascinating and less-explored area of Tuscany.
Locanda la Pieve is a lesson in service and hospitality, and a wonderful base from which to explore the many wonders of the area. Semproniano is surrounded by Etruscan ruins, wineries, and charming small villages, all aching to be explored (and fodder for another blog post). I would love to return with clients in tow. I have to eat here again in my lifetime! Join me won’t you, as we explore Maremma together; the sights, the colors, the history, the food and wine. Drop me a line at: irene@bellagiornatatours.com and let’s start planning your next vacation into a fascinating and less-explored area of Tuscany.
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