Massa Marittima

We arrived in Massa Marittima mid-afternoon, after a few wrong turns we found our friends in the square and followed them the few steps to our Bed and Breakfast.


It's one of eight apartments in a renovated thirteenth-century palace, the Palazzo Malfatti. In the twelfth century, the Pannocchieschi family gained their wealth from mining copper and silver. Several members of the family were bishops of the diocese of Volterra. One of the Pannocchieschi family married Pia de Tolomei. This is mentioned in the Divine Comedy Canto V of Dante's Purgatory. 

"Dante meets Pia de Tolomei, where the story of Palazzo Malfatti begins".

He ends up killing his wife, Pia, in order to marry Margherita Aldobrandeschi. He built the Palazzo Malfatti for her.

The ceilings are very cool.



After dropping off our bags and parking the car, we took a stroll around the town. It's easy to see how they keep fit as the town is built on a hill and everywhere you go there are lots of steps and hills to climb, including the church in the main square behind us.

After our mini tour, our friends, Andrea and Melissa, hosted us at their house a few steps away from our bed and breakfast. Their house is one of four apartments in what used to be a monastery. We had aperitivo with a bottle of local wine that tasted like a $50 bottle at home, but here cost 7 Euros. Mamma mia!

I had my first cooking lesson with Andrea. He said this was dish was an Italian favorite back in the 70s and not very popular today. But Melissa and their daughter Viola Sofia (VS) had been requesting it for a long time. Tortellini with prosciutto and peas.


We made it until 8:15pm which is better than I expected. The final pic of the night was the church in the main square lit up in the evening.


Buonanotte!






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Few New Updates (#250)

Image
This morning we went over to the apartment. We made sure to go early since there's no electricity or lighting at the moment. Many of the rooms look the same, aside from the pile of old doors and materials that have now been cleared. The biggest change by far was the terrace. From the guest bedroom, you can see the progression: what it looked like last spring, what it looks like now...and the rendering of what it will someday become. Notice that the old bathroom is completely gone--you can now see straight through to the terrace. Guest bedroom Spring 2025 Guest Bedroom Winter 2025 (minus the terrace bathroom) Guest bedroom rendering Unfortunately, it doesn't look like they've been able to save many tiles. Our original plan was to repurpose whatever survived into a medallion or faux rug in the foyer. So...we may be moving on to plan B. Tile demolition Below is the view looking out through the former bathroom door--soon to be a window--looking out on the terrace. The thickness...
Read more

A New Lunch Spot, A Little Bonsai and a Lot of Contractors

Image
Just when we started feeling a little smug about knowing our way around town--having our favorite cafes and go-to spots--something happened to remind us how much we still have to discover. Today we had lunch plans with Tim and Izabella. We told them to choose the restaurant, and they picked one we had never even heard of: Villa La Boccia.  There are no signs pointing you there, no flashy advertising, nothing to catch your eye as you drive past--which we apparently do regularly without ever noticing it. So naturally we were curious about this "secret" local spot.  When we arrived, the parking lot was completely full. Completely. The restaurant itself was large, with indoor dining and a courtyard, and every seat seemed taken. We were stunned. How had we missed this place? Luckily Tim had made a reservation--he told us he had tried before without one and failed to get a table. Good thing he planned ahead.  Inside, the place was buzzing and the menu was extensive. It was hard...
Read more

A Busy Last Week in San Diego

Image
Our last week in San Diego arrived faster than expected, and David is feeling the pressure to get as much bonsai work done as possible. If he'd had his way, Ira probably would have been working every daylight hour and only released at night. Unfortunately for David's plan, we already had a few things scheduled. One of those plans was a long-anticipated trip to the zoo with RC. With everyone's busy schedules, this was the first day that worked for all of us. And really, we had to take advantage of our annual pass, right? Kai arrived proudly wearing the gorilla shirt we'd bought him the last time we visited the San Diego Zoo . He was eager to show us how fast he could move and had a great time climbing and weaving his way through the polar bear exhibit.  This time the polar bear was just as active. It definitely pays to visit early in the day. Sadly I stopped recording too soon because right after he jumped into the water, swam toward us, climbed out, and shook himself dr...
Read more