It’s not every day you get lost in the mountains. Professedly, I am more of a mare than a montagne gal. But, a special trip last October made me re-think that for a sec.
While tourists scurry south of Firenze to the hills of Chiantishire, locals opt to head north to a place with magic all year long: Montagna Pistoiese.
Just as the name tells you, the mountains are in Pistoia, a province and also the name of Florence’s medieval sister city. The mountains are part of the larger Appenine mountain range.
It’s a skier’s paradise. However, I am trash at all winter sports (except eating, if that counts.) Fortunately, I can hike and this magical area is full of stunning trails, along with a lot of great food to fuel you through it all.
I was lucky enough to visit in the Fall with a trip organized by my dear friend Enrico, discovering 3 particular towns in particular: Cutigliano, Orsigna, and Abetone. It was all inspired by many discussions about a special project Thrashed Abetone* which Enrico puts his whole heart into.
This story is a simple one, just as the most beautiful things are. Mostly food, vistas, and many mountain secrets (like a rad 19th-century female poet!) Oh, and lots of chestnuts. Keep on reading to learn about Tuscany’s secret oasis.
*Thrashed Abetone is an initiative to safeguard the environmental health of the Montagna Pistoiese. The best part is - the project works with local schools, bringing kids together to collect trash and learn about sustainability! Everyone can participate in their main events, and they have one right around the corner on May 28th. You can learn more and support the initiative here.
Chestnut Roads, Take Me Home
My mountain adventure began as expected - with windy roads. Basically, if John Denver was Tuscan, this would definitely be his ‘West Virginia’ and these would be the country roads taking him home.
We arrived safely in Cutigliano, after about an hour and a half drive from Florence. Solange - a Cutigliano native and owner of the loveliest Villa Patrizia Hotel - hosted us with a lunch that convinced me I could indeed become a mountain gal.
It’s hard to beat diving into a plate of fresh tagliatelle with porcini (picked just hours before) while the breeze plays with the tall trees sheltering the hotel’s expansive stone-studded patio. The birds chirped like Disney movies while the sun danced between the branches, giving us extra warmth as we chatted about all things about the area - history, food sustainability, art, and the future.
Now, how could I forget - before this incredible lunch, we went to visit Solange’s cousin Virginia who runs a farm up the road. She’s a mighty force - a mother of 2 and a fierce lover of the land. It was especially stunning that day - the sun was shining and the mature trees left the floors decorated in chestnuts. We chatted about Montagna Pistoiese’s history and the area’s long-standing circular economy (more on this later.) Then, I made some donkey friends.
Did you know donkeys are super social and really do not like being alone? (I bet the movie Shrek making more sense now…) One sweet baby donkey followed me the whole time and would have gotten in the car with me if he could fit. He did try though.
We also got to visit L’Erbolaio (also known as Abetone Erbolaio,) a producer and supplier of all fabulous goodies from the area. Their store was filled with all the seductive things - locally grown grains, a wide selection of homemade jams, mushrooms or veggies sotto’olio, fresh local cheese, and much much more.
Listen, there may not be moonshine in these mountains. But, they do have great digestivi. L’Erbolaio specializes in a few liquors, with mirtillino being the megastar. It’s sweet, made from a special indigenous breed of small wild blueberries (mirtillo is blueberry in Italian, making mirtillino a little blueberry.) The liquor itself has berries inside as well. A great as a replacement or after dessert. As you wish!
Welcome to Chestnut Country
Castagne or chestnuts are the mascots of the Montagna Pistoiese. They have long sustained the people, a thriving symbol of the area’s long-standing circular economy. As you can imagine, the location is quite isolated (especially back in the day when roads were a lot worse and cars practically non-existent.)
Chestnuts - growing in bounties - are quite the sustainable food source once you get past their spiky, splinter-inducing exterior. Turned into flour, they can make so many things.
Be careful walking around them, though. I already slipped on one and got splinters in my bum. Don’t take that as a warning - I am a clutz. Still, chestnuts are testy little fellas. I give it to the first folks who took a stab at cracking open these things.
Back to the castagne, these fruits (yes, sorta like the avocado conundrum) are full of carbs, fiber, and fat, not to mention necessary vitamins. Harvest season is in the fall. The community all takes part in it, whether it’s gathering, milling, or cooking these little natural marvels.
In the charming town of Orsigna, you can learn more about the chestnut history process at the Molino di Giamba. This mill (molino means mill in Italian!) is quite ridiculously picturesque - it's located in a green valley sheltered by idyllic Fall mountain foliage. Molino di Giamba is no longer active and is now a museum, which the sweetest Orsignia native Giulia gave us a tour of.
Just up the hill from the mill is an active drying room (called a canniccio,) using an old-school sustainable way of drying where hot coals heat the stone building, slowly drying the chestnuts for up to 40 or so days. Here you can see a quick video of locals processing chestnuts for drying. Naturally, there was an excellent restaurant right next door - Ristorante Molino di Berto.
All Hail the Porcini
Not only is this area blessed with beauty, but it also has some of the best darn porcini you can get your hands on. Even if you don’t come in the Fall, you can score these babies jarred or dried. No matter the shape or form, porcini are pure divinity, an absolute culinary blessing from Mother Earth.
During my visit, I stayed at Albergo Sichi - a charming hotel and restaurant run by Gregorio and Pamela - the loveliest brother and sister duo. Gregorio runs the restaurant’s bar out front with an aperitivo spread to kill and also makes some crazy high-altitude wine. Mind you, the Montagna Pistoiese isn’t a wine region (see here for a little coverage of his vineyards.)
Albergo Sichi is the coziest, picture-perfect lodge. Wood beams, quilted comforters, and all those mountain vibes. It could easily be a movie set.
We were treated to a lovely dinner with all good things - fresh porcini with olive oil & parsley for DIY crostini, homemade gnocchi, and - of course - the famous castagnaccio to finish.
I could write a whole piece on castagnaccio (and I will) because it’s fabulous and comes in a few varieties. It’s essentially a chestnut cake that’s dense like a brownie, especially here in the mountains. Historically, this cake was an on-the-go snack for locals, keeping bellies full for hours.
Chestnut pasta? Yes, oh yes.
Back at the mill the next day, we enjoyed a spectacular lunch at Ristorante Molino di Berto. What I adore about this place is how they offer various fresh pasta options with condimenti (aka dressings or sauces) to choose from. Of course, there are optimal combos that the staff will suggest. One was homemade tagliatelle di farina di castagne (chestnut tagliatelle) with speck and erba cipollina (chives) which I chose. Lots of butter and zero regrets. It was simple and divine.
But wait - there’s more! Before the pasta madness, there were sauteed local mushrooms that blew my mind. So fresh that they tasted sorta like dirt - I mean that in the absolute best way possible! Like you really got a real taste of the land. Talk about terroir, people.
Then, onto the secondo. I actually ended up eating two because of a dish mix-up. Did I complain? Not once. Did I eat both? Of course.
What were these you ask? First: arista ripiena di salsiccia e castagna - thinly sliced pork loin filled with local sausage and chestnuts. Need I say more? Duh. It was smothered in its own juices. Then, there was the roasted pork wrapped in sausage, bread, and pancetta (I am in all seriousness here. This is why I asked if eating was a sport in the mountains because it is a stomach Olympics. I went for the gold, obviously.)
After the food marathon, we were offered a local digestif made from a pine tree indigenous to the area called ‘pino mugo.’ It was bitter yet so fresh, like a late autumn breeze. Precisely the little dose of relaxation my stomach needed!
Poetry in the Pistoiese
One thing truly stole my heart on this trip: discovering Beatrice Bugelli di Pian degli Ontani.
Beatrice was a woman before her time. A native to Pian degli Ontani (a town in the comune of Cutigliano,) she lived a normal life at the time. She and her husband were shepherds, a common way of life during the 19th century. She also had 8 kids, an also common thing in those times. She never attended school.
But, Beatrice was actually one of the best poets of her time. She was a natural-born observer. She saw the world in a real, visceral way. Playful, profound, and sometimes gut-punching, the woman really had a gorgeous way with words.
Fun fact? She apparently shares the same birthday as my mom. I bet they’d be friends.
In the town of Pian degli Ontani (just a quick drive from Albergo Sichi,) you can visit Beatrice’s museum. It will give you a glimpse into her life as a Montagna Pistoiese woman who also wrote some of the best poetry of the 19th century. Each poem is a time capsule, exuding the region’s beauty with each stanza and the emotions of a fascinating woman in each rhyme. There are also audio interpretations of her poetry available to listen to at the museum.
Below is one of my favorite poems by Beatrice, simply because it captures a sentiment that I relate to a lot.
Quanti ce n’è che mi senton cantare
Diran: buon per colei ch’ha il cor contento!
S’io cant, canto per non dir del male;
canto per iscialar mi’ afflitta doglia;
sebbene io canto, di piangere ho voglia:
canto per iscialar mi’ afflitta doglia;
sebbene io canto, di dolor son piena.
Just a Big Ole Thank You!
The hospitality was unmatched during this trip. A huge Appenine-sized thank you to every single person I met on my Montagna Pistoiese trip, especially to Enrico who was so kind to plan the entire trip for us.
Until the next time! Til then, I will leave you with John Denver because yes Italians also sing ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ when they are drunk.
xx,
Victoria
Ricco non è chi di be’ panni è ornato,
povero non è colui ch’è mal vestito.
Ricco è chi ha la pace e l’umiltade,
chi ha la carità del suo nemico.
Ricco è colui che tien Gesù nel core
Vive felice e poi contento more.
- Beatrice Bugelli di Pian degli Ontani