The Great Truffle Hunt of 2016 (Part 2 of 4)

Following the successful truffle hunt, we returned to the house for lunch.

When we refer to the house, we mean villa.  The building is huge and could easily house several families.  The building was first started long ago, around 1000 A.D., and was greatly expanded over the centuries.  Now, the house is a villa with three large floors.  Plus, it has other, smaller buildings nearby, including a chapel.

The rooms on the ground floor were a sight to behold.  Check it out. 

The dining and trophy room

The living and music room

The billiard room

The Chapel

Close up of the chapel altar

After touring the villa, we sat down to lunch. We began with prosecco, followed by onion soup with truffles, and then some red wine with the pasta course. 

Francesa, a guest and the fruits of recent hunts thanks to Choco

Close up of winter white truffles

Pasta with winter white truffles

Eggs from the farm, with truffles

Vin Santo with cantucci.   Vin Santo is a sweet wine, often served after a meal with cantucci (small almond biscotti).  Dip the cantucci in the wine to soften the cantucci and avoid breaking a tooth.  Very tasty. 

Next up:  A tour of San Miniato.

P.S.  You might have heard the term "chuck wagon".  You might have even enjoyed one or more chuck wagons in your travels.  In this instance, the term "chuck wagon" refers to an event for tourists, usually in the evening, featuring a meal and some sort of entertainment. 

In our travels, we always look for chuck wagons and we have enjoyed many, such as riding in a horse drawn wagon in Yellowstone, then singing songs at dusk in a meadow after eating a meal prepared over a fire.  A chuck wagon does not have to involve horses and a wagon.  In Montreal, we enjoyed a theatrical performance with dinner in an old fortress.  In Orlando, we enjoyed pirates being pirates and a tasty meal.  And so on.

So, our truffle hunt and truffle lunch together probably qualify as a chuck wagon.  It was one of the best ever.

Replica of a chuck wagon, a "field kitchen" for a wagon train or cattle drive.