Mi Manca L’italia - Memories of Montepulciano

Today marks the one year anniversary of 2 wonderful weeks I spent in Italy – Tuscany, Piedmonte, Emilia-Bologna - one of my best trips to Italy. I visited many beautiful towns in southern Tuscany, Montepulciano being one of them and my favorite of them all. My most memorable moments in Montepuciano were the delicious castagna (chestnut) gelato I had, and Mr Rame, the coppersmith. Rame is a small shop, filled with copper pots, pans, cutlery and every household decorative item imaginable. Mr Rame, himself, is the owner of this business, transcending many generations. He is a kind and gregarious man, very proud of his copper business and his coppersmith skills. He told a beautiful romantic story about how his family started the business and later made customized souvenirs for each of us in the form of small copper plates with lovers' hearts and celestial hands. I bought a small little copper pot from him, about a quart size. It’s the pot that I use most often, heating up portions for one or two persons, absolutely perfect!