We were lucky that Kuah discovered that there would be an artichoke festival not far from where we were staying. It was a bit tough to tell what to expect from the website but festivals usually have at lease 1 fun thing going for them. We went on a Sunday. It was about an hour’s drive away in Chiusure which is in the province of Siena. The drive was absolutely gorgeous. It was just like being in a travel ad. The roads were very curvy and I was glad not to be driving.
We parked at the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, which has been around since the 1300s. It is still functioning and has an abbey, church, refractory, museum and small shop. Kuah walked down to see it while Mom and I relaxed. At the end of the day we drove down so Mom and I could see it as well.
One of the fun adventures of visiting a foreign country, and getting off the beaten path a bit, is trying to figure out what is going on and what you should be doing. We thought we found the parking lot where the bus would take us to the festival but weren’t quite sure. We wandered here and there and then Kuah went down the hill for the second time and found the bus. By the time Mom and I came down we had just missed it.
It wasn’t too long till it came back and we got on with a gaggle of locals. Everyone was jovial chatting and laughing. When it dropped us off we followed the crowd in and got into a huge line. We weren’t sure what exactly the line was for so Mom and I held our places while Kuah scoped ahead a bit. We found out it was for getting food. The line wound around and through lots of stalls selling local products. There was also a musical group walking up and down the line entertaining people.
I had a small breakfast that day so enjoyed some free samples and bought a few treats as we waited in line. Some of the things I got to eat were dried mulberries, truffle pecorino, artichoke caponata, and artichoke pesto. The artichoke caponata was absolutely amazing and I had to buy a jar. I also bought a jar of pickled pumpkin which I didn’t get to sample but ended up enjoying.
Mom and I wore our sunhats which was lucky because we were standing in line in the sun for about an hour. The food we waited for so long in line ended up being disappointing. But it was great to sit in the shade and listen to the laughter from everyone around us. Although the majority of the festival was waiting in line the jovial atmosphere made it a fun day.
The villa we stayed in made it easy for us to continue experiencing the beauty of Italy when we got home. We enjoyed relaxing in the pool and then had a simple dinner on the patio. It was a great place to watch the sunset and enjoy being on vacation.
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