Montalcino beyond Brunello: a farmhouse with a trattoria where the countryside becomes cuisine

by Giulia Salis

Montalcino is known for Brunello, but it is not only about wine. Just step outside the historic centre to notice it: olive groves climbing up the slopes, orderly rows of vines shaping the landscape, fields that in autumn turn lilac when saffron blooms and dots the earth. It is in this setting that the Maccari farm comes to life, where the countryside becomes substance and every product is conceived as a direct expression of the land.

This is one of those beautiful family stories in which everyone contributes: to the land, to the table, to hospitality. Gianni, director and oenologist of the Ridolfi winery, his wife Donatella, and their children Viola and Filippo decided a few years ago to throw themselves wholeheartedly into a nearly abandoned estate to carry forward an agricultural project that brings together vineyards, olive groves, honey and ancient grains. But the symbol remains the crocus, saffron: harvested by hand, pistil by pistil, carefully processed and transformed into a daily ingredient. It is the red thread running through the whole experience, from the garden to the kitchen, all the way to the glass with a saffron-flavoured beer.

A simple trattoria

A few rooms, simple but welcoming, a garden overlooking the rolling hills, a partly terraced vegetable garden, intimate spaces hosting the tables of the agriturismo’s restaurant, and even a real barrel to sit inside if one chooses the warmth of intimacy: here everything seems to harmonise perfectly with the panorama, almost as if not to disturb the gentle design that nature has created, in a sequence of plays that begin in the soil and reach the table.

Days are marked by guided tastings, experiences tied to the saffron harvest and product tastings, as a natural continuation of agricultural life. Here one can stay overnight, stop for a break with cured meats and cheeses from Siena, but above all enjoy the simplicity of Pura Crocus, the in-house trattoria: no theatrical effects, but the warmth of a cuisine that tells the story of these places, without frills, crafted by cook Imma Cordella.

What you eat

Everything that comes to the table carries the disarming strength of essential things, made as they should be. Bread is baked daily with grains grown here, vegetables come from the garden, honey, wine and beer are all produced on the estate. Starting with the roasted aubergine with tomato and Parmesan is almost a must, for its flavour and softness that convey the candour of the land. Then comes the pasta, which here is truly an agricultural act: tagliolini with saffron fondue and courgettes, or incredibly creamy maltagliati with the small chickpea from the Val d’Orcia and rosemary-roasted tomatoes, are a concentration of this countryside meeting a gastronomic thought free of superstructures.

Desserts too pick up the common thread with lightness: the saffron ice cream with caramelised fruit and walnuts is perhaps the most representative mouthful, direct, yet able to leave a vivid memory. And then there are the wines, faithfully reflecting the character of the land, coming from two different areas. There is a project in Castelnuovo dell’Abate, where Sangiovese is cultivated that in the future will produce a Brunello di Montalcino, and one in Montepulciano, where the family owns, among others, a historic vineyard dating back to 1971. In an increasingly international and crowded Montalcino, here the choice is for simplicity. And things done properly, as in this case, serve to pay homage not only to the strength of the land, but also to the people who still have the courage to invest in it.

Agriturismo Maccari / Pura Crocus – Strada Provinciale della Badia di Sant’Antimo, 53024 Montalcino SI – 329 868 6610 – maccarimontalcino.com