My wife and I will be heading to Tuscany for two weeks, spending the first week in an apartment (Politian) in Montepulciano. The trip is the last week of September and first week of October. We'll be hanging out in the town and doing Rick's guide book driving loops. We're looking for tips on how to eat out only maybe once per day: where and how to buy food at markets, packing picnics, cooking in the apartment, budgets, and anything we may not be taking into account.
Thanks much for your input.
We rented an apartment in Provence this past spring. I wished that I had brought some basic recipes or planned a few meal options in advance so I didn't have to scramble when it was time to prepare a meal. That also gives you an idea of the staples/basic ingredients that you might need to get the first day--things like olive oil, butter, coffee, milk, etc. Local markets will provide you with lots of possibilities for meals using fresh pastas, veggies, local meats, cheeses, breads, etc.
My suggestion would be to bring some basic recipes with you and/or plan a few meals in advance so that you can shop for ingredients while you're out for the day.
Buckeye, you are going to have a fabulous in a magnificent town and a lovely lovely apt! My dear friend (sis-in-law) and I just returned a few weeks ago from three weeks in Italy, including four nights at the Politian. We did just what you are planning to do, including eating a number of our meals in the apt. Here is some useful info: there is a great grocery store, the Conad, at the bottom of town, just outside and to the right of the main gate, the Porto al Prato. Look at Montepulciano on google maps and you will see "Supermercato Conad" below and to the right of the Porto al Prato (I mean "below" as in 'lower than'"; on Google maps it will be "above," as in "north of".) This is where the locals go: lots of gorgeous fresh veggies, dairy, fruit, great deli case of lots of prepared foods , meats, cheeses, breads, etc. The Politian apt that we were in was well stocked with pots, pans, dishes, etc, but did not have basics like salt, oil, etc. You can easily walk DOWN to the Conad in 20 min but you WILL want to take the little local bus UP with your groceries. The great folks at Politian can sell you bus tickets (buy some when you check in, under 2 € each). Ask them which number bus to take. The bus stop is just across the street from the Conad and runs like every 20 min. Your stop up top will be just past the Politian. Also, re. first arriving at the Politian: be SURE to print out the driving instructions AND map that they will email, then believe them, not your gps! You will end up driving down (yes) a very steep little alley just before your last right turn, but it will be where you want to go.
Food shopping in Italy has some "rules of the road", most importantly don't handle the food. At outdoor markets point to the items you want - the vendor will pick for you or you'll hear a complaint from other shoppers. You can tell him/her that you want something ripe to eat today or less ripe to eat in a day or two. Bring your own shopping bag, usually there are none at the markets. Same thing at supermarkets - bring your own bag (or get charged for bags at checkout) and avoid handling the food. You will see plastic gloves to put on before you browse through the produce bins and you need to weigh your own stuff. The weight machine will print price stickers and you stick them on before going to the checkout. This will avoid locals grumbling while waiting for you to have the cashier do the weighing/pricing. Sometimes this cannot be done at checkout so you'll have to go back, do it yourself and get in line again. Aside from these tiny differences from US, buying food in Italy is an absolutely glorious activity!!
We also did this! Stayed in the Annex of the Politian (we only met one staff member, who spoke only Italian, only saw her once). Our apartment was also well stocked and did come with a few basics, so check in first then see what you need. Buy a pasta called "pici" in any shop in Montepulciano. Delicious (and takes much longer to cook than you would think!). Also, buy stuff from the various towns as you go, fun to bring home to the Politian and enjoy. They have a beautiful terrace where we enjoyed our cocktails each evening; there's a veggie and flower garden to enjoy - we did not pick anything though because there was no one to ask. Have fun!
