We Went to Sienna…For the Pizza

I have never heard someone speak so passionately about a pizza before. Jessica (my Australian partner in crime), described her pizza experience in Sienna as “heaven-like.” She needed more. And I needed to try it.

So, we literally went to Sienna for the pizza, without shame. We all know I love Elite Pizza!!

But first…we found this precious market in Greve in Chianti (close to where our agriturismo was located)

I have found that open air Tuscan markets are a point of danger for me and my budgeting skills. I seem to convince myself to buy any product which I think there may be a chance of never purchasing again.

Which, given the situation, could be anything.

I’m in love with artisanal specialty products, so I buy them…and I like it.

My first splurge was on several different types of canned pesto/vegetable sauces. Literally, the best pesto I’ve ever eaten in my life without question. So…because the probability of me ever returning to this specific market was very low, I thought it was actually a rational decision to buy more than one.

So I did.

Then, there was the truffle man.

And I’m not talking about chocolate here. What I AM talking about are mushrooms. These “truffles” are very rare and their flavor is an experience all in itself. White truffles carry a more intense flavor, while black truffles are equally as delicious with a more mild flavor.

And as you can see, they are NOT cheap.

This stand was run by a particularly famous “truffle-hunter.” He had an array of products such as truffle salsa, whole truffles, truffle butter, and…free samples.

Which made me VERY happy. So happy, that I bought some.

And after we had toddled long enough, we were ready for some pizza.

So, as I said before, we went to Sienna.

Sienna is this absolutely gorgeous Medieval town with lots of hills. If you travel here, you will most likely get an intense calf work-out just walking from street to street.

However, because I was on a mission for heavenly pizza, it didn’t really matter that much.

Sienna is famous for the Palio di Sienna, which is a famous horse race that happens bi-annually in the Piazza del Campo (pictured above) on July 2 and August 16th. Still carrying a medieval theme, each “region” of Sienna bears a flag which somehow translates into different jockeys on different horses. (Apparently these jockeys are similar to our high-paid athletes).

We continued our walk through Siena to get to the pizza and we were confronted by strange things. I thought maybe my hunger had caused me to start hallucinating that there was a large boar head with glasses and a strange smile above my head.

I tried to forget about it.

Then I saw stacks of Panforte, Siena’s traditional “cake,” similar to a fruitcake, which contains fruits and nuts and is very dense.

Siena’s cathedral is absolutely gorgeous. The pastel colors give it an almost fake glow that makes it resemble a candy house.

If only…if only…

The streets of Siena were bursting with fruit vendors, leather vendors, trinkets, you name it. I stopped to take a picture of Italy’s gorgeous fruit and almost got ransacked by the owner of the stand.

So, don’t take pictures of people’s fruit…I guess.

And after our desperate search for this pizza restaurant, we finally found it. But not until we compared the picture of Jessica with her pizza and the location that we were situated it. There were 6 restaurants in a line that could have been the one.

We desperately searched the menus….and as we were almost ready to throw in the towel, we saw something magical.

“La Vera Margherita con Pomodora, Bufala e Pomodorini e basilico”

Which in Italian means, “Dang good pizza.”

And this noteworthy expression kind of describes it all.

We just didn’t know what to do with ourselves.

And then we found something else that made my taste buds salivate (if that’s possible).

“Ciaccino del padrone con mozzarella, percornio e pere”

And that, my friends, is white pizza with mozzarella, pecorino, and pear.

I needed that inside of me.

Oh yes, we wanted that…yes we did!

I know! It’s crazy!

Order those pizzas NOW!

The pizza was fresh and full of quality ingredients. The crispy crust complimented the large chunks of fresh-ingredient toppings which were delicately placed on top.

Up close is just as beautiful. I mean, look at that fresh basil!

And then, my baby, which i will continue to dream about until I get to consume it once more.

I had arrived. I was ready to conquer the world.

This was the most unique pizza I have ever eaten, and I want it back. Phenomenal. The pecorino had a way of adding a punch of amazing flavor, while the mozzarella was the perfect compliment to the slices of fresh pear. The crispy crust wrapped it all together.