Life in Castellina

We've enjoyed our stay in Castellina and thought you might enjoy a few more details about the town. The center is about 4 blocks long and 2 blocks wide with 2 blocks pedestrian only. At the north end of town is an Etruscan burial site (see photo with Jake) which we learned at the Archeological Museum in the center of town, is a rather important site. It is at the top of a hill and has 4 entrances oriented to the points of the compass. The museum has artifacts taken from the site, although the site had been pretty well plundered in the last few thousand years. The museum has laminated sheets in English that describe the artifacts exhibited in each of 4 rooms in the museum.. The museum is in one of the older buildings downtown, the Castle of Castellina, and you can climb up the tower (photo) for a nice view over the countryside.

There is a small post office where everyone seems to know everyone else, a grocery store that meets all basic needs, one pharmacy, two small groceries with fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses and cured meats, one butcher, a church, several boutiques, a bike store for biking clothes anyway, a couple art galleries and gift shops, at least 4 wine stores, 2 newspaper stands, 2 bar/coffee shops and at least 4 restaurants. Also the Hotel Scuarchilupi which manages our apartment. We visit the hotel to use the internet and have general guest privileges there. It seems to be a very nice hotel. The front desk staff are helpful and knowledgeable and the public rooms are lovely. There always seem to be a lot of tourists in town and sometimes a tour bus drops people off for a couple hours.

Our apartment “complex”, 2 apartments in the stone farmhouse and one larger one in a separate stone building, is also very pleasant. There is a pool area with lounge chairs, but it has been too chilly to swim. Each apartment has a terrace with chairs and table and a grill. The farmer/caretaker lives in the other half of the building with his family. The walls are so thick you seldom hear anything from other parts of the building. The apartment has nice touches like handmade metal railings, the refrigerator disguised as a cupboard and windows with screens (a rarity in Europe!). The kitchen is adequate and the bathroom's only flaw is a tiny shower with water temperatures that vary from scalding to chilly within minutes. It's a good idea to be the first in line to shower!

You can walk around the fields on the hillsides and so far no one seems to object to us walking through their vineyard. It's hard to tell where one stops and another begins and nearly all the farmhouses in our area are agriturismo ventures anyway. It is hunting season and there is the occasional sound of gunfire, but the lady in the tourism office said not to worry (hmmm...).

Saturday morning is market day and there were stalls featuring fruits and vegetables, fish, cheeses and a roast pig, and kitchen goods, and clothes. We bought some roast pig. It is basically an entire pig that has been boned, rolled back together and roasted whole. The cut thin slices off and will make a sandwich for you or package it up for take away. One guy bought a sandwich, requested a glass of wine and ate his standing. Another man ordered 2 kg of pork and also got a small bag of something salted, have no idea whether it was some other pig part or what.