Our first evening in Tuscany: Dinner in Certaldo Alto

Here I am sitting on the castle wall of Certaldo Alto, the medieval town that sits above the modern town of Certaldo, between Siena and Florence in Tuscany. There are still residents living inside these ancient fortified walls.

Mostly, however, the town consists of restaurants and artists, as well as a museum of the Governor's Palace.

We ate at the Ristorante Il Castello (on the far end behind me) that evening, enjoying our first bowl of Ribollita, a typical rustic Tuscan soup. I dined on a sampler platter of grilled meats: chicken, sausage, pork, and lamb. Very tasty! We also had a side of lightly fried vegetables (artichokes and zucchini). It was the best meal we had had in Italy thus far, and the first of several unforgettable dining delights in Tuscany.