Bar-Ucci (di Paola Barucci)

Our 7-seater, stick shift, diesel mini van transported us back in time as we climbed up out of Florence and through the winding hills of Chianti. To clarify, it was actually Q, Ran’s step-dad, who made the transport possible. Brave man! Reaching nearly 600 meters above sea level, we could see for miles (er, kilometers). Our home base was in a small town called Castellina in Chianti. We went on day-long excursions to Siena, back to Florence, Monteriggioni, Cortona, San Gimignano, Radda, and Volpaia.

I took this postcard from a small café in Volpaia called Bar-Ucci. The best part of Italy is the people. I could say the food and wine but everything tastes so much better among the company of friendly, local Italians. We were lucky enough to have Paola (first row, centered - and now in her 40's) as our server on our visit to her café. What I love about this postcard is the simplicity of the message, conveyed in one single image: at Bar-Ucci you will experience history, a home cooked meal, and they’ll treat you like family. Like many Italian restaurants, old family photos lined the walls of the small and well-lit dining room. Restaurant marketers, take note, this postcard works. It has allowed me to take a wonderful memory home with me in the form of a tangible keepsake. The wine, ravioli, wild boar, and panna cotta will taste sweet in my mind every time I see this in my scrapbook.