<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ilsilene.it/silene/?lang=en%2F">Il Silene</a>

Località Pescina

Strada Provinciale
Altoe 9

58038 Pescina (GR) Italy

Tel. +39.0564.950.805

info@ilsilene.it

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | JUNE 27, 2019The Food:

Pumpkin soup with white truffles

Knife-chopped raw beef with salt, Silene olive oil and white
truffle

Fluffy Silene tortello stuffed with ricotta and spinach,
garnished with white truffle

Ravioli stuffed with pigeon paté and toasted black pepper

Rabbit ‘in Porchetta’ with sautéed black cabbage and white
truffle

Il Silene’s panettone; candied apricot, vanilla ice cream
infused with sage

This season, I wanted it like this….Frangipane tartlet;
caramelized apple, rosemary ice cream

It looks like a giandiutto, but it’s not…milk chocolate,
passionfruit, tonka beans

Tortelli; mascarpone, candied orange, fruit and vegetables

The Wine:

2010 Stella di Campalto Brunello di Montalcino Riserva&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;97

I have wanted to eat at Il Silene for many years but had
always been put off by its location (about 40 minutes south of Montalcino), which is not&nbsp;especially convenient to the tasting circuit. What a mistake that turned out to
be. This spectacular lunch proved Il Silene is very much worth a special trip.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1561657230219-CarneCruda_copy.jpg"> 

Knife-chopped raw beef with salt, Silene olive oil and
white truffle

Located in the Pescina, a tiny hamlet on Mount Amiata known
mostly for the cultivation of olives, Il Silene is a fabulous place to enjoy a
leisurely lunch or dinner. Not that there is much else to do in the immediate
environs, anyway. It is best to arrive with no schedule and just enjoy the
bounty of Roberto Rossi‘s kitchen served in a spacious, open dining room that
is immediately relaxing. Although the menu changes seasonally, I wouldn’t even
bother looking at it. In most countries, letting the chef prepare a customized meal
is considered a privilege, here it is just the way things are done. My
suggestion is to just let Rossi guide you through the highlights. You’ll know
from the gleam in his eye what to order. Most of the dishes are more modern and
inventive than traditional Tuscan fare, which also makes for a very nice&nbsp;break
from the tried and true. On this fall day, Umbrian white truffles were in
abundance, so they were the star of the show.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1561657299597-TortelliWhiteTruffle_copy.jpg"> 

Fluffy Silene tortello stuffed with ricotta and spinach,
garnished with white truffle

The carne cruda was a showcase for pristine ingredients
prepared with the ultimate care. Both pastas were off the charts and worth the
trip alone. The tortello with spinach and ricotta was clearly the more
traditional of the two, while the ravioli stuffed with pigeon paté and toasted
black pepper was a bit more creative, but also perfect for the fall. The main
courses I tasted, including the rabbit, were very good but the pastas set a
very high bar. I am not usually a sweets person, but I could not resist the
desserts, so we ordered a number of them to share. A gorgeous and delicious
creation, the tortelli with mascarpone, candied orange, fruit and vegetables is ideal for guests who want something that is only slightly sweet. And then
came the home-made panettone with sage infused vanilla ice cream. Impossible to
resist.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1561657458657-ravioli.jpg"> 

Ravioli stuffed with pigeon paté and toasted black pepper

For wine, we kept it simple. No one was in the mood to drink
too much at lunch, and quite frankly, I really enjoyed focusing on a single
wine rather than going through the more usual parade of bottles I often see,
where pretty special wine don’t always get the time or attention they
deserve. I saw Stella di Campalto’s 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
and knew we had to have it. I absolutely adore the 2010 for its transparent yet
deep expression of Sangiovese grown in the wild, southern reaches of
Montalcino. The pure Sangiovese flavors, bright acids and mid-weight structure
worked beautifully with the various dishes. Readers lucky enough to own the 2010
are in for a real treat. I certainly will treasure the bottles I have in my
cellar. Guests will find a nice range of wines on Il Silene’s list, although
most of the vintages are younger, with the exception of some older Soldera Brunellos that will delight visitors who want to
splurge.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1561657327789-Panettone_copy.jpg"> 

Il Silene’s panettone; candied apricot, vanilla ice cream
infused with sage

I can’t recommend a visit to Il Silene highly enough.
Readers arriving from Montalcino who want to make a day out of it should
consider stopping by the Abbazia di Sant’Antimo in Castelnuovo dell’Abata (which
is on the way travelling south) and is one of the most beautifully preserved Benedictine
monasteries in all of Italy. The mountain roads are perhaps a bit trickier at
night, but well worth the effort.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1561657400215-DessertTortelli_copy.jpg"> Tortelli: mascarpone, candied orange, fruit and
vegetables

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