Vienice, Cinque Terre, & Tuscany

This trip to Italy, in which we traveled to Venice the Cinque Terre, and Tuscany is colored in shades of green and blue in my memory- the canals of Venice, the Mediterranean Sea, and the pastoral hills and forests of Tuscany. The soundtrack includes random men bursting into song, which seemed to happen everywhere we went, and various opera singers from small performances we discovered. The main purpose of this trip was a pathology conference in Florence, but Sara and I always made the best of our work trips. I won’t bore you with the details of uterine epithelial and mesenchymal tumors, but I will share the culinary and cultural experiences we had.

The Journey

Sara and I met up at the airport in Atlanta and had a layover in Paris. I mention this because I found that we needed a significant amount of time to get through the airport. I would recommend having at least 1.5 hours at the Charles DeGaulle airport, preferably longer.

As an aside, I always book longer layovers, even when traveling domestically. As a rule, I try to have at least 2 hours, in case flights are delayed. It takes time to get off the plane, and you have to board your connecting flight at least 10 minutes ahead of time, so that hour layover becomes 40 minutes, and if your flight is delayed by 15 minutes and you have to go to a different terminal, you could end up running. Lounge memberships make longer layovers enjoyable, so get one of those credit cards that offer lounge access or Priority Pass and take your time. It has become something of a ritual for us to have a little down time in a lounge between real life and vacation, and we enjoy it very much.

Venice

Hotel Palazzo Stern

Upon arrival in Venice, we took a water taxi to Hotel Palazzo Stern on the Grand Canal. We were able to check in early and found our room had a view of the Grand Canal! We immediately set out to explore this interesting city, and decided to do some people watching in St. Mark’s Square. A short stroll took us to Teatro la Fenice, or Theater of the Phoenix, a historic opera house named after the phoenix, as it has burned and been rebuilt three times. We were lucky enough to catch a rehearsal of the opera “Norma” during our visit. I may have had a little, blissful nap in this legendary place which has been home to many operatic premiers, galas (one for Napoleon Bonaparte!), and movie sets.

Ai Do Farai

As always, the first day on international soil was a bit surreal, and my brain felt a but foggy, but the two lattes I had in Saint Mark’s square helped me make it through. Good thing, too, because we had a truly Italian dinner experience at a little osteria on a back alley called “Ai Do Farai.” I don’t know what this means, and neither does google translate- leave a comment if you do! This is a historic place where youth used to gather in the 70s, and rowing champions and gondoliers hang out here today. I thought it was fate that led us here, since its name includes my last name…

Anyway, we arrived very early for dinner in Italy, around 7:00 pm. This lovely, small family owned eatery had red walls and little wooden tables with red placemats. It specializes in seafood, so we had clam linguini and a fresh fish, which the very flirty owner prepared table side. Check it out. http://www.venetianrestaurants.it/ristoranti_eccellenza/content/view/?id=2509&Itemid=651&lang=en

Murano

The next day, after a leisurely breakfast at our hotel’s patio on the Grand Canal, we took a vaporetto, the Italian “water bus” to Murano. Murano comprises the islands closest to the mainland and is easily accessible from Venice. Murano is famous for its blown glass, and is a beautiful series of several islands linked by bridges. We wandered the cobblestone streets, practicing our Italian and spending a little money on blown glass vases and trinkets. Another outlying island is Burano, famous for its lace, but we didn’t have time to visit.

Gondola

At last, I experienced my first gondola ride! On my last trip to Venice, I was with a narcissistic guy who only wanted to drink wine and eat Chinese food. He refused to take me on a gondola because it was too expensive. Mind you, it is a bit pricey- for about a 30 minute ride during the daytime, we paid 80 euros. In the evening, this increases to 100 euro. If you want a song, and of course you do, it is going to cost 60-80 additional euro. But what gondola ride is complete without a handsome Italian man in a striped shirt singing “O Sole Mio” (literally translated as my sun, or my sunshine)?? Gondolas are strictly regulated and all meet certain standards, but find out the route before committing to a ride.

You want to spend time on the smaller canals but, if possible, see the Grand Canal southwest of the Rialto Bridge– this is where some of the best palaces are. Do not spend the entire ride on the Grand Canal, though. You want to get up close and personal with the lesser seen parts of the city and explore the smaller waterways. Find a friendly gondolier who will tell you about the important sites and provide some entertainment along your ride.

That evening, we saw the Opera Baletto at Scuolo Grande dei Carmini. This was a montage of the major arias from operas such as La Traviata, Don Giovanni, and the Nutcracker. It was nice, but get there early so you can sit near the front. We could not see a lot, but I did have a nice opera nap. Some crowd interaction toward the end woke me up, as the ballerinas danced with some audience members.

Cinque Terre

The next day, we took the Vaporetto to the St. Lucia train station. We picked up snacks for the train, consisting of Bellinis, crostini, salami, cheese, and Pringles. We had seats facing one another, and we snacked and read our books as we watched Tuscany speed by. After a train change in Florence, we were on our way to Vernazza.

The Cinque Terre, literally “five lands,” consists of five quaint villages in the Liguria region of Italy along the Mediterranean Sea. Also known as the Italian Riviera, these villages are difficult to reach by car. It is better to take the train or a ferry. The five villages are Vernazza, Monterosso al Mare, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The villages are terraced, and all but Corniglia are directly on the coast. A foot trail connects them, and can be harrowing and treacherous, but the views are breathtaking. Culinary specialties include anchovies, other types of seafood, everything lemon, and pesto. Overall, the cuisines is light, fresh, and simple.

I had visited Vernazza in the past, and it had changed tremendously in the interim. The village itself was the same, but it was crowded with tourists this time around. The good news was that most of these were day-trippers, so after around 5:00 pm, the crowds dissipated and it felt more like the good ole days. We used Vernazza as our base of operations, and ventured out to the other four villages on our second day.

Cinque Terre- Vernazza

Vernazza is probably the most popular of the five villages. It is the one you see in postcards of the Italian Riviera, with terraced, multicolored houses teetering on the edge of the sea. It is a traditional fishing village whose main revenue now comes from tourism. There is a sea wall, originally built to keep out pirates, which protects a harbor. The sea wall makes for lovely morning strolls, in the company of cats and fishermen. Like most Italian villages, there is a central square which is a hub of activity, with cobblestone roads leading uphill to the train station and the Sanctuary of Madonna de Reggio.

We stayed in the Nicolina Suite at Camere Nicolina. As an aside, the five villages are not ADA compliant and not accessible. The streets are cobbly cobbly cobbly! There are no vehicles in Vernazza, and the walk from the train station was steep and rocky. To get to our room, we had to climb four flights of very steep, irregular stairs. The flights were narrow and snaked between charming homes with laundry hung out to dry.

Our suite was nice, but the terrace was amazing! We had a view of the entire village and the sea, with a retractable awning and a table with chairs. It was a really charming apartment in a perfect location. There was a catch- we were right under the bell tower, which rang 55 times at 7:30 in the morning! Yet, the villagers tended to get a late start… not sure how they managed to sleep through that!

We enjoyed our first night’s dinner al fresco, at a lovely little restaurant in the square. The star of the show was their anchovy sampler, which consisted of three types of this frequently maligned fish- stuffed, salted, and marinated. These are not the salt-cured anchovies that come on your pizza in the US. When I worked at Little Caesar’s Pizza in high school, if someone ordered a pizza with anchovies, we had to pull out the special pizza cutter and bake the pie all by itself. We did not want to risk contaminating other pizzas with this overwhelming flavor. No, these were delicious, tender, freshly caught anchovies, which are a staple of the Ligurian diet. Give them a taste when you are in the Cinque Terre!

Cinque Terre- Riomaggiore

Our second day in the Cinque Terre was packed by visits to ALL FOUR other villages. We caught the shuttle boat to Riomaggiore, the furthest south from Vernazza. We had planned to walk the Via Dell’Amour to the next village, working our way back to Vernazza but much of the trail was closed due to a landslide. This is an old fishing village, and you knew it upon arrival! The lower portion of the village was stinky and… authentic.

As we headed up hill, the village became cleaner and much nicer. There is a tunnel with a dive shop that marks the transition from the bottom part of the village to the top. Just after the tunnel and to the left, you will find the entrance to the trail. This segment of the trail is set to re-open some time in 2024. We did a little shopping (we both bought gauzy, flowy blue dresses) and made our way to the train station to move on to Manarolo.

Cinque Terre- Manarolo

We disembarked the train and walked through a tunnel to the village of Manarolo. Manarolo is built on a rock 70 meters above sea level and has scenic views of the sea. Narrow paths (carruggi) zigzag down to the small harbor, where boats are pulled onto dry land when the seas are rough. We found a lovely little trattoria where we sat on the patio and enjoyed a lunch of stuffed, salted, and marinated anchovies, octopus, squid, smoked fish, shrimp and mussels. And that was just the appetizer! For the main course, I had a whole sea bass and Sara had clam linguini. We rolled ourselves back to the train station and made our way north to Corniglia.

Cinque Terre- Corniglia

We now had an opportunity to work off some of that food and get some hiking in. This lovely village is located high above the coast and is the only town without direct coastal access. 377 stairs connect it to its train station, and we felt every one! Boy, was it worth it! This was my favorite of the five villages, despite the effort it took to reach it. Corniglia is quaint, quiet, full of adorable shops, and surrounded by vineyards. There are no hotels, but several guesthouses and apartments are available for rent.

We had gelato in a lovely garden here, surrounded by lemon trees, fragrant jasmine, and colorful flowers. I had a very unique gelato, a blend of tart lemon and honey walnut– a local specialty. It was delicious. Lemons permeated everything, from limoncello to kitchen aprons and hats. I purchased lemon-infused olive oil at one of the shops, which I still enjoy with my pizza crust. We were able to catch the shuttle bus back down to the train station and save our knees the descent, then made our way “home” to Vernazza. we freshened up and donned our flowy blue dresses we had bought in Riomaggiore, and headed back to the train station.

Cinque Terre- Monterosso al Mare

The train was late, as they often are in Italy. We enjoyed a little people watching until it arrived, then headed north to the largest of the five villages, Monterosso. This is a very cool town that feels a lot like the French Riviera. A lovely shopping area, the “new town,” hugs the sea and has a vibrant vibe and excellent restaurants. Most of the town is bordered by a long, wide beach with turquoise water and beautiful reefs. Chairs and umbrellas are available, and the beach is often crowded with tourists. This would be a great place to stay with kids. Because it is so touristy, nice hotels abound and there are lots of activities to choose from.

Past the medieval tower of Aurora is the “old town,” which has castle ruins and narrow pedestrian streets. It was here that we found Il Casello, a wonderful restaurant overlooking the sea. We were seated on the patio at a table with an unobstructed view of the ocean. We had a mixed appetizer platter which actually comprised two courses- first a cold course and then a warm one. Delicious, but not the star of the show.

For a main course, we shared the trofie al pesto. Trofie is a short, twisted pasta made with wheat or chestnut flour and a little potato, that comes from this region (Liguria). Pesto was also created in this region, and the original is a blend of locally grown basil, parmesan and pecorino cheese, garlic, olive oil, and pine nuts. I still dream about this dish, seven years later! The pasta was homemade, and it was colored green by the abundant pesto. Simple, and oh so divine! Accompanied by a nice red table wine, this was blissful. Stuffed again for the second time this day, we strolled along the beach taking selfies until we reached the train station.

Florence, Italy

After a nice breakfast at Ristorante Vulnetia (included with our stay) and espresso in the square, we shopped a bit and made our way to the train station. En route, we saw the World War II memorial- every family in Vernazza lost someone in the war. Then we grabbed paninis and mini-bottles of red wine for the trip to Florence. Again, the train was late, making us worry about our connection in La Spezia, but alas, that train was also late. We sat in a first class cabin with three other people and enjoyed our lunches. I really enjoy riding the train in Europe, and there is just something fun about bringing snacks and watching the world go by.

Once we disembarked in Florence, we hauled our bags to our hotel, Antica Torre de Via Turnabouni 1. We splurged on the Panoramic Suite and it was worth it! The terrace alone was worth it, with its jasmine vine and sweeping views of the Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio. The hotel has a rooftop bar with a view of the Duomo, where we enjoyed our breakfasts during our stay.

Il Latini

Our first dinner was at the touristy but enjoyable Ristorante Il Latini. We arrived early and waited in a line of tourists. When the doors opened, the mass moved forward, and I was concerned this evening was going to be miserable… things started looking up we were seated with a nice couple from Chicago and had great conversation. The food was actually very good and far too plentiful. I recommend Il Latini if you are interested in meeting fellow American travelers and enjoying a feast in their company. We typically prefer to dine with locals in smaller osterias and trattorias, but we have no regrets about choosing Il Latini.

The Leather School

While in Florence, we visited the Florence Leather School, or Scuolo del Cuoio. We really didn’t see much about how the leather items were made, but we scored a couple of amazing purchases- a leather jacket, a couple of purses, a belt, and some random other items. Our cashier was way too flirty… at first I found it flattering, but it became uncomfortable when he could not take his eyes off mine, even while he was using a very sharp object to poke extra holes in my belt. He asked me out, I told him I was married, and he did not seem to care at all! I did find men in Italy to be flirty and forward, and it was usually cute and flattering. But this guy went too far and ventured into creepy territory!

Many of our days in Florence were occupied by our conference, but we found time for great food and music, not to mention daily gelato. We had dinner at Trattoria Mama Gina on the recommendation of a friend. Sara had the tripe, which was not appealing to me. It tasted like you might think intestines would taste, and had the consistency of shoe leather. The other dishes were good, and the atmosphere charming.

After dinner, we caught an operetta at St. Mark’s English Church. what an experience! This was on par with the string quartet Sara and I had seen at Saint Chapelle in Paris. We had fantastic front row seats and felt like we were part of the performance. Franz was the most memorable- a 6 foot something baritone from Holland, with wild, fuzzy black hair and very expressive eyes, wearing a black tuxedo. He and his colleague Sarah performed arias from Figaro’s marriage, La Boheme, Madame Butterfly, and the Barber of Seville to name a few. What an experience. St. Mark’s English Church often has musical performances, so check their website when planning a trip to Florence!

This was not my first time in Florence, but if it is yours, there are a few sites you should not miss! These include the Uffizzi Museum, where you can see my favorite painting- Boticelli’s Birth of Venus, as well as many other Renaissance works, and the Galleria dell’Accademia, where you can see Michelangelo’s David. There is a really cool hallway where you can see unfinished sculptures as well, and it really does seem like the figures are being released from the marble rather than created from it. The main cathedral is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, where you can see the duomo, Giotto’s bell tower, and Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise.

Around Tuscany

Our guide, Andrea Natali of Tuscany Experience Tours collected us after our conference and whisked us away for a whirlwind tour of Tuscany. But first, he gave us a brief orientation to his hometown, Florence, pointing out a couple of the gates and the old city wall. We headed up a very windy road to the Piazza de Michelangelo. Some of the best views of Florence are had from here- you can see the Duomo and a portion of the wall, with the Florentine Hills in the background. The Italian name of Florence, Firenze, means “little flower,” and it was originally built as a retirement village for the soldiers. This square is, of course, dedicated to Michelangelo, and you can see bronze versions of several of his sculptures including David.

We then headed out of the city and experienced driving in Italy with a local… that was harrowing! The lines that separate the lanes seem to be more of a rail for the cars, and we drove ON them rather than between them. There were several events that I interpreted as close calls, but they probably were not. Honking horns seemed like more of a conversation than a scolding, and I didn’t really detect road rage. Just organized chaos…

Leaving Florence

Out of the city, we meandered down winding country roads and periodically stopped for lessons in history. Andrea was absolutely amazing and if you visit the region, I highly recommend using him. Touring with Andrea was like being shown around by an old friend, and we keep in touch to this day. He is so passionate about his country, region, and vocation, and that passion is contagious. Not to mention, his prices were very reasonable for a private tour!

We pulled over at a spot with the view you see photographed in the cover pic for this post. Here, Andrea taught us about sharecroppers, and how they would give plots of land to families who would then work the land, and give the owner a percentage of their profits. The Industrial Revolution then brought factories and higher paying jobs, pulling away many of their sons and slowly eroding this practice. Sound familiar?

We learned about agriturismos. These are guesthouses which, by definition, must be run by individuals whose primary occupation is farming. These are a wonderful option when you are traveling through Tuscany, as much of the economy relies on agriculture. Primary crops are grapes and olives, resulting in two of life’s great pleasures- wine and olive oil.

The rolling hills of Tuscany alternate with wild forests, preserved for the animals’ habitats. The vast expanses of green are speckled with homes, estates, and castles in shades of brown and orange.

In Tuscany, you can be as active or chill as you want to be. You can hike, bike, hunt for truffles, and even craft a working vacation where you help in winemaking. We chose a culinary tour, with history lessons liberally sprinkled in, and saw as much of the region as possible by van in the short time we had.

Greve

Our first stop was at the village of Greve. This charming town in the shadow of the Castle of Montefioralle surrounds a triangular “square” and has numerous shops and cafes. We enjoyed espressos in the traditional Italian manner, taken standing at the bar while chatting about life. We visited a shop where we were surrounded by hanging slabs of meat, including wild boar.

There are several kinds of pork in Italy. Two of the most popular are Cinghiale and Cinte Sinese. The former is wild boar and tastes pungent and gamey, and the latter a domesticated pig from Siena which has a white stripe and is made of fatty, rich meat which makes wonderful cured meat products. Both are delicious and which is better depends on personal preference. Anyway, this shop was heaven, like walking around in a giant shark-coochie platter (that would be a charcuterie platter, in case you couldn’t figure that out…). We browsed a bit, tasted a little wine, and went on our way…

Tuscan Wine

Briefly, Chianti is not just that so-so red wine you find in a straw basket at Bucca di Beppo. Chianti is a name applied to wine produced in the Chianti region of central Tuscany, and has the Sangiovese grape as its primary source. If you see the black rooster on the bottle, it means this is a true Chianti Classico and hails from that specific region of Tuscany. Some have predominantly red grapes and tend to be bolder and richer, while those with more white varieties are lighter on the palate. To be classified a “Chianti,” winemakers must meet strict qualifications and abide by certain rules.

In addition, Italian wines that meet certain standards can be classified as DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) and DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), with DOCG being the highest/strictest classification. Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano possess the DOCG classification and are wonderful. The ICG (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) wines may be of lower quality, but the Supertuscans fall under this classification, and we tasted several that were very pleasing to our palates.

Makers of the Supertuscans seem to me a bit like rebels who thought the DOC and DOCG classifications were too restrictive and wanted creative license to practice their craft in different ways. For example, they wanted to add different types of grapes to broaden the flavor palette. Yet, they did not want to call their wines Vino da Tavola (VdT), or table wine. But hey, this is Italy… even the table wines were typically delicious to us!

Osteria Bodega dell’Abate

We arrived at our dinner spot, Osteria Bodega dell’Abate, just after dark and early for dinner in Italy. As we were the only patrons in this lovely place, we felt like personal guests in the owners’ home. We were greeted with a bottle of Chianti Classico Reserva from 2003, which was divine. we had antipasti for an appetizer. One component was this delicious chicken liver pate we had tasted several times on this trip. For my main course, I had pappardelle al cinghiale– large, flat noodles with wild boar. It was savory, rich, and delicious!

Castello di Casole

Down a long, winding, dark road lined by tall evergreens, we made our way to Castello di Casole. We arrived in the lobby and felt like royalty, as we were greeted by a full staff eager to take care of us. The manager brought us the key to our villa, then drove us down a dark gravel path to #32. We headed down several mini-flights of stairs guarded by fat spiders and into our room. The decor was modern Tuscan and very chic. We had a living area, a bedroom with twin beds, and a huge bathroom with a soaking tub, two sinks, and a toilet with a separate bidet. The shower had double rain shower heads. Next to the living area was a dining space with a bar which had a DeLonghi coffeemaker. This is a very fancy Nespresso-type machine that makes gourmet lattes and such.

Castello di Casole is a Belmond Hotel, which translates to fancy and expensive, with excellent service and amenities. The main building has a beautiful infinity- edge pool with a courtyard and manicured gardens. The main restaurant is Tosca, which is an elegant experience of modern, creative Italian cuisine. Emporio del Castello is a more casual option, and Bar Visconti overlooks the pool and is casual and elegant. The pool was not open at the time of our visit, but it was impressive. We had a “day off” from tourism, so we booked massages and wine tastings, and enjoyed the cool, rainy day in leisure. For a splurge, I highly recommend this property.

Medieval Villages and Monasteries

Andrea picked us up the next day and we headed out to explore the countryside. We drove a segment of the Via Francigena, or the “Road to France,” a medieval pilgrimage route for travelers from England, through France, heading to see the pope in Rome. It was this pilgrimage and this road that brought settlers and accompanying commerce, trade, and banking to Tuscany. Villages popped up along the route, along with guesthouses and, eventually, agriturismos.

San Galgano

The Abbey of San Galgano is a gothic style monastery built in the 12th century. San Galgano placed his sword in a stone here to symbolize abandoning war for Catholicism. It was a beautiful, peaceful place. Interestingly, Italian pop band “Pooh” filmed their video for “La Casa del Sol,” or House of the Rising Sun here and IRON MAIDEN filmed their video for Can I Play With Madness here.

Casa Alle Vacche

Casa Alle Vacche, literally, “House With Cows,” was our next stop. This is a family-owned winery and agriturismo which also produces olive oil. We enjoyed lunch in their tasting room overlooking the vineyards, sampling five wines and dining on tagliatelle with ground guinea fowl and pici (thick hand-rolled noodles from the Siena region) with tomatoes. I ended up buying a half case of their Cinabro, a rich, full-bodied DOCG chianti.

San Gimignano

San Gimignano, or the “Italian Manhattan,” is a walled medieval village in the Siena Province with 14 towers (medieval skyscrapers). Its town square is an Unesco World Heritage Site and the village is known for its saffron. Apparently, it also has the best gelato in the world! If you make it here, stop by Gelateria Dondoli and see for yourself. I love history and everything, but I am usually guided by my belly and seek out gustatory pleasure on my travels. We found it here, where I had banana flavor, and Sara went for the specialty, saffron caramel! Exquisite!

Siena

The next stop on our whirlwind tour of Tuscany was Siena. Also an Unesco world heritage site, it is most famous for its Palio, a horse race held twice a year in its town square, Piazza del Campo. The jockeys hail from different districts in Siena, and ride bareback around the square like bats out of hell, often being thrown off. They parade their flags/banners and the winner takes honor home to his district. This is a manifestation of “campanilismo,” literally “I belong to my bell tower,” and translated as localism.

Here Andrea told stories of this campanilismo, which originated before the unification of Italy, when Italy was more of a “geographical expression” than a country, according to Metternich. Since the fall of the Roman Empire, Italy has been divided into small republics and countries. They always fought against one another, until Italy was unified in 1861. This resulted in very strong feelings of loyalty to one’s home, which persist to this day in the form of a playful rivalry, particularly related to football.

Andrea hails from Florence, where they claimed to invent football (soccer for all you Americans out there)! This claim makes sense, as they have played “Calico Storico,” since the Middle Ages, which came from “harpastum,” a brutal form of football played by the gladiators to warm up for matches. Read more about it here, and thank you Andrea Natali for the education!

Also in Siena, you can visit the cathedral, which is beautiful and impressive… and maybe a bit macabre. Here, you can see the preserved head and thumb of St. Catherine one of the patron saints of Italy. Read her story here.

Montaperti and La Pietra Vive

Back on the road, we stopped off at the site of the Battle of Montaperti, the bloodiest battle in medieval Italy, which had over 10,000 fatalities. It was fought between Florence and Siena in the mid 13th century and was depicted in Dante’s Divine Comedy. We hiked up a large hill to see the memorial, a stone pyramid overlooking the planes north of the Arbia River. It was somber, yet peaceful and beautiful.

Our exertions were rewarded by yet another culinary experience at the ristorante “La Pietra Vive.” Here, after an appetizer of three types of goat cheese, we had another pasta dish which I still dream about, Pici with Scorzone truffles, AKA black summer truffles. We also had cinghiale carpaccio. Our wine was Monte Chiaro Chianti Colli Senesi Riserva, 345.

Montalcino

Past the actual village of Montalcino, we headed to the winery, Poggio Rubino, where we were greeted by its namesake, a vicious attack chihuahua named Rubino. This winery, and the whole area, is famous for its Brunello di Montalcino. This type of wine is made using ONLY the Sangiovese grape, and must age for at least 5 years, 2 of which must be in oak barrels. We tasted so many delicious wines, but not olive oil, as there was some sort of pest that decimated the olive crop in 2014 and all but ruined olive oil production for that time.

Abbey of Sant’Antimo

One of our most unique and special experiences happened after we left Montalcino. We made our way to this peaceful Benedictine monastery, the Abbey of Sant’Antimo, in the rain, and took seats near the front of its austere nave. The wooden pews had very straight backs and there was little decoration. The air smelled of wood, rain, and incense, and the atmosphere was serene. After a short wait, four bald monks entered in their off-white robes and began to chant softly, reverently. This went on four about fifteen minutes, and I enjoyed a brief nap.

Our drive then took us through the Valle d’Orcia, with its rolling hills of yellow, green, and red, punctuated by cedar trees and farms. It was hard to believe that bloody battles had occurred in this now idyllic landscape. Our destination was yet another agriturismo, Tenuta Santo Pietro. This would be another fantastic base of operations for a trip to Tuscany. It has 12 bedrooms for rent and a pool and lawn overlooking the valley. For lunch, we had pecorino-stuffed homemade ravioli with black truffles and a bottle of their IGT Supertuscan wine, Viper 2008.

Return Trip, Parting Thoughts

Back at our villa, we enjoyed the sunset from our terrace over room service. We had an early morning, so we turned in soon after dinner. We had an amazing culinary adventure with Andrea, and we highly recommend contacting him to craft your Tuscan vacation. His knowledge and understanding of Italian history is impressive and he was very attentive to our needs and preferences. https://tuscanyexperiencetours.com/

VAT- Value-added tax. This is a tax imposed on goods that you can often claim when you “export” an item from the European Union. If you make any major purchases, save your receipts and you may be able to reclaim this tax. The item must be unused and in its original packaging. There will be signs and instructions at the airport.

What do you think of our trip to Italy, in which we visited Venice, the Cinque Terre, and Tuscany? Comment below, and ask any questions you might have! If I cannot help you, I know someone who can (wink, wink Andrea)!