Tuscany

May 15, 2016

We check out of the hotel and begin the trip to Tuscany, about a 2 1/2-hour drive north. We are renting a villa, Podere Cavoni, with Gary's sister and brother-in-law, who we are picking up at the Florence airport tomorrow. After stopping for groceries in Farniole, we arrive at the Podere ("farm" in Italian), which has an unbelievable view (the photo at the top of page 78 is taken from the front door of the villa). It is situated on a hilltop in the heart of the Crete Senesi region, just outside of Asciano. We rented the apartment through Trip Advisor from Carmelina Ricciardello, a real estate agent in Sicily.

May 15, 2016 (Continued)

Carmelina bought the property in January of 2000 and did most of the remodeling herself. This apartment on the Cavoni farm was the kitchen of the farmhouse. It had a large fireplace that covered the wall where the current kitchen is located. The fireplace was where all the cooking was done for the families that lived on this farm (at one time, as many as 50 people). The bedrooms were part of the loggia (verandah), which is usually built where the best views can be seen from the house. The setting and the views from this apartment are absolutely amazing, but the cleanliness of the place leaves a bit to be desired. After unpacking (see a frustrated Kerry in the middle left picture on page 79), we have a quiet dinner and retire.

May 16, 2016

Today we are making the 1 1/2-hour drive to the Florence airport to pick up Jo-Ann and Vince. Their Swiss International flight lands at 9:10 A.M., and we are there to greet them. We load the car, then begin the return trip, stopping for a late lunch in Taverne d'Arbia, which is a small town not far from Podere Cavoni. When we get back to the villa, we sit down over a dinner of cheese and antipasto and talk about the things we want to do and the places we want to go and put it all down on paper (below left). Below right: on the ledge of the bedroom window, two tiny visitors ponder whether or not to take a dip in the pool!

May 17, 2016

Today we have decided to make the medieval hill town of Siena, which is only about a 1/2-hour drive from the villa, our first destination. Surrounded by olive groves and the vineyards of Chianti, Siena is one of the most beautiful cities of Tuscany. Set on three hills, the city is drawn together by winding alleyways and steep steps, with the Piazza del Campo (see top row pictures at the top of page 83) at its heart. The Duomo, with its striped bell tower (see bottom row pictures at the top of page 83), and the hospital of Santa Maria della Scala serve

May 17, 2016 (Continued)

as the other two cultural landmarks. Famed for the "Palio", (the annual historic horse races that take place in July and August), Siena is also home to one of the oldest universities in Europe. One of the most striking and beautiful features of this city is the many colorful outdoor light fixtures that line the neighborhoods and the huge vibrant banners that hang over the streets (see pictures on pages 85 and 86). These features are not just decorative: they portray the seventeen contrade, or neighborhoods of the city. Each contrada is represented by a mascot, with unique colors which are proudly worn and displayed by the residents (see picture at the top of page 85).

May 17, 2016 (Continued)

We "hang out" in Il Campo for a while (page 84), and notice that there is filming going on, obviously a travel segment for Italian television. The filming is taking place right beside Kerry, who dares not move for fear of missing her "close up" (bottom left of page 84)! We have lunch at Trattoria La Tellina (bottom of page 85), which is in the contrada of Oca-"the goose" (which is illustrated by most of the pictures on
page 86). After some more sightseeing, we return to Podere Cavoni, where we have aperitivi al fresco (page 87) and Vince fixes a dinner of Caprese salad.

May 18, 2016

We begin the day with what will turn out to be one of many morning stopovers in nearby Asciano for coffee and croissants ("cornetti") at Bar Hervé (page 90). On the schedule today are two more hill towns, Montepulciano (page 92) and Pienza. Gary is especially keen on visiting Montepulciano, with its selection of wineries featuring the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano ("noble wine of Montepulciano"). The oldest red wine in Tuscany, Vino Nobile has been produced since the late 1500s. Our first stop in Montepulciano is Contucci Cellars , which we have read about in the Rick Steves guidebook. Gary is in heaven (page 91)! We are given a short tour of the winery, ending up in the tasting room, where Gary and Vince (after what seemed to Jo-Ann and me to be an extraordinarily long time!), purchase a case of Contucci wine to be shipped home.
May 18, 2016 (Continued)

We have a quick lunch in a small café in the back of a grocery store (middle right picture on page 92) before making the short drive to Pienza (pictures on pages 93 and 94). Pienza is a beautiful Renaissance town whose specialty is pecorino cheese. We walk around a while and do some shopping, then we head back to Podere Cavoni, where we are met by Anna, half of what is supposed to be a husband (who for some reason was MIA) and wife cooking team that we have hired (through Carmelina) to cook a traditional Italian meal. The "homemade" cookies that were on the dining table when we got here were supposedly made by Anna, according to Carmelina's welcome note.

May 18, 2016 (Continued)

However, as the middle right picture on page 95 illustrates, the "homemade" cookies were store-bought, as was most of the meal "prepared" by Anna. She was an enthusiastic participant in the evening's activities, however, (as illustrated by the pictures on page 95), especially when we offered her a glass of prosecco!

May 19, 2016

On the schedule today is Firenze (Florence), which is about a 90-minute drive north. We have booked a tour through Viator of the famous Uffizi Gallery, which houses arguably the greatest collection of Italian paintings in the world. Gary drops Jo-Ann, Vince and I off at the Ponte alle Grazie as he searches for a place to park. After nearly an hour, he reconnects with us and we meet our tour guide (bottom left picture on page 98). We begin our tour of the museum, which lasts about two hours. Because there is a forecast of rain, the museum is packed with visitors and even though we are on a private tour, we end up waiting in line just to enter the exhibit space.

May 19, 2016 (Continued)

True to the forecast, a rainstorm begins and unfortunately, it is still raining as the tour ends. We begin our walk back to the car, and as we trudge through the puddles, we duck into a restaurant for drinks while we wait out the storm. Afterwards, we make our way to the car and begin the journey back to Podere Cavoni, although unfortunately we are leaving around rush hour and get caught in the traffic. We finally arrive back at the villa and have a dinner of Anna's leftovers.

May 20, 2016

Today we are visiting two more hill towns, Volterra and San Gimignano, about an hour's drive northeast of Podere Cavoni.

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But first, based on Carmelina's recommendation, we make a quick stop at the Friday market in nearby Colle di Val d'Elsa (meaning "Hill of Elsa Valley")-see pictures on page 99. After a half hour or so of strolling through the streets, we set out for Volterra. Volterra, which began more than 2,000 years ago as the Etruscan settlement of Velathri, is most recently famous

May 20, 2016 (Continued)

for being the home of the Volturi vampire clan in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight book and movie series. One of the sights mentioned in Rick Steves' travel book is "La Vena di Vino" (second row right picture on page 100), an enoteca run by Bruno Signorini (third row left picture on page 100). This wine shop/café features a very unusual decor: the place is strewn with bras (third row right picture on page 100) hanging from the ceilings and seemingly protruding from every nook and cranny in the place! We tasted several different wines served by Bruno and had an amazing lunch which featured classic Tuscan bread soup. The below left picture is of Volterra's renowned Etruscan arch, Porta all'Arco, which was built of massive blocks in the fourth century, B.C.

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In 1944, the local citizens ripped up the stones that pave Via Porta all'Arco, plugged up the gate, and managed to convince the Nazi commander that there was no need to blow up the arch as a means to stop the advancing Allies.

Since Etruscan times the people of Volterra have been famous for carving alabaster mined from nearby quarries (see pictures above). Their artistry is evident today in the many alabaster shops found in the city, a few of which were frequented by us. The pictures in the middle of page 103 are of the Roman Theater, which was built in the first century A.D. We stroll the cobblestone streets of Volterra for a couple of hours, then head

May 20, 2016 (Continued)

back to the car for the short trip to San Gimignano. San Gimignano is the epitome of a Tuscan hill town, with fourteen medieval towers surviving out of an original 72 (two of which are shown below). Most of the original towers were actually the forts of wealthy families, but the rest were just empty, chimney-like structures built to impress the neighbors! Two of these empty towers, the Salvucci Towers in the Piazza del Duomo, supposedly inspired the architect of the Twin Towers. We stroll the streets of this lovely city for a couple of hours, then decide on Locanda di Sant'Agostino for dinner. After dinner on the terrace, we make the 1 1/2-hour drive back to Podere Cavoni.

May 21, 2016

Today is the day that we decide to take it easy. We begin the day once again at Bar Herve, then check out the market in Asciano, where we run into Anna and have an al fresco lunch. For dinner, Vince fixes his special spaghetti recipe: Toscana verdure, with four types of mushrooms, two zuccini, San Marzano cherry tomatoes, and local red pepper truffle oil.

May 22, 2016

One thing Jo-Ann and Vince really wanted to do was to see the ocean. Vince was keen on going to Elba, where Napoleon was exiled in 1814. However, after researching the ferry times and cost, we decide to stay on the mainland and choose instead to visit Marina di Grosseto, about a 90-minute drive from Asciano. We arrive in Marina di Grosseto, park the car and walk to the beach. After spending some time by the surf, we decide that there isn't a whole lot happening here, so we move on to Castiglione della Pescaia, where we have lunch at Ristorante Il Granaio (see our waiter at the bottom right of page109). The rest of the pictures on page109 show the finish line ("arrivo") of a bicycle race that was ending here.

May 23, 2016

Today our first stop is Asciano, not only to once again visit the Bar Herve for coffee, but to go to the "Policia Municipale" station to pay a €28 parking ticket that Gary received after parking for over an hour in a 15-minute zone on our last visit. Next we are going to do something Vince wanted: to visit the Prada Outlet in Montevarchi. After encountering extreme sticker shock at the "outlet", we beat a hasty retreat in a rainstorm and make our way to Arezzo (page 111). Arezzo is featured in Roberto Benigni's film "Life Is Beautiful" (see the Piazza Grande, middle right picture on page 111). After exploring the town, we have a late lunch at La Bottega degli Illustri, then we get back in the car for the drive to

May 23, 2016 (Continued)

Siena so we can see it at dusk-that was one of the things that Kerry wanted to do based on a recommendation in the Rick Steves travel book. On the way to Siena, we stop in Castelnuovo Berardenga at the Azienda Agricola Caprara, a small family-run vineyard and winery (pictures on the first two rows of page 112 - note the "sentinel" rose bush in the middle left picture, which is planted at the end of each row of grapes so that if any pests invade the vineyard, the rosebush will be the first to show signs of disease). We buy two bottles for only €6 each! We get into Siena around 6:00 P.M., walk around a bit, do some shopping, then have dinner at the Osteria La Chiacchera. As shown in the pictures at the bottom of pages 112, and 114. Siena is indeed lovely at dusk!

May 24, 2016

Today is Gary's day. He wants to go to Montalcino, another town well-known for its wine, especially the delicious and pricey Brunello di Montalcino. First we are visiting Buonconvento
(page 115), which means literally "happy meeting place".

May 24, 2016 (Continued)

Buonconvento was a stop on the Via Francigena (top row right picture above). Via Francigena literally means "Road of the Franks", referring to the Germanic tribes who lived in present-day Germany and France. It was the route for Christians from northern Europe to make their once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Rome in the Middle Ages,

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starting in Canterbury, England, crossing the channel to France and continuing across Switzerland before reaching Italy. We make our own stop in Buonconvento for coffee on our journey not to Rome, but to Montalcino (pictures below and at the top of page 117). The first structure we encounter in Montalcino is the Fortezza, or fort (see top middle and right pictures below), which was begun in 1361 and is a symbol of the last defense of

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the Sienese Republic in 1555 against Spanish-Florentine troops. We don't get far before we encounter our first wine shop, Enoteca La Fortezza, which is located within the walls of the fort. Of course, we stop here and taste a sampling of wines, purchasing a couple of bottles for dinner later. We have lunch at the Osteria di Porta Al Cassero and then hit the road for the ruins of the Abbey of San Galgano in Chiusdino. Gary was told about this place by the owner of the Cappelleria Bertacchi, a hatshop in Siena (where Gary bought an "Indiana Jones" hat, which he is wearing in the picture at the top of page 114), who raved about the spiritual aura of this monastery ruin. We arrive at the abbey grounds around 4:00 only to discover a small restaurant (Bar de la Fattoria-pictures at the top of page 118), and, of course, decide to have a glass of prosecco before we tour the abbey.

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The place has two sights of interest: the monastery, including the enormous gothic church without a roof (middle and bottom row pictures on page 118 and top row of page 119), and the Hermitage of Monte Siepi where, the legend tells us, San Galgano retired around 1170 to live as a hermit. As a symbol of peace, he embedded his sword in a stone, which can still be seen today (see picture at top of page 120)). The abbey, with its missing roof (which has been gone for centuries; by now, it has been been off for longer than it was ever on!), catches the afternoon light just right, and is truly an impressive sight. Afterward, Vince confesses to us that he had a spiritual experience in the abbey, and he assures us that it had nothing

May 24, 2016 (Continued)

to do with the fashion shoot that was taking place as we were touring the church (see picture of the model in the middle left picture on page 120)!

May 25, 2016

If it's Wednesday (and it is), it must be "market day" in Siena. Rather than "market day", however, this day ends up being "the day of Gary driving around"! We have decided to take it easy and are going to make a visit to the Siena market. But first, Vince has read about a coffee shop that he says is "on the way", so we set out looking for Monteroni d'Arbia.

May 25, 2016 (Continued)

We arrive in Monteroni d'Arbia, but the coffee shop is nowhere to be found. Vince doesn't have the address, but we (or more accurately, Gary) keep(s) driving looking for "Caffé A Modo Mio" (middle right picture on page 120). We finally locate the coffee shop around 11:00 A.M., and it turns out to be not quite the draw that we expected. In fact, we are the only people in the place, which seems to really annoy the guy behind the counter, who has to interrupt whatever it is that he was doing to make four cappucinos for us. After having our coffee, we get in the car for the drive to Siena. We get to Siena and because the place is packed with bumper-to-bumper cars and no available parking spaces, Gary (once again) selflessly lets me, Vince, and Jo-Ann out of the car to go to the market (bottom of page 120) while he searches for a parking space. The plan is for us to text our location to Gary so he can find us once he has found a place to park. We start exploring the market, which is enormous and winds seemingly endlessly along the Fortezza Medicea and towards the Stadio Comunale. In fact, this is one of Tuscany's largest markets and is great if you are in the market for cheap clothing. Ever the savvy shopper, Jo-Ann manages to find some good buys, but overall, we are disappointed. We keep waiting to hear something from Gary, but after about an hour I get worried and text him. After driving around for the better part of the hour, he has given up trying to find a parking space and is illegally parked, just waiting for us to let him know when we are ready to leave. So we find him in the parking lot and we (or rather he) begin(s) the drive back to Podere Cavoni so he can get some rest!
May 26, 2016

Vince says that everyone he told that he is coming to Tuscany said, "you must go to Lucca!", so today we are going to make the two-hour trip to Lucca, and are throwing in Pisa for good measure. We stop on the way at an Autogrill, one of the many of Italy's roadside gas station/rest stop/coffee shop/cafés, and have a cappucino and cornetto. These Autogrills are surprisingly good, offering freshly-baked pastries, pasta, charcuterie, olive oil and wine, in addition to the usual rest-stop fare. We arrive in Lucca around 11:00 A.M. This picturesque town is renowned for the well-preserved Renaissance wall encircling its historic city center (though it hasn't been involved in a war since 1430).

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As we are strolling the quaint cobblestone streets of Lucca, just a few steps beyond the Piazza dell' Anfiteatro (bottom right picture above) we notice the unusual sign in the bottom right picture on page 124. Since it is near lunch time, we decide to give the Trattoria Da Ubaldo a shot (top left picture above). We meet Ubaldo, who looks eerily similar to the images of him at the bottom of page 124. In addition to good food, Lucca features great shopping. One such shop (see the rainbow- colored bag in the chair in the above left picture) is an outlet store of an Italian leather goods company called "mywalit". Mywalit features leather wallets, bags, coin purses and handbags. I had never heard of this store, but Jo-Ann knew

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exactly who they were and how well-made their products are, so she was excited to see the shop, and we followed her inside. We are browsing when Gary holds up a purse, looks at me and says, "this looks like you". Boy, was he right! I not only bought the purse (which Jo-Ann assured me was an excellent bargain), but a wallet as well.

After three hours in Lucca, we move on to Pisa. I had visited Pisa as a teenager in 1970, but the sight of the Leaning Tower in the Piazza dei Miracoli ("Field of Miracles") - bottom of page 128 - still took my breath away! Aside from the fact that it leans at an angle of 5 1/2°, or fifteen feet off the vertical (it has

May 26, 2016 (Continued)

been stabilized after a ten-year renovation), this campanile ("bell tower") is truly a beautiful example of medieval Romanesque architecture. Unfortunately, the place is crawling with tourists, so we spend a bit of time on the Piazza, then take our leave and head back to Podere Cavoni.

May 27, 2016

Since our first trip to Florence was cut short by a rainstorm, today we are going to visit a second time. We have decided that the four of us will split up, with Gary and I doing our "thing",

May 27, 2016 (Continued)

and Jo-Ann and Vince doing theirs. Although it isn't raining, it is very hot. While Gary and I are walking around the Piazza della Signoria, we notice a restaurant, Rivoire, with outdoor seating overlooking the square and Palazzo Vecchio, so we pick this one for lunch. We enjoy a wonderful long, leisurely meal watching the parade of people come and go on the piazza. Even though the restaurant has a few outdoor fans here and there, the sweat is dripping off of me, so I am forced to take ice cubes out of the ice bucket, roll them up in a napkin and use it to cool off. What a relief! As we sit there, Gary tells me that when he used to dream of Tuscany, this is exactly the scene that he imagined (sans me and my ice-bucket challenge!).

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We reconnect with Jo-Ann and Vince and make the drive back to Podere Cavoni for dinner.

May 28, 2016

My friend Bev has told me that Orvieto is her favorite town in Italy, so today that is our destination. First, we once again stop in Asciano for coffee at Bar Herve (see picture of Gary chillin' below). We make the one hour drive to Orvieto where we encounter the beautiful flags and banners that are part of Orvieto’s history (pictures at the top and first two middle row pictures on page 132). They are bright, colorful and full of interesting designs. The doors of Orvieto are quite lovely as

May 28, 2016 (Continued)

well (pictures on page 133). Another distinctive feature of Orvieto is the Duomo (top of page 134), which is a fabulous blend of Byzantine and northern architectural elements softened into the so-called Italian Gothic style, with its bronze doors made by Emilio Greco (bottom left picture on page 134). After lunch at La Taverna Dell'Etrusco, we head home.

May 29, 2016

This is Jo-Ann and Vince's last day for touring, since they are leaving tomorrow. We head out for the short drive to the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore (page 136 and 137), just outside of Chiusure, where we stop to find a coffee shop.

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It appears that everyone in Chiusure is either asleep or in church on this Sunday morning, but we finally find a restaurant, Il Paradiso (picture below), that looks like it is open. We encounter yet another surly Italian, this time the apparent café owner, who serves us our coffees. After perusing the menu (and since this appears to be the only game in town), we decide to return here for lunch. We head over to the Abbey, just a short distance away. The Abbey was founded in 1313 by Sienese Bernardo Tolomei (statue at bottom right of
page 137), who retired in this isolated place, after he converted to the Benedictine order. Some years later he began the construction of the Abbey, which is rich not only in inlaid wood features (bottom right picture on page 136, top and bottom left of page 137), but also a fascinating fresco cycle of the life of St. Benedict, painted by Renaissance masters Il Sodoma and Luca Signorelli. We arrive on the grounds just in time to catch the monks filing into the church, doing their chanting, so we find seats in the sanctuary to listen. Well, about ten minutes of

May 29, 2016 (Continued)

Gregorian chanting is a gracious plenty, so we all decide we have had enough and make an unceremonious exit! After touring the Abbey, we find ourselves at the wine cellar below the cloister. There are giant wine barrels containing the wine produced along with a few selected vineyards from the surrounding area (top of page 138). We taste a couple of wines served by Luca, (middle of page 138) who is not a monk himself, but has spent many years alongside this monastic order. Not that impressed with the wine, we leave without purchasing any bottles and drive back into Chiusure for lunch at Il Paradiso (pictures above). We have a wonderful meal, with Jo-Ann, Vince and I ordering the cacio e pepe, which

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means "cheese and pepper" in Italian. It will be the first of
three cacio e pepe meals for me in Italy, this one featuring homemade pasta, which is amazing! We are also served some excellent dessert wines from the area. After walking around Chiusure a bit, we make a stop in Asciano before heading back to Podere Cavoni for Jo-Ann and Vince's last evening in Tuscany.

May 30, 2016

The only thing on the agenda today is to take Jo-Ann and Vince back to the Florence airport for their Air Canada flight back home. But first, we make our last stop at our favorite Autogrill, where Vince was disappointed not to see his favorite barista.

May 31, 2016

Today we say good-bye to Podere Cavoni, Tuscany and the view on page 142 and begin our way south to Rome.