Tuscany
We just returned from our 6th trip to Italy and we continue to discover more to love about this country. The 'excuse' for this trip was to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary, plus, we had never really explored Tuscany. It was truly magical!
I am a big fan of shoulder season travel if you can swing it, but I was a little worried that this trip would include the last week of October and the first week of November. I shouldn't have worried, the weather was perfect, it was less crowded and we never had to wait for a table or a glass of wine!
We spent a few days in Florence at the beginning of our trip as we adjusted to the time change. After 40 years together, we have learned that we have very different attention spans for museums! A guide, with a time limit, works well for us!
Despite traveling during shoulder season, it was still busy in Florence. Our hotel was right near the Duomo which meant we could go back to our room for a break from people when we needed it!
We scheduled a guide at the Accademia Gallery for 5PM. The museum closes at 6:30PM so it was a perfect time to have uncrowded access to David as most people had left for the day.
From Florence, we rented a car and set off to explore some hill towns of Tuscany. On our way to Pienza, we stopped for a wine tasting lunch at Castello Banfi. What a stunning location for this Relais & Chateaux property with incredible hospitality, food & wine.
We spent 2 nights in Pienza, considered the ideal Renaissance town and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It didn't disappoint. We stayed at La Bandita Townhouse which was right on the main 'street!'
We set out with a very loose agenda for the day, but with a recommendation for lunch and a goal of being back in Pienza for the sunset!
Vineria Aperta was our destination for lunch. The front desk staff at our Pienza hotel recommended the restaurant for the food, great selection of wine by the glass and easy parking. (Parking is an issue in many of the hill towns, it helps to have a local tell you where to park before you arrive in the town!)
We wound our way back to Pienza for the sunset, stopping whenever we saw cars parked on the side of the road since it usually signaled a photo op.
Do you recognize this laneway? The final scene of the movie Gladiator was filmed here.
As promised, the sunset in Pienza was beautiful. The late afternoon light even makes laundry look appealing!
We spent our last 2 days closer to Florence in the Chianti Classico region with this view from the terrace at breakfast.
More hill towns, more delicious food, just-harvested olive oil and local wine!
On our last day of wondering, while looking for somewhere to have lunch, we stumbled upon the charming village of Montefioralle. A little roadside sign for lunch on a terrace at Il Guerrinno caught our attention. What a find! We ate outside looking over the hills and the owner's vineyard. It was the perfect last day lunch!
One last sunset and it was time to head home. We lucked out with perfect shoulder season weather and felt like we just scratched the surface of exploring hill towns of Tuscany. There are so many places to visit in the world, yet I could return to Italy over and over. Ciao.
