Tuscany May 19-26

For a long time we had been looking forward to the pleasures of Tuscany. During our week there we were more than satisfied with an abundance good food and wine, spacious comfortable lodging, marvellous cultural outings, spectacular coutrside, and the company of my parents. To crown the experience we were treated to a string of hot, sunny days.

Mom had rented a flat with plenty of room for the six of us in an agriturismo, which is a huge old working farm that has been modified for tourist accommodation. We felt transported back a few centuries or that we were in a movie set when we saw the antique bedroom furniture, the fireplace and stone sink, the 70cm thick walls and the heavy wooden shutters on the tall windows. We ate most of our meals outside either on the sunny stone patio in the morning, or in the shade of the huge trees overlooking the valley in the evening. The Fatoria de Petrognano is up in the Tuscan hills about 20 minutes west of Florence set amid picturesque vineyards, fields and forests. However, getting there requires nerves of steel as the last five km of winding road is barely wide enough for one car with the possibility of a speedy Italian driver around every blind hairpin bend.

Most mornings Ann, Rob and Steve would start the day by cycling three km up to the village of Pomino to buy fresh bread, then coast down so we all could eat it for breakfast. With temperatures in the 30s every day, we were glad to forego sightseeing in towns to drive to the Valambrosa National Forest, visit a local winery for a tasting, or just lounge by the pool, ride bikes and walk the grounds. We prepared most of our own meals with lovely fresh vegetables and meats from the local alimentairi, but one night we splurged for the four-course meal in the main dining room, accompanied by a true vin du maison made from grapes grown on the property.

Tuscany is justifiably known as the place to see renaissance art and every building from the smallest local church to the Uffizi Gallery is adorned with sculpture, painting, and architectural detail. We walked through the winding little streets of San Gimignano amidst the medieval towers and churches; we joined the throngs to see the abundance of art in Florence; in Sienna Mom and I rented the audio guides and spent two hours learning about the floor mosaics and wall frescoes in the Duomo. The kids ran up the stairs of the leaning tower to admire Pisa laid out below. The town of Lucca seemed to be inhabited mostly by regular Italians, so it was the place I could imagine renting a house and staying for a few weeks to walk the car-free streets and explore the beautiful squares.

Our week in the “Tuscan Sun” ended all to quickly but we were excited by our next destination, the seaside villages of the Cinque Terre.