After spending so much time in so many beautiful places, and
getting a bit traveled out, neither of us thought we'd be able
to get all too excited about Tuscany (I know, does anyone say
that when they're on their way to Tuscany?). But it's
impossible not to love it here. The landscapes, the
colors, the light... everywhere you turn looks like a painting.
We checked into our agriturismo (farmhouse inn) and were
warmly greeted by our hostess, Sylvia, who had plenty of time
for coffee and chatting even though she just had twins three
months ago. It helped that her mama was over to help out.
We found ourselves in a nicely done, very spacious apartment,
complete with kitchen - where we dined on much bread, cheese,
salami and wine all week.
Our place was in the middle of the Chianti region, which we
found to be about as wonderful as Tuscany gets. We spent
our days taking scenic drives, visiting small towns, and of
course spending a fair amount of time and money eating and
drinking. Some of our favorite visits were day trips to
Siena, Radda in Chianti, Volterra, San Gimingano, Lucca and
Montalcino (home of the famous and tasty Brunello wines)... This
is a great time of year to visit, the tourist crowds are really
quite thin, the grapes are fat (but being harvested), and we are
watching the grape leaves turn orange and yellow by the day.
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Caroline pats a friend in Greve-in-Chianti |
The Duomo in Lucca |
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Montepulciano |
Chianti |
Church facade in Lucca
Casa Vecchia, our agriturismo in Chianti
Another beautiful Tuscan landscape
The Lady-Cops of Lucca |