Italy 2023 – Part II

Day 6 – Hello Tuscany!

We left Florence this am headed for Montemerano. We decided to take a side trip along the way to stop and see some sights, which we started off in Luca where we ate a beautiful lunch at the Plaza del Anfiteatro which used to be a Roman Amphitheater. We then headed for Pisa where we had some fun with photos and the leaning tower. Next it was off to Livorno where we took a stroll along the Terrazza Mascagni which jetted out along the Ligurian Sea which is part of the Mediterranean Sea. We then hopped back in the car and headed for Montemerano a walled city in Tuscany where we met our Airbnb host Jaccapo, the place is fabulous with a terrace that over looks the Tuscan valley! We ate dinner right across from our place where I had homemade tagliatelle with wild boar Raghu and Phil had wild boar with olives and polenta…Yum! We are now enjoying some time by the fire with a glass of wine. Life is good – Ciao!

Day 7 – Montemerano & More,,,

Today we kicked off our day with something we found when first planning our trip to Italy and what caused us to come down to Montemerano to begin with……The Saturnia Thermal Baths! As we walked down the road this am we wondered if they would be as cool as the pictures, and they were! Warm sulfur pools with an amazing waterfall at the top and filled with small round rocks that have made their shape over time being washed by the powerful waters. We hung out in the water for an hour or so and then headed back to our airbnb to shower and start the day. Our first stop today was probably one of the most spectacular sites I have ever seen, the walled city on top of s cliff called Pitigliano. Holy smokes we rounded the curve and we’re just in awe! We strolled around this ancient Etruscan city for a while, got lost a little in the long alleyways and loved every minute of it. After a quick bite to eat we headed to a private wine tour that was recommended by our host at the Roccapesta winery that makes Sangiovese wine (our fave). We spent an hour or so with our tour guide Francisco and learned about the beauty of this region for wine. We tasted and we bought two bottles. We wrapped up our day by roaming around our home city of Montemerano and once again just got lost in the little side streets and piazzas. We are now relaxing by the fire ready to head to San Gimignano tomorrow. Ciao!

Day 8 – Off to San Gimignano!

We left our place in Montemerano headed to our next home base of San Gimignano. We had two stop along the way which included Massa Marittima and Volterra. Our first stop of Massa Marittima showed up in history books in the year 973 and was a quaint little town that boasted a fresco entitled “fertility tree” which was full of penis and women dancing under which as you can imagine tickled Phil and started a whole slew of jokes. Then off to Volterra where unfortunately we did not get to spend as much we would have liked but have got to see old Etruscan ruins which were amazing. We had to rush to check into our Airbnb in San Gimignano which is hosted by Marco and his family where he was actually born in the 1940’s. We were in a rush because we had booked a private pasta and pizza class that was at Rita’s farm house about 40 minutes outside of San Gimignano. What a great experience and what we gleaned from all of this….it is all about freshness of product and enjoyment of the task…SO awesome! Ciao!

Day 9 – Tuscany Exploration part I

Today we went on a “Off Road Wine Tour” and were met by our lovely tour guide Jessica that taught us all about the Chianti Region with its history and what the different levels of wine mean. Our first stop was the Rocca dellle Macie winery where we learned about the founder who was the creator of Italian Spaghetti Westerns and his so is now carrying on the wine tradition. Our second stop was to a small winery started by the father after WWII and how he and his daughter carry on the tradition of making wine as well as olive oil and honey…mmmmm! We finished our day going through Rhadda, Greve on into Panzano to have dinner at Dario Cecchini’s restaurant from Netflix fame. His passion is beef and to Carne Diem! What a meal! Home late to San Gimignano and to another day! Ciao!