Under the Tuscan Sun

Couldn’t help myself with the title. I cannot believe how long it took me to get to Tuscany. I’m not sure why it was not top of my list from the start, but all I will say is I am so glad I made it there.

The trip to Tuscany was planned in April with my friend Kate. We were looking for somewhere we could go for a few days to celebrate a bunch of things – new jobs, promotions, upcoming weddings, moves, etc. and to live la dolce vita. Tuscany fit the bill. Perfectly.

After much research, we settled on the beautiful Villa di Piazzano, located in Cortona, which is about 1.5 hours from Florence. The drive out of the city and into Tuscany was, well, nerve-wracking. I somehow volunteered to be the driver, which is completely uncharacteristic of me. I haven’t driven in over two years, let alone in Europe, AND on winding Tuscan roads. But we made it.

We arrived on Thursday afternoon and knew we made the right choice. Tall manicured trees lined the entranceway and welcomed us as we drove through the gate. The main house looked just like you would picture a Tuscan villa to look like. Beautiful architecture that gave it a rustic, yet luxurious look.

We were shown to our room and immediately felt at home. It was early afternoon at this point, and time for our first meal in Italia. The villa had two delicious restaurants to choose from – a bistro and a gourmet restaurant. Overlooking the pool, we treated ourselves to beetroot gnocchi, a chicken pecorino panini on authentically hearty Tuscan bread, and a refreshing bottle of Tuscan white wine (yes, white wines are produced in Tuscany too).

Then it was time to hit the pool! The heatwave in Amsterdam earlier in the week (temperatures each day of 90+ degrees in a city not made for this type of heat), left us ready to jump right in the pool. As the Tuscan sun beat down, we relaxed on the lounge chairs, reading and enjoying our surroundings for the rest of the afternoon.

That evening we wanted to keep it light and local. How else to do that than find the nearest pizzeria? Just a few minutes up the road from our villa was an adorable family-owned pizzeria swarming with locals and tourists alike. Casual and welcoming, we found a table on the front patio, overhearing the conversations of the international and local crowd buzzing all around us. The ambiance? 10. The pizza? 3. Maybe 4 at best. Kind of disappointing.

We finished the night back at the villa with gelato and the disappointment of the pizza instantly started to fade away.

The next day we started with a run outside of the villa, catching glimpses of sunflower fields and some beautiful Tuscan homes and scenery as we ran by. After our run it was time to start the day. We had a lunch reservation at Dario Cecchini’s restaurant in Panzano in Chianti at 1:30pm, about 1.5 hours from where we were staying, and so to kill time in the morning, decided to head to see the famous castle on the hill at San Gimignano first. The drive from San Gimignano to Panzano would be another 45 mins., but it was supposed to be spectacularly beautiful.

We make our way there in no time, eventually noticing I have been disregarding the speed limit the whole way. The drive up towards the top of the hill is beautiful as we catch glimpses of the medieval buildings that await us up top. But as we go higher and higher, the crowds get bigger and bigger as does the car traffic. The parking lots are all full… and Kate desperately has to go to the bathroom.

Lured by a sign for more parking in a 4^th lot, I proceeded to drive further down the path in search of a place to park this now burdensome Mini Cooper. With not much success, I pulled over and let Kate out to find a bathroom while I put my hazard lights on and tried to camp out until she came back. About 5 minutes later, a police officer knocks of the door and asks me to move in a not-so-nice way. Before I do, I go to text Kate that I am going to try to head towards that 4^th parking lot. No phone service. Uh oh. A small wave of panic comes over me – what if she has no idea where I want and comes looking for me and we can’t find each other again?!?!?!

I very, very slowly back out of the spot I am in. The lot is on my left and I’m already holding up a whole line of traffic as they wait for me to back out onto the road. There is a massive line on the opposite side of the road – everyone is trying to turn into this lot. So, I do what any fantastic driver would do. I drag the car left and start to inch my way into the line of cars pulling into the lot, still blocking the line behind me, and now also blocking any cars from either side from going around me as I am not aggressively trying to get myself into the lot line. Great! This gives me more time to keep an eye out for Kate. But my genius plan fails after a few minutes. The police officer is back at my window, telling me to move.

I have no choice but to get myself into the line. So I do. And thankfully, Kate spots me and finds me there. So happy I didn’t lose her, I realize we’re now stuck in this line, and honestly we don’t have time to visit San Gimignano if we’re going to make lunch on time, so I attempt to leave the line and get back to the road.

Strike 3 with the police officer. He tells us we must go through the lot to get out back to the road. And then I slightly “tapped” (let’s be honest, I hit) a pole. My stress level was through the roof. But eye on the prize: Dario. Meat. Red Wine.

I’ll save you the rest of the details, but we made our way out of the lot and back onto the road. Great! Just one problem. We need to update the GPS to route us to Dario’s. And there is no internet. So we’re just lost and stuck. I decided to go back the way I came. Not that we knew this was anywhere on the way to Dario’s, but at least it got us closer to a highway and further away from the now gigantic tourist crowds. We finally found a hotel and begged them to use their WiFi. With the directions secured, I had one more terrifying encounter trying to manoeuvre my way out of their lot, and we were back on the road.

For a non-driver, this whole situation was an absolute mess, but we were in Italy, heading to Dario’s, so it took all of 15 minutes before we were laughing out it. La dolce vita, right? Here's the only pictured we managed to capture of San Gimignano from far away...

Dario Cecchini is an absolute legend. If you watch Chef’s Table, you may recognize him from season 6, episode 2. He descends from a line of Tuscan butchers, 8 generations to be precise, in the town of Panzano, which is in the region of Chianti. He’s well-known for saving the profession of butchering from the growing rise of supermarkets, and has the belief that there are no parts of the animal that should go unused. Literally.

His shop stands proudly as it once did in Panzano, but today it is surrounded by several different types of restaurants and experiences. We opted for the original experience. A stove-side seat where you’re served meat 5 different ways – from tartar to carpaccio to steak. You have no choice but to go back and forth from one type to the other, trying to discern which is the best. It’s impossible. It’s all SO good.

The table is laden with fresh garden vegetables and house-made olive oil and bread to dip and the red wine from the surrounding area is flowing. And then come the cannellini beans and baked potato. The beans may have been one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.

We sat next to a lovely couple from Australia on their honeymoon who were doing a full day experience with the shop, accompanied by a super cute Italian man named Lorenzo who travels from Florence (~45 mins.) to learn the craft of butchery from Dario. Because of this, we had the benefit of learning some ins and outs of the butcher while having our meal fully narrated (what we were eating, what part of the cow it comes from, how it is seasoned, etc.).

The meal concluded with the moistest olive cake, making this experience one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had. I cannot recommend it more highly to any meat eaters looking for a unique experience in Tuscany.

As if we didn’t consume enough, Lorenzo let us know that one of his favorite gelato shops was just 15 minutes up the road. And when an Italian lets you in on his favorite gelato shops AND it is almost 100 degrees and you just sat in front of an oven (with no air conditioning) for the last 2 hours, you go.

And I am SO glad we did. This place – just out of the cute medieval town of Castellina in Chianti, is one of the creamiest, most delicious places I’ve been privileged to consume ice cream. I am not exaggerating. I settled on two favorite flavors – pistachio and chocolate hazelnut. This day went from stressful to amazing real fast.

On our drive back we had all the time in the world to explore the beauty of Chianti and the surrounding Siena areas. We pulled off to take pictures here and there, trying to capture the beauty around us. It was impossible though to get that perfect shot, so I permanently have etched these scenes into my head. We even stopped in one of the many sunflower fields and had a little fun taking selfies with the drooping plants.

The next day was our big Tuscan wine tour. We arranged with the hotel to have a driver curate an itinerary that would take us to Montalcino and Montepulciano in the Siena region. We started the day at Poggio Rubino, a family-owned winery that only sells to private customers. We tasted 4 incredible wines here – one better than the other! Three brunellos and one sparkling red wine that was so crisp and the perfect addition to any day by the pool. And Roberta, the owner, made us homemade Tuscan bread, accompanied with their private label olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Our next stop was Capanna, a more well-known winery that is pretty commercial. We enjoyed the tasting nonetheless, learning more about Brunellos and Super Tuscans.

After that it was off to lunch. To be more specific, the best lunch I have ever had. Osteria La Porta is located in Monticchiello and has, hands-down, the best pasta I’ve ever had in my life. We dined – or rather feasted – on their front patio, getting splendid views of Pienza, the Val d’Orcia and the Amiata.

If you go, and you MUST!!!!, make sure you get the bruschetta, which comes on an insane garlicy toasted bread with the freshest tri-colored grape tomatoes and burrata, homemade pasta with the tomato, basil and garlic (yes, for real. Sounds basic, and it is, but it is the most INCREDIBLE pasta I’ve ever had), the duck ragout gnocchi AND the suckling pig. Yes, get it all. And more, because I am sure everything else is amazing too.

After this gastronomic experience, it was hard to pull ourselves out of the restaurant, but we had one more winery to visit, Boscarelli in Montepulciano.

That evening we had planned to go into Cortona to enjoy the medieval city, and dine at a highly recommended restaurant called Osteria de Teatro. Unfortunately a huge thunderstorm rolled in, making the drive questionable. We decided to hang back at the hotel and rightfully so, as the power went out (temporarily) while we were at the bistro. The storm was really that bad.

Sunday was our last and final day. And how do you top the last two days? You learn how to make everything you just consumed! So, we did a cooking class with local chefs, making a traditional Italian Sunday meal. We started with a tour of the vegetable garden, where we used fresh ingredients for our meal. The menu was three courses and included: hand-made tagliatelle in beef ragu sauce, Tuscan steak, and tiramisu.

I wasn’t the best student in the class, but looks can be deceiving. Taste is what you should be judged on, and the taste was phenomenal. I can’t wait for my next dinner party to make some of these new specialties!

Our bellies full, faces bronzed, and hearts happy, we checked out of our beautiful hotel, both of us looking up availability for future dates to see when we can return. We made a quick stop in Cortona on the way out so we could actually see a bit of the town, before making our way back to the airport.

What a trip! Truly La Dolce Vita.