Holidays in
Tuscany
After a
full day's drive we arrived at 6pm in Chiasso, at the Swiss/Italian border. We
dropped our luggage, had a shower and moved on to Como (at Lago di Como), some
5 km further. I remembered Como as being a colourful town on the lakeside and it
didn't seem to have lost its charm in the 30+ years since I last was there. We
had our first meal on Italian soil in a small trattoria at the lake and had
prosciutto with melon as a starter and tagliatelli al pesto afterwards. With a
bottle of vino rosso, of course! We finished our day with a big Italian gelato.
The next
day, Monday, after seeing the dense traffic on the highway, we decided to drive
straight to Tuscany instead of spending some time in Bologna. At 1pm we arrived
at Monteriggioni and, knowing that lunch and dinner hours are strictly
respected in Italy, we made ourselves comfortable in the garden of the Antico
Traviglio Bar, just at the entrance of the town, where we had bruschette and a
plate of salumi and pecorino. Since this place was a wine bar, their wine list
was huge and we left it to the waiter to propose us a fresh white wine.
We took the
opportunity of visiting this small fortified town. Piazza di Roma is the main
square where there are two restaurants and a few bars. We strolled around for
an hour or so and decided to visit the church of Santa Maria Assunta on our
next visit. Unfortunately, when we went back two days later in the evening, the
church was closed already.
Time to
check in at our Fattoria where we
got a very warm welcome from hostess Rossella. She showed us to our room which
was beautifully decorated in tints of beige. Since it was the cheapest room, it
was also the smallest one but big enough for our standards and completed with a
nice bathroom. Furniture was in old Tuscan style with wardrobe and dressers in
dark wood. The room had also minibar, TV and air conditioning. Il Colombaio is
only operational since March of this year so everything was brandnew and super
clean. It is a "4 speghi" fattoria (the rating system for
agriturismo, which equals 4* in the hotel rating system). Daily cleaning, daily
change of bath linens, bed linens twice a week. They have 6 double rooms, 1
triple room and 2 4-person apartments.
As stated
elsewhere, we paid € 105,00 per night incl. buffet breakfast (caffelatte/tea,
orange juice, rolls, ham, salami, cheese, yoghurt, fresh fruit (yummie figs
from their own garden!!!!), different fruit pie every day). The price
advertised in the room was € 206,85 per night though, exclusive of
breakfast.
We had a
real good contact with Rossella from the very first moment and we also talked
about the prices in the region. She told us that the policy of the area was to
keep Monteriggioni an exclusive town (because of its top location) with
exclusive hotels (Castel Bigozzi and Il Piccolo Castello are also in
Monteriggioni) and that the price advertised in the room has been managed
during high season. It is just because the place was not booked for September
that they decided to make special arrangements for the coming months and for
"regular customers" - and that's what we are now as well.
We loved
the place and only regret that we couldn't stay longer to enjoy Rossella's
company and the inviting swimming pool.
In the late
afternoon we drove to San Gimignano. It is only 27 km but with the winding
Tuscan roads, it took about 1 hour to get there and had our car parked. Many parking
lots showed 'completo' so we had to drive around a bit. As everywhere at the
fortified cities, parking lots are outside the city but it is usually only 2
min. walk to get into the city walls. Count about € 1.50 per hour in the main
cities (San Gim, Siena, Pisa, Lucca).
San Gim,
what to tell about it? I have a bit mixed feelings about San Gim. It was
between day and dusk when we got there which put some magic over the city but
even then I knew this was not my city. I had read quite a bit about it and my
expectations were high, maybe that's why I was a little disappointed. It was
full of souvenir shops and despite the late hour, the tourists hadn't gone. I
have nothing against tourists, I am one myself after all, but this city was
like a "tourists only" place to me. We strolled around, found Piazza
della Cisterna and were glad that the hotel Leon Bianco was fully booked when I
tried to get a room there during my hotelsearch. The piazza itself was the not
so attractive main square of this medieval city with a good view on the towers
of San Gim. For me the sight on San Gimignano from outside the walls was more
impressive than the city itself.
One good
thing about San Gim was the dinner we had there. We saw places recommended by
Frommer's or Karen Brown but - stubborn as we are - we try to avoid
such places. They are usually frequented by tourists only who pay too much for
a mediocre meal.
In a small
alley we saw a sign to Ristorante Perucà.
It was a small place situated in the renovated wine caves of an ancient
palazzo. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful in explaining what was
on the menu (and what I couldn't find in my dictionary). It was one of the few
places that had fish (sea bass and swordfish) on its menu. I don't remember
exactly what we ate but it was above standard anyway. We really enjoyed
watching the sommelier while he did the wine ceremony. We ordered a Chianti
Classico for which he brought us special glasses. He poured a dash of the wine
in my glass, turned it around for 20 seconds or so, poured the dash of wine in
Maurice's glass, again turned it around and finally poured the dash in an
ordinary glass that he put aside to be taken away.
A few days
later, on our way back from Lucca, we decided to have dinner there again and
were treated as old friends. We were offered a glass of prosecco before dinner
and a grappa 45% vol. after dinner. We ordered a different wine (Rosso di Montalcino)
for which we were given different glasses than for the Chianti Classico but the
ceremony was the same. Very nice experience!
The next
morning, after an extensive breakfast - Rossella was very pleased to see
Maurice eat so much of what she had put on the buffet - we drove to Siena,
about half an hour further south. Siena was love at first sight. Such a
delightful city. Packed with tourists, but who cares when after a short walk we
walked onto one of the most scenic piazza's I have ever seen: the Piazza del
Campo. Piazza del Campo is a 12
th century square surrounded by
beautiful palazzi and the Torre del Mangia (belltower). The upper part of the
tower is made from white travertine. We didn't go up the 505 stairs but still
had a wonderful view over the city from the loggia at Museo dell' Opera del
Duomo. A beautiful museum located in an unfinished part of the Duomo with many
of the original statues that used to be on the facade of the Duomo.
We also
visited the Duomo itself, a truly spectacular cathedral in white and black
marble, with marble floors in various colours divided in various fields (I
think it were 56 fields or so) depicting sacred scenes from the Testament. These
fields are usually covered to protect the colours, except in September, when
they can be admired in their full glory.
We were lucky! Furthermore lots of beautiful frescoes and a breathtaking
ceiling.
Lunch was
at a typical Senese osteria, Osteria Il Tamburino (non smoking!) with la mamma
in the kitchen and papa serving the guests. We had just a pasta dish with a
glass of wine.
We spent
the rest of the day strolling around the city, going up and down and climbing
many stairs.
On our way
back 'home' we made a small detour to Sovicille of which I had read on Fodor's
but it must have been the wrong Sovicille 'cause in the one we were, there was
nothing to see.
We wanted
to have dinner somewhere in Colle di Val d'Elsa, a town close to Monteriggioni
which was my brother-in-law's favourite Tuscan town. When we came there we saw
a fairly empty parking lot (at this time of the day?) and an absolutely dead
city. We walked around for an hour without finding the historical centre with
the restaurant. It was getting late, so back to Monteriggioni where we found a
table in the garden of Il Piccolo Castello. I'm not going to recommend this
restaurant because it was expensive and the food was not great at all. The
service was really bad.
The next
day we drove to Volterra where we visited the Roman Theatre (tourist trap, you
cannot go on the site and you even get a better view at the city walls) and the
very nice Palazzo Viti. Beautiful Tuscan furniture and a good picture of how
the rich and famous used to live. Had pizza for lunch at La Grotta and spent
another few hours walking and sitting in the sun.
Then drove
back to Abbadia a Isola to make reservations for our dinner later that night at
La Leggenda dei Frati. We had told Rossella about our intention of having
dinner there and found out that it was her boyfriend who runs/owns (?) the
restaurant.
We walked
around in the tiny village and tried to get the key of the San Salvatore church
(must have some nice frescoes) but the woman who keeps it didn't seem to be
home.
Dinner was
great and was in fact the only real good meal during our stay (Perucà was good
as well, but more frugal). Tuscan cuisine is frugal for obvious reasons. They
don't have much else than grapes and olives growing there (and good pomodori).
No grassland for good quality of meat and dairy products, no sea nearby for a
big variety of fish. And the preparations are totally different from what we're
used to eat at home. We use rather much cream and more ingredients together
whereas their cooking is pure and more honest, if you understand what I
mean.
La Leggenda
dei Frati was definitely not the typical frugal Tuscan cuisine but rather haute
cuisine in my opinion and their service was with a big S. We were lead to our
table on the covered patio and were offered a glass of prosecco and an 'amuse
gueule': a piece of toast with truffle mousse. They have fixed prices for all
courses: € 10,00 for antipasti, € 13,50 for primi, € 15,50 for secondi and €
7,00 for dolci. Their wine list is huge and prices vary from € 30,00 for the
cheapest Chianti upto € 250,00 for Brunello. We did not order the Brunello.;)
Both Maurice and I had pasta stuffed with fish in a sauce of white beans. Maurice
had a beef preparation afterwards and I had fried sole filets with mashed
zucchini. Very tasty. We never order more than 2 courses 'cause we cannot
handle so much food. Maurice did order some dessert this time though! The bill
was on the high side but it was our 26th anniversary after all.
Thanks,
Diane, for recommending us this restaurant.
Lucca was
on our program for the next day. I think the drive was about 2 hours. On our
way to Lucca - which went through Pisa - we decided to stop if we could find
parking close to the centre. And we did! In Pisa all the ways lead to the
Piazza dei Miracoli and I must say, we were not at all disappointed. The view
of the Battistero, the Duomo, the Torre, all in just one look. Marvellous. And
that tower really leans! We stayed there only for a short while and took some
pictures on the Piazza, our aim for the day was Lucca after all.
When in
Lucca, we parked the car on a big parking lot on Via Carducci. It was a
park+ride parking (to be paid) where a bus runs to the city every 10 minutes
(ride is abt. 10 min. as well). We were dropped off at Piazza Napoleone where
we had a light lunch. Piazza Napoleone is a beautiful big square surrounded by
trees. We had not seen any trees within the city walls so far in the other
towns, so this was really striking and gave a very airy feeling, despite the
oppressive heat.
Lucca was
another beautiful city with a totally different character than Siena, San Gim,
etc. Not the small alleys up and downhill but streets that must have been real
avenues in earlier days with beautiful big houses and palazzi. And some great
shops, especially shoes. Too bad the saldi were still going on and the new
collection was not yet displayed. We visited San Martino Cathedral with its
richly decorated façade, San Michele church and climbed the 250 stairs of the
Torre del Guinigi for a beautiful view over the roofs of Lucca. Piazza del
Mercato was our favourite spot in Lucca with its cheerfully coloured houses.
We went for
cappuccino and pastry at the lovely Antico Caffè da Simo, who pretend they were
the favourite caffè of Puccini. It was the only place where they still had an
old-style Italian WC (I took a picture, it's available for anyone who feels the
need to see it but it's not on Webshots). We were really sorry we had no time
to visit the villas & gardens outside the city. Will be for next time …
After a
tiring day, mainly due to the heat, we drove back to San Gim for our second
dinner at La Perucà.
We wanted a
quiet day for a change and thought of driving in the countryside, further south
in the direction of Pienza. Oh God, how I loved those views of the Tuscan
landscape.
Wherever
you drive, the scenery is very different. In Central Tuscany, where we were,
the majority of 'green' is vineyards, vineyards and more vineyards. Grapes had
ripened already and seemed ready to be picked. This will however only take
place in October. Western Tuscany (Pisa, Lucca) is totally different with other
shades of green, from olive trees, vineyards and other foliage. Southern
Tuscany was special, very special. On the road from Siena to Pienza (the Crete
Senese) all you see (in this season at least) is soil. Soil in many many
different colours, from almost white over yellowish to brown. From time to time
this landscape is 'interrupted' by a solitary fattoria or azienda agricola
surrounded by a few cypresses. Magnificent. I made at least 40 pics of this
area only. Loved it.
Pienza …
Pienza is small and intimate, Pienza is cosy and romantic, Pienza gave me a
very warm feeling. I think I lost my heart in Pienza.
Lunch was
in Sette di Vino, a winebar on Piazza di Spagna, where we - at long last -
ordered a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino. Wow, what a great wine! Definitely
our favourite Italian. The chef's suggestion for the day was grilled Pecorino
cheese with bacon which we enjoyed after bruschetti and crostini. They didn't
serve coffee, so we walked away a very little bit dizzy of too much wine. All
we did was walk around in the pretty town, on the Via della Fortuna and the Via
dell' Amore (see how romantic this city is) to the city walls. Great views from
there on the surrounding area.
Popped in
into the Duomo and were surprised to see how light it was inside, compared to
the other churches we had visited. This was thanks to Pope Pius II who wanted
this church to be a "domus vitrea" (house of glass).
On our way
back to Monteriggioni we stopped in Montalcino that looked a bit dead after
cheerful Pienza. Bought some wine and olive oil to take back home and stopped
in Siena for dinner.
The next
morning after breakfast we said "arrivederci" to Rossella and started
our long journey through 5 countries back to Belgium. Traffic jams all over
Italy and southern Switzerland. Due to the dense traffic we were not allowed to
drive through the San Gottardo tunnel but had to take the Pass instead (alt.
2108 m), which we didn't regret at all. Such
beautiful scenery, with blue skies and a big sun at the southern side of
the Alps. It was 23° when we started the climb and the temperature dropped back
to 10° on the top of the mountain. Chilly when you have to drive with the
window open to try to take some pictures …
As you
know, we safely arrived home after a 17 hour journey.
- THE END
-
When I
re-read the whole report it seems as if we've been away a whole month instead
of just a week!!
Special
note for JOdy's David: driving in Tuscany is a piece of cake! You don't have to
drive in any city for the simple reason that you cannot enter the cities with a
car unless you have a special permission. All the parking lots are outside the
city walls and easy to find. The roads between the villages were a little
winding but mostly quiet. The freeways connecting the bigger cities were easy
to drive and we really did not see too many crazy Italians on the road. It's
not Napoli!!
What you
need is a good co-pilot to look for the roadsigns. In our case I was the co-pilot
who gave the good directions but my pilot has never been good at right/left, so
from time to time we used some bad language and had to return …
