After landing in Rome, we made our way deep into the heart of Tuscany to Agriturismo Banditella. La Banditella was an Italian version of a cottage set on a working vineyard and olive oil farm. To be considered an agriturismo, the family must make more in farm revenue than hospitality revenue, a unique experience I learned about while staying in Switzerland. We settled into our cottage, Il Roseto, and familiarized ourselves with the family that owned Banditella. The head of the house and chef extraordinaire, Paolo, immediately stole our hearts with his smile, warm greeting, and genuine hospitality.
Our first full day began in the nearest town (more like a village) of Cinigiano (pronounced chin-e-gee-on-o) at the local market. The town was bustling was little, old Italian women demanding which bunch of carrots they wanted while all the men sat watching and smoking their cigars. We joined in, selected some porketta, a baguette and a milder tasting fromage (cheese) for a fresh, farmers market lunch.
After a delicious, rustic lunch, we made our way through the winding roads and switchbacks up to Monte Amiata, the largest lava dome in Southern Tuscany. We continued on in search of one of the many hot springs sprinkled through the area. Our noses, filled with a strong sulphur scent indicated we had arrived, but it took the guidance of some local teens to get us directly to Saturnia. The mineral pools, with their warm, pounding water and steam, made me feel as if I were receiving a sophisticated spa treatment.
In the next couple of days, we familiarized ourselves with the area and put many kilometers on our Fiat 500. We ventured to the sea, driving through the Maremma nature preserve and up the coast. We also visited a local farm, Vegni e Medaglino, a producer of wine and olive oil. We were treated to a personalized tour and tasting session with each of their wines, grape jelly, and olive oil. After taking a "Vines and Wines" course at the U of M, I appreciated the opportunity to interact and have an intelligent conversation with an authentic Italian wine producer. Following our tasting and a bit of a walk around Castel Porrona, we settled on a lazy afternoon by the pool.
We continued our tour of Tuscany and it's hillside villages with a day trip to Siena. As we found ourselves suddenly upon the Piazza il Campo, I was in awe. I had to take a minute to gather my thoughts and appreciate the stunning architecture, rich history and vastness. We grabbed a bite to eat on the piazza before heading up into one of the 17 different contrade (city wards all stemming off the piazza, each with it's own symbol). We mosied through shops, stood in wonder at that Romanesque-Gothic Duomo, and found ourselves ending the afternoon with a gelato back at piazza looking out towards the Palazzo Pubblico.
Firenze, or Florence, was next up on the agenda. We'd planned ahead and this was day one of a split two day excursion. It was a rather quick drive with limited curvy roads and mostly freeways. We parked the Fiat 500 on the outskirts of town and rode the bus into the heart of Firenze. The first sight as we stepped off the bus was the Ponte Vecchio, an inconic sight on the Arno River. We walked along the river into the city center, taking a stop at the Galleria Uffizi to purchase reserved tickets for tours on our next visit, I'd recommend this to anyone planning a visit as it saved us a ton of time and we avoided long queues.
We wandered through the streets coming across Plaza Vecchio (original site of "the David"), Piazza del Republic and finally reached the Duomo and Baptistery. Both structures were astonishing works of art and architecture with their intricate carvings, marble facade, gold plated doors and the stunning dome on the cathedral. Dad climbed the top of the clock tower for some stunning aerial views of the city, while mom and I grabbed lunch. We continued on to cross the Ponte Vecchio, stopping to admire each of the gold and silver shops that line the bridge, on our way to Pitti Palace, home to the 16th century dukes of Tuscany and Florence, the Medici family. Behind the palace sat the Boboli Gardens, a collection of formal Italian gardens and sculptures. We wandered through the maze of hedges and soaked up the sun until the gardens closed and we realized our first day in Florence was nearing an end, so back to Banditella for a late night meal.
Rome, which was not built in a day was also tough to squeeze into one day, but we tried. It was an early morning train ride into the city, and the slightly unreliable transit system already caused us to be delayed, but we managed to make our way to the Vatican before the line grew too long. We toured the Vatican Museum seeing wonders from across the world (my favorite, the Hall of Maps), stood in silent awe and wonder at Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, and watched as St. Peter's Basilica was prepped for an address by Pope (Papa as the Italians referred to him) Francis.
We then wandered the Via Contraddi, a line of high end shops, each with a well-dressed tall, dark and handsome Italian man standing ready to greet you, on our way to the Spanish Steps. We spent a few minutes on the steps sampling some roasted chestnuts (a delicacy the Italians work hard to pick before the wild boars snag them in the fall) and people watching while allowing our feet a quick rest. A few minutes later, we pulled the map out and guided ourselves in the direction of Trevi Fountain, something I've longed to see since seeing photos from my sister's first trip to Rome. I posed for photos and also tossed a coin over my shoulder, as all tourists do. I only threw one, which legend claims is a hope for coming back to Rome, while two is the hope to find love. At that time, I had one thing on my mind, going back to Italy. I guess I lucked out though, because I found someone who loves to travel just as much as I do!
As if we hadn't crammed enough of Rome in yet, we continued on towards the Colosseum. Yet again, another fascinating and impressive exhibit of Roman architecture. Due to time constraints and still hoping to walk the via Appia, we opted to skip the inside, however, that just gives me all the more reason to go back! The via Appia, or Appian Way, was the earliest and most strategic of Roman roads (also where the phrase "all roads lead to Rome" stemmed from), and is notably said to have been the location of where Jesus appeared to St. Peter. Of course, as the one thing that dad wanted to see most, the dwindling sunlight and confusing directions prevented us from landing on the exact spot. As consolation, we did find some of the orginial stones outside the colosseum. Finally, after some major travel delays (again as a result of the poor transit system in Rome) and being gone for nearly 24 hours, we were back at a Banditella and spent the next day sleeping.
Back at Banditella, we were nearing the end of our two weeks, and Paolo had a farewell meal planned for us. As I mentioned earlier, hospitality is top rate and this is a custom for all guests. Paolo, a renowned chef, loved to cook but loved to share his cooking even more. I wished we would have been able to take a cooking class with him, but maybe next time! Our meal began with a special labelled Banditella red wine and a platter of antipasto (assortment of pickled vegetables), salami, prosciutto and bread. Next was homemade pizza, we sampled both mozzarella as well as sausage and broccoli rabe, both delizioso of course! We paused for a mid-meal shot of grappa, the leftover skins from winemaking fermented into alcohol, with some other guests at the table. We continued on with a small salad dressed in a white wine vinaigrette accompanied by a grilled pork sausage. And last, definitely not least, our dessert was a cream puff drowning in a sea of rich chocolate sauce complete with an after dinner cup of espresso. And not to forget, the limoncello, homemade with lemons from Capri, was passed around two or three times at least!
Our final days were drawing near and we had one last excursion to Florence plus a trip to the sea on the agenda. We had pre-purchased our tickets for both the Uffizi and Accademia galleries, so thankfully we didn't waste any time in queue. Both galleries were wonderful, I'm glad I've seen them, however, I grew tired of seeing the same scene depicted in different ways over and over. I've definitely had my fair share of "Madonna and Baby Jesus" portraits, and I much prefer depictions on landscapes, like those of Monet and Renoir that I was delighted to at Musee d'Orsay in Paris. However, I could not take my eyes of Micheangelo's famed piece, "David." Standing 17 feet in the air, his timid eyes and rock hard abs had me continually wandering back for another look. Another noteworthy place to mention from our final day in Florence was Cafe Nerbone in the Market Centrale. I highly recommend the porchetta sandwich to anyone who may find themselves in Firenze for the day. Delizioso!
Hopefully I haven't lost your attention just yet, because our last day was my favorite. We hopped in the Fiat 500 for one last exploration, this time selecting the Tyrrhenian Sea as our destination. We arrived in the coastal town of Porto San Stefano, which to our surprise was quite empty, tourist season had not yet begun. We seated ourselves at a little cafe with a seaside view, and shared a couple of pasta and fish dishes. After lunch, we meandered through the quiet town and snapped ample photos of the sea. However, no photo could truly capture it's beauty, like a box of azul crayons spilled out, exhibiting its turquoise, seafoam and cobalt hues in the water. After a quick stop for gelato, we opted for a dip into the sea. It was surprisingly warm, as we bobbed up and down, allowing the surf to toss us around.
We spent our last evening back in Rome at a hotel right on the sea and prepped for our trip home. I'm so thankful I was able to have this experience and I'm excited that I am able to share it, one year later, with you. And by the way, I already have a new list of things to see when I return!
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