Europe 2007 - Tuscany

Day 15 (cont): Arrive in Tuscany

We loaded back on our bus just outside Venice and headed off to Tuscany. Our first stop was a little town called San Gimignano which quite possibly is the funnest town name you could ever say. Personally I couldn't stop saying it...over & over. It's pronounced "san ji-ming-an-o" although I said it many different ways! We enjoyed a great lunch and spent a few hours strolling around this beautiful Tuscan town.

Our favorite meal from the whole trip actually occurred here when we stopped at a little deli type shop called La Grotta Ghiotta. The place only had 3 tables, one waitress, and one cook in the back. The waitress didn't speak any English at all, but was very pleasant. We both got gnocchi and a glass of the house red. The gnocchi was absolutely delicious, in fact best I've had anywhere. The wine was so good we bought a bottle. The whole experience was just perfect.

After leaving San Gimignano we headed off to Regello which is about 40 minutes SE of Florence. We stayed at the charming Villa Il Crocicchio which is a restored farm surrounded by olive grovers and vineyards. It was everything you'd expect while staying in the Tuscan countryside. The villa itself was beautiful, the rooms were huge, and the staff so friendly. Colleen asked us all to buy a bottle of wine in San Gimignano and she got some local cheeses and pesto and we had ourselves a wine tasting party. We emptied 15+ bottles of wine so that made for fun picture time. We had a great time with the group!

Day 16: Wake up in Tuscany

After an enjoyable wine tasting and dinner the previous night we headed off for the short ride to Florence early in the morning. The first stop was the Accademia Gallery, home of the most famous statue in the history of art, Michelangelo's David. After that we met up with a local tour guide named Ricardo and began to explore the city making a lengthy stop at the Duomo before touring the Uffizi Gallery. After the Uffizi we had time to explore on our own so we got a quick bite to eat at a sandwich shop and then headed off to the famous Ponte Vercchio bridge.

We then decided to get our exercise in by climbing to the top of Duomo which is 463 steps! As much work as it was it was well worth it as we were rewarded with magnificent views of the city of the surrounding hills of Tuscany! The views of the inside of the Duomo were also view interesting, especially the graphic detail of The Last Judgement under the dome.

After the great climb of '07 was over we eased up and checked out a huge street market called the San Lorenzo Market. There was a little bit of everything here, but without a doubt the specialty was leather. While Shan almost got a leather purse after a good bit of haggling, fellow tour members Dennis & Jean did take advantage by purchasing leather coats. We also ran into Colleen who was busy using her free time to shop yet again. I gave her some grief about how her "world" shopping is why she still does tours!

We finally left Florence and headed back to our villa. Some group members joined us out by the pool to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and more wine. Big ups to Jean who masterfully scored us some free snacks to munch on. After finishing our wine & snacks amid wonderful company we headed in for another great dinner at the on site restaurant.

Day 17: Wake up in Tuscany

We woke up early and packed the bus for our 3 hour journey to Rome. However before leaving we strolled the beautiful grounds one last time and took a few pics. Colleen also organized a group picture and a goodbye to Ronnie since he'll be dropping us off for good in Rome. After all this we loaded up for our 3 hour bus ride to Rome with the owner Sania waving us off. It was with some sadness as I genuinely love my time here at the villa and can only hope to return to sometime.