Tuscany, Part 1

We started off our Tuscan trip by picking up a rental car. Luckily they drive on the right side of the road, but it’s still a tricky feat to accomplish, especially in the bigger cities. Within five minutes of having the car, I came to a three way intersections of major roads without any discernable lanes or markings. I somehow ended up in the wrong spot/lane and had angry drivers honking at me as I tried to correct my mistake. This was the first thing that “gave me away” as an American driver. The other was the fact that I actually use my turn signal; they should just stop including them in European cars, because their used about as often as the AM radio stations.

Once we got a hang of the Auto Strata’s, we made great time, probably since spped limits are just feable suggestions.

Our first night we stayed in Montalcino, the village famous for Brunello wine. We did a tasting at a dungeon wine bar, below the city’s ancient fort. We made it out just in time to catch a glimpse of a magnificent sunset. Our room had a beautiful view of the valley below, especially in the morning when it was covered with fog. It was a great way to start the Tuscany experience.

Over the next few days, we travelled to Pienza, Montepulciano and Cortona, staying overnight in the latter two. Most of the towns were similar in the fact that they sat atop hills, were surrounded by massive walls and had narrow stone streets with breathtaking views.

In Pienza, we were able to taste their famous Peccorino cheese which was both pungent and fantastic. We went through the small vendors and Megan was able to see her first actual truffle.
In Cortona, where the movie Under the Tuscan Sun was filmed, we were able to have a wonderful meal at a small restaurant, but didn’t do much exploring due to the inclement weather. Luckily, we were staying at a nice hotel, so a little down time was OK with us. We hit the ground running the next day with a trip to Montepulciano where we stayed at the same hotel that the cast of Twilight stayed while filming the scenes that were supposed to have taken place in Volterra…..just a little movie trivia for you!

As wonderful as the villages were, our favorite parts were simply driving around the countryside and stopping at wineries. It’s spectacular to see the multi-colored trees, yellow vines, and green hillsides, all meshing into a picturesque scene that is without a doubt one of the most gorgeous places on the entire planet.

From all the wineries we’ve stopped at, two really standout.

The first is Ciacci Piccolomini d’ Aragona. We had just left the Bonfi Winery and were heading toward Cortona, when Megan decided that we should take a shortcut across the map, and possibly find some other places to stop. When we finally found the turn-off, it was nothing more than a tiny dirt road. Since it had stopped raining and the sign was pointing that way, we decided to be adventurous. After about 30 minutes, in which we only saw one other car who coincidentally looked just as surprised to see us as we were to see him, I was starting to get a bit concerned. Luckily we came across a place that had its gates open, so we decided to stop and ask for directions. As it turned out, it was indeed a winery that had free tastings.

We were greeted by Angela, who was extremely friendly (probably because she seldom had any visitors way out here) and her English was great. We chatted about wine, the United States, hiking, etc….as we sampled some terrific wine from the estate. She went on to explain that the estate used to be owned by a Countess before it was passed down to her heir, and then turned into a winery. In the Countesses time, she grew many crops, olive trees and even voulves. I wasn’t quite sure what voulves were, but I didn’t want to sound ignorant, so I simply replied, “that’s fascinating.” To which she followed up with, “and we still have over forty voulves today.”

The topic quickly turned back to the Countess and the wine, and I had almost forgotten about the voulves until we were pulling away and I noticed something to my left. I quickly stopped the car and stared in astonishment as I realized what voulves were……Wolves!
A Countess who raised wolves in the in the early 1900’s, living in a castle in the middle of nowhere…..sounds like a M. Night Shyamalan movie!

The other winery that was exceptional was Villa St. Anna. Megan had looked it up on-line and emailed to see if we could have a tour and tasting. We weren’t sure what to expect when we arrived, but we quickly realized that we were in for a true treat. The owner was a fourth generation lady (actually all of them were females) who has been running the estate. Her daughter was active in the management, and her granddaughter (who was probably only seven) was sure to follow in their footsteps as well. We were taken on an hour long tour of the grounds during which we learned all about the process from harvest to distribution. We even got to see a bottle from the first ever harvest of the estate. It was surreal to hear the history of a family run business that is older than our country. When she spoke of her wine, the passion and love was undeniable. Finally, it was time to taste her creation….and the devotion definitely came through.

She opened four bottles and sat down with three glasses; two for us and one for her. Over the next hour, we all sampled the wine as she explained the complexities of each type, and even gave us cheese and meats that brought out certain flavors. When she spoke, it was with the assurance and ardor that comes from a life spent perfecting an art form. She was without a doubt the most knowledgeable person on the subject of wine that I’ve ever met.

Until you experience it for yourself, you simply can’t fully understand the allure of Tuscany. We are eager to explore the rest of it……