A day in Tuscany

When we went to Italy we knew we had to go on a wine tour. One of our favorite movies is Under the Tuscan Sun, and we just knew we were going to recreate it, buy a villa, and live happily ever after in Tuscany.  :-)  OK....maybe not, but it was still a must-do. I never knew Tuscany was a region in Italy. I always thought it was a city of its own, but it is actually 9000 square miles of history, landscapes, and the best smelling earth I've ever smelled.  The capital of the Tuscany region is Florence and that was our home base for our trip.

We chose to go on the Chianti Classico Wine tour with Florencetown Tours. With most tours, especially wine tours, it's always nice to have someone else do the driving! We met at the tour office, and we hopped onto a mini-bus with ten of our new friends for our day in the countryside. The scenery was breath-taking -- rolling hills, villas, Italian cypress tress, rows of grapes and olive trees. Our first stop was the Principe Corsini winery.

We toured the cellar and our guide took us "on the land" to see the grapes. Another fact I didn't know, is that what makes the different types of wines is the length of time the grapes age. The longer and more complex the process, the higher quality of wine.

 

 

We ended this visit with an appetizer of cheese, bread, honey, and three different tastes of their wonderful wine. 

 

Heading on to our next stop, we drove through the beautiful countryside. We drove about 25 minutes to the town of Montespertoli. It's a very small town surrounded by vineyards, olive groves, old villas, and castles! 

 

At our next stop, our guide wanted to show us a "quick thing" and he took us to this building and up the stairs to this loft that was used for various things for producing wine. (Not sure we were supposed to be up there or not!). He opened a side door that led to a porch where the views were incredible! On one side you had the rolling hills and vineyards; and on the other, a view of the little town -- the picture you have in mind when you envision Italy.

Our last top was at Castello Sonnino. It's a historic wine estate that overlooks the Chianti Hills. They are one of the leading producers of Chianti Montespertoli D.O.C.G. and the highest quality of olive oil. Lucky for us -- this stop was for another tasting and a light meal! We went down to the dining area, the table was set and the doors were open and the breeze and smells and view was perfection.This picture below is looking into where we dined and had a marvelous time!

 We started with bruschetta and meats, and cheeses, and peppers & onions and a few types of wine.

After the antipasti, we had a pasta course -- simple penne with tomatoes. So FRESH.

 

Full and happy we left our Italian countryside and headed back into Florence. It was a wonderful day and a great way to experience the wine country and taste and sip some of the finest wines in the world. Definitely check out Florencetown tours to experience the best of the Tuscany region!

Ciao and Arrivederci till next time!