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!

Venice - Dining and Shopping

If you ever get to visit Venice, I think you'll agree that an entire post devoted to food and shopping is appropriate. I can't remember where I read this, but I'm passing it on to you... Don't worry about a single calorie while you're visiting Italy. You will walk it off and then some, so take advantage of every pizza and gelato and wine tasting that you can!

Hotel Courtyard

We were lucky to start most of our days with a complimentary breakfast at our hotel. Most of the time, the spread was breads, butters, jams and coffee. In a couple of places we lucked into eggs and prosciutto, too. Usually there were some fruits and pastries thrown in, and that was plenty to fuel our morning adventures. Even if you don't stay in a place that offers a morning snack,

Double SisAdventures - Helen, GA

Earlier this year, we had the chance to take a weekend trip to Helen, Georgia with our aunts - Linda (aka "Linki") and Joyce. Since it was only 4-5 hours from our starting point in North Alabama, it was the perfect distance for a little getaway and adventure! Of course we had to come up with a relevant hashtag, so since we had two sets of sisters, we went with two hashtags: #doublesis #sisadventures for the weekend!

And... we're off!

We headed east through the hills of North Georgia, where we passed through McCaysville and caught a glimpse of the Pearly Gates...

My My My Verona - Day Two

*NOTE: this is a throwback-post! Originally posted on my "wordpress" blog and now it's been transplanted to it's rightful place here on #sisadventures - hope you enjoy!*

We were very happy to see the sun as we started our second day in Verona. We headed back to the Piazza Bra – the heart of the Old City – and quickly realized that we would be competing with a number of other tourists at the main attractions. Luckily, since we’d spent the previous evening scoping out the city, we knew our map pretty well and were able to take a few alternate streets to get to one of the most popular places in the city – Casa di Giulieta – The house of Juliet.

Every day, all day long, tourists come and go to Verona to see the places of legend made famous by good old William Shakespeare. You can take a guided “Romeo and Juliet” tour, or you can grab a map from your hotel or gift shop and follow the signs posted all over the old city to find your way to that famous balcony.

Before pushing our way to the middle of the courtyard, we went in one of the shops next door. As it turned out, the shop had a 2nd floor, and we were able to look over into the courtyard and take this picture. So – you’re looking at a courtyard, a balcony, a gate full of padlocks (people purchase locks at the nearby shop and click their locks on the gate to symbolize their everlasting love), and a statue of Juliet. If you look closely, you’ll see that the tourist posing with the statue is grabbing Juliet’s right breast. It’s one of those traditions that everyone – young and old – male and female – do for luck. Pretty funny, and if you look at a picture of the statue sans tourists, you can see that, after being embraced by millions of strangers, her right breast is now super shiny.

When we finally made our way into the courtyard to catch a closer glimpse of the balcony, we noticed a bit of commotion… a hush fell over the crowd, and 2 figures appeared on the balcony. We quickly realized it was a German teacher and her student – and the rest of her class was in the courtyard with us. As we watched, they performed the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet.  It was sweet and hilarious, because even though we couldn’t understand what they were saying, we were able to follow along with the famous lines… “Oh Romeo, Romeo, warum bist du Romeo?”

You may be wondering if all this can really be the REAL home of Juliet and Romeo… I know I was. Even though Shakespeare definitely set his famous love story in Verona, according to Rick Steves, Italian guide-book guru, most of these “landmarks” were created in the 1970’s to attract tourists. Still, it made for a fun afternoon, and we had a lot of fun exploring and seeing all of the Shakespearean souvenirs.

Finally, it was time for the main event… OUR main reason for coming to Verona… The OPERA! Neither of us had ever been to an opera, so we were very excited and not really sure what to expect. The show started at 8 pm, but we were sitting in the General Admission seats, so we were there when the gates opened at 6:30.

Did I mention that the opera series is held in the outdoor Ancient Roman Arena? As we walked through the tunnels, I got chills thinking about the number of people who’d passed through those walkways and stones.

As we waited for the show to start, the sunset put on a grand “first act.”  In these pictures, you can see the different levels of seating: General Admission (where we were), were seats directly on the marble/stone stairs at the top of the arena. You are allowed to bring cushions and stadium seats for those sections. In the lower sections of the sides of the arena, they’d installed theatre seating, and in the stadium level seating, they had regular chairs.

Finally, it was time for the show to start! We saw our first opera in Italy; it was “Carmen,” which is set in Spain, and it was performed in French.  We did buy a program that had the entire opera with English, German, Italian and French translations, so we were able to follow along.

The experience was once-in-a-lifetime stuff, y’all. At one point, there were over 300 performers on stage.  Each act was about 45 minutes long, and there was a 30 minute break between each of the FIVE ACTS so they could switch out the scenery….so you can do the math. The show started at 8, so the show went on until well after 1 AM! I was really surprised that so many people stayed until the end – but they did, and as we spilled out into the piazza from the Arena, most of them scattered to the cafes for one last gelato or cappuccino before calling it a night.

The Maddox girls decided to pass on the late-night activities since we had an early-morning train ride to Venice the next morning.  We grabbed one last nighttime photo of the Arena before heading back to the hotel to continue our adventures! Ciao, Verona!

My My My Verona - Day One

*NOTE: this is a throwback-post! Originally posted on my "wordpress" blog and now it's been transplanted to it's rightful place here on #sisadventures - hope you enjoy!*

“Fair Verona, where we lay our scene…”

Last summer, we added Verona into our Italian adventure solely for the purpose of seeing an opera. During the summer months, the town turns one of its central attractions – Arena di Verona – into a beautiful and dramatic setting for an Opera Festival like no other.

Even though our only “planned” activity was the opera, we were able to spend some time exploring the town… starting with the main square, Piazza Brà. The term brà comes from the German word “breit” (broad). It’s by far the largest square in the old part of Verona, and is everything you have ever imagined about an “Italian” scene…

The square is lined with cafes and benches, perfect for people watching or just soaking up your surroundings. This seemed like the perfect place to try my first (and only) espresso of the trip, and of course there were plenty of gelato stands around to satisfy our gelato cravings!

As we made our way through the square, we got our first glimpse of “the” Arena, where we’d be watching the opera the next night. Well… maybe glimpse is the wrong word… it would have been hard to miss.

Even though it was late in the day, after we picked up our tickets, we had plenty of time to walk around the city and get our bearings. Just walking down the streets, you can’t help but be exposed to art at every turn. Look closely at the exterior walls of this building… so beautiful!

We walked down to the Piazza delle Erbe, which houses a marketplace full of vendors that offer the usual Italian souvenirs – but also the most delicious fruit I’ve ever tasted… I was again reminded of Under the Tuscan Sun, because the strawberries “tasted red,” and the pineapples “tasted yellow.” Delicious.

This photo of Piazza delle Erbe is courtesy of TripAdvisor

It was getting late in the day, which made for a bit of an eerie feeling when we looked up at the edges of the buildings and saw these guys looking down on us…

We finally made it to the Ponte Pietra (Stone Bridge). Again, this is exactly what you picture when you think of an Italian café, no? The flower boxes and colorful buildings and eaves… all that’s missing is the accordion music, right?

Across the bridge, you can see some beautiful “creepy Italian trees” and the Teatro Romano, some of the ancient Roman ruins in Verona. Of course the Arena back in the main square is the most visible, but in recent years, with renovations of some of the “old” buildings, they have discovered some “older” remnants of Roman history buried beneath parts of the city.

By the time we’d walked all over “old town,” we were starting to get hungry. Unfortunately, we had not really researched places to eat. We quickly learned that if you want to eat “al fresco,” you need to plan ahead… because once the patios fill up, people are NOT MOVING. FOR HOURS.

One of the things we were most looking forward to in Italy was the food. And let me tell you, Italy DID NOT DISAPPOINT. We tried everything and loved (almost) everything. But we were not really ready for the dining “experience.” It starts from the minute you sit down… first comes the olive oil and bread, and your first decision: sparkling or still water? Either way, you’re buying it, so prepare yourself for that (and drink sparingly). In fact, in Italy, it is true that the wine is almost as cheap as the water!

Once the waiter brings your drinks, he will leave you be. And so begins your Italian dining experience. Since you are enjoying the beautiful scenery and the company of your wonderful friends, the wait staff will not interrupt… to take your order, to clear your plate, to give you a refill, to bring you the bill… until you flag them down and ask. This is definitely an adjustment from our American tendencies to do things as quickly and efficiently as possible, but it is ABSOLUTELY necessary to get into this mindset early on. If you don’t adapt, you’ll be stressed out for every meal. And who wants to be stressed out when you’re in a place like this?

Stay tuned for “day two” of our adventure in Verona!

The Tastes of Tuscany

Since Italy was not part of the original plan for my birthday trip, we had some major catching up to do, as far as research and mental preparation.  So of course, we did what I assume everyone else does when preparing to travel overseas - we had a movie marathon of romantic comedies set in Italy, including one of my favorites, "Under the Tuscan Sun."

In the movie, when Frances arrives in Italy, she helps one of her fellow Tuscan tourists write a postcard to his mom. As we traveled through Italy, I thought of her vivid description of the city and market: "the bells in the distance go din don, din don, and the grapes burst in my mouth - I can almost taste the purple."

When I stepped off the plane in Italy, the air was clean and crisp and soft.  Perfect weather, beautiful rolling hills - and we were still at the airport!  Our first Italian adventure was in the city of Florence.  We explored Florence for a couple of days, and then took a side trip about 45 minutes outside of the city - a tour of the Chianti Classico wine region of Tuscany.

We left the city and immediately started seeing the “creepy Italian trees” – another Under the Tuscan Sun reference – the Italian cypress trees.  We loved them – and I’m planning to do some research to see if the Alabama climate will support them. I think they’d be a great in-between-houses border for our backyard.

If we had done any real research (besides movie-watching) before our trip, we might have learned that Tuscany is a region in central Italy, and the city of Florence is the regional capital.  But thankfully,we had an excellent tour guide who shared lots of fabulous facts about the region and the wine-making process.  As we drove, he would stop the car at the best views, and we all passed our phones and cameras to him so he could hang out his window and snap photos.  Sometimes he would even pull off to the side of the road for the photo-stops.

We arrived at the first vineyard and our guide stopped to introduce us to the star of the Chianti region - the sangiovese grape.  Since it was June, the grapes were VERY VERY green. One of our fellow tourists asked if she could eat a grape, and our guide said, "yes, if you want to get very sick!"  Typical harvest time for the sangiovese is September - October, so they still had a lot of ripening to do!

The first winery we visited was housed in a 13th century fortress.  The picture below is the outer façade  through that archway you’ll find the tasting room, and this patio offers a pretty grand view (seen in the picture above).

Once we finished checking out the lay of the land, we headed inside to check out the behind-the-scenes action.  I know that wine-making is a very fickle process – but seeing it up close, there is really a lot of science that goes into every bottle.

 After the cellar tour, we headed out to the gardens to check out the scenery -

We’re planning to use this as a model for our backyard landscaping (haha).

And finally, it was time for us to taste the goods!  The wine was paired with different types of cheeses, and of course we had the staples – olive oil and bread.

We left one winery and headed to another – this one was in another 13th century villa in another village about 20 minutes away.  Before our dinner, we went up to the loft of the house to check out the amazing view – one side was the beautiful countryside and one side was the charming little town.

We headed inside for the grand finale – our Italian dinner.  First up, antipasto (which honestly, I could have eaten everything on this "appetizer" spread and called it good for the night.

Next up – pasta!

We ended with some dessert wine served with Biscotti.

A few more Italian trees as we headed back to the city....

And a parting photo with our tour guide - one of the best features of the tour!  We LOVED Tuscany, and if we get a chance to go back to Italy, this will definitely be a repeat on our list!