“A Tantalizing Tuscan Vacation.”
Tuscany brings tantalizing images of scenic endless hills in a bucolic countryside, an extensive cultural heritage, the aromas of Tuscan foods, and the taste of Tuscan wines. Known as the “Garden of Italy,” Tuscany is a region in the heart of Italy that embraces its fascinating landscape of rolling hills and unique coastlines. Visitors are draw to the charm of the region that has a wealth of historic treasures considered one-of-a-kind worldwide. The region is full of art cities, picturesque villages, walled towns, and historic treasures.
A visit to Tuscany sounds enchanting. On our European trip, it’s a full week in “Tantalizing Tuscany.” Renting a one bedroom apartment offers relaxing accommodations, a respite from hotel hopping, and the opportunity to leisurely explore Tuscany. Our Tuscan adventure begins on our drive from Siena to Poggibonsi, Italy. The GPS can’t locate the Villa. At the Coop grocery, a friendly Italian lady, calls the owner getting directions. It’s like an Italian movie scene. The lady is on her cell phone, speaking, and waving her hand as she talks. Arriving at the Villa, atop rolling hills, it is welcoming and quiet in early November. We settle into our cozy apartment and stroll around the area. Olives are being harvested and workers rake olives off the trees into nets. The week in Tuscany allows us to leisurely sightsee the area. It is a fun and easy excursions to villages of Tuscany.
San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town, known as the Town of Fine Towers. It is most famous for its medieval architecture and unique in the preservation of a dozen of its tower houses. Driving to San Gimignano, we spot the walled town with its hilltop setting and encircling walls. It is “an unforgettable skyline.” Inside the walled village there is a special bond on this quiet day. We begin with an excellent Tuscan lunch at Ristorante Bel Soggiorno. An upscale restaurant, the floor to ceiling windows showcase “million dollar” views of the Tuscan countryside. Their Vernaccia Di San Gimignano, a white wine produced from the ancient variety of Vernaccia grape, grown on the sandstone hillsides of the area is exceptional.
It’s a leisurely walk through the city with few tourist. The historic sites, the towers, the churches and the absolutely fantastic views from this famous walled city are thrilling. The first ring of walls of San Gimignano were built in 988, with a few arches and ancient gates remaining. In 1261 the town was raided by the Guelphs of Florence, who ordered the walls be destroyed. The current walls were rebuilt in 1261. Additions in the 14th century are the Fortress Montestaffoli, with turrets at the corners and links to the walls, and the five circular base-bastions. The “Historic Centre of San Gimignano” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Church of St. Augustine is an impressive 13th century building. Inside the main hall is dominated by a panels of Life of St Augustine around the high altar, painted by Benozzo Gozzoli in the 15th century. We spot a sign boasting, the “best gourmet place in the world.” Gelateria Dondolil’s world famous gelato is a treat on our visit to San Gimignano.
Volterra is one of the most important historical Tuscan towns. Its history dates prior to the 8th century BC with substantial structures from the Etruscan, Roman, and Medieval periods. The beautiful drive is along winding roads on low mountains as we approach this walled city. Magnificent! Atop a mountain, Volterra is an imposing fortress that rises 555 meters high and is totally unapproachable from every side without being sighted. On the walk to the gate are miles of enchanting panoramic views. Entering the city we admire the well-preserved walls of Volterra dating from the 3rd-2nd centuries BC and the Porta Diana gates.
It’s a tasty lunch at At Pizzeria Ombria Dell Sera. Richard orders a Calzone. It is HUGE! As usual in Tuscany, it is delicious food and wine.Our self-tour of amazing Volterra offers many sites. The main square, Piazza dei Priori, is true example of medieval Tuscan town squares. At the Basilica Cathedral of Volterra, consecrated by Pope Castillo May 1120, we admire the many magnificent paintings and artwork. Most impressive is the “Chapel of Deposition.” The most antique artwork of the Cathedral is wonderful wooden masterpiece depicting Jesus on the cross as Nicodemus takes Jesus down from the cross. At the sides are The Virgin Mary and Saint John. Beautiful and moving. The remains the Roman Theatre of Volterra, from the 1st century BC shows the impact that the Roman’s had the city. An exquisite, majestic and a wonderful Tuscan walled city.
On the return drive from Volterra, we notice a sign for wine tasting at Fattoria il Palagio. Visiting in November, most tasting rooms are closed. Following signs down several twist and turns, we arrive at the winery and tasting room. It’s a fun spontaneous stop. The samplings are excellent. We purchase a wonderful bottle of chardonnay to have with Richard’s leftover Calzone back at the Villa.
Certaldo is unique walled city that is divided into the lower part called Certaldo Basso and the medieval upper part is called Certaldo Alto. Since the upper city doesn’t permit vehicles, we will park in the lower city and take the vertical railway to Certaldo Alto. Despite “No Vehicles” allowed, the GPS sends us to the upper city. A local quickly directs us to a parking lot just outside the walls. Certaldo is the smallest and quietest of the walled cities we visit. On our visit the museums are closed and most shops are closed. Even so Certaldo has limited shops and restaurants. Only two restaurants are open. The lunch is fine but lacks the usual good food, warmth, and charm of Tuscan dining. We amble the city peeking into the various nooks and crannies, while taking in the beauty of the Tuscany landscape. Except for a few other straggling tourist, it is like the village is abandoned. Tourist seeking a quiet, non-touristy walled city may enjoy Certaldo.
Poggibonsi is a town in central Italy located on the Elsa River. For our week in Tuscany, Poggibonsi is the closest town, so we visit several times for shopping, getting groceries, and strolling the piazzas. The town has variety of restaurants making it fun on relaxing days to pop in for a tasty breakfast at a pastry shop, a delightful lunch at a Trattoria and relaxing evening dinners. Thinking we can just walk in for dinner, we quickly learn that restaurants do not open for dinner until after 7:30 PM and reservations are necessary. Between 5:00PM and 7:30PM, the piazzas are filled with families and friends visiting and enjoying being outside. One evening is the Chocolate Festival. Chocolate vendors fill the piazza as children and adults sample their many varieties of chocolate concoctions.
Our Tuscan dining in Poggibonsi is varied. One day it’s a special lunch at Trattoria Piazza di Giocon, cozy restaurant on a piazza. Seeking a light lunch, I order a Greek Salad. Living near Tarpon Springs, Florida that is known for its Greek Salad, the Italian Greek Salad is a surprise. It is beautiful fresh olives, ripe tomatoes, tangy feta cheese and crunchy cucumbers (no lettuce). Delicious! A wonderful restaurant in a cozy setting. At Ristorante Rosticceria Italia, we dine twice thrilled with its consistently terrific Tuscan food and wine. The Lasagna is superb! The staff are very friendly and helpful. One evening while waiting for the restaurants to open, we relax with a glass of wine and appetizers (included with the service fee) at the Symposium Wine Bar. The wine bar has a modern sleek décor, a major contrast to the surrounding centuries old buildings. Afterwards seeking a light dinner and without dinner reservations, luckily we get into Antica Osteria di Bazzino as it opens. Opting for just pizza, their crispy pizza is delicious. We are allowed a take-home, most unusual in Italy.
Tuscan Olives are the primary harvest in October and November. Each day at the Villa, we watch olives being harvested. Large nets are laid out on the ground underneath the trees, tall ladders are placed against the trees to reach the highest branches and a pair of pincers, plastic rakes or often just hands are used to get to ALL the olives. These fall down on the net below and then are gathered into sacks. From morning until dark, workers harvest olives. It’s a spontaneous decision to go to the il Classico del Chisnti, the oil-mill in Barberino Tavarnelle. At the oil-mill, we get a personal tour of the process of making olive oil. A simple process of the olives being ground, pressed and the finale of the transformation into extra virgin olive oil (EVVO). Extra virgin olive oil is a base ingredient in Tuscan and Italian cuisines. We leave with our own bottle of the purest (absolutely no preservatives) Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Our week in Tuscany definitely lives up to a Tantalizing Tuscan Vacation. The Villa is excellent allowing us to leisurely explore the Chianti area of Tuscany. With its rich and long history there is a lot to see and do. Our short excursions allow for seeing the sights and still having time for a respite on this multi-week adventure. From majestic fortresses of walled cities to the excitement of Tuscan dining it is a fantastic vacation.
Note: Check out other articles on Tuscany and Italy on Rome, Florence, Venice and Siena. Plus “Despite Careful Planning, the Unexpected Happens” and “Vacation Rentals Tales & Tips.
If you go:
I MELOGRANI DEL CHIANTI, Località Talciona, 4,53036, Poggibonsi,Siena – Italia,
Property# 416586, Unit: Scrittoio
We rented #2 Scrittoio for a week, a one bedroom apartment at the Villa. The apartment is very cozy with a comfy open floor plan of combined living room, kitchen and dining. It has a good size bedroom and a spacious bathroom. A phone booth style shower is fine, and typical in Europe. Being on the second floor we consistently have good internet service inside. The loft came in handy for hanging clothes to dry. The Villa has a washer but no dryer. It is nicely landscaped and has a beautiful pool and patio. Multiple buildings make up the Villa with charming options of apartments. Especially enchanting is the scenic miles of views of Tuscan landscape. It is fun to watch them harvest olives in the surrounding orchards. They even harvest the olive trees around swimming pool – with the nets in the pool to catch the olives. The owner is consistently helpful and accommodating. Since our week visit is November for most of time we are the only ones on property. The Villa is a convenient location for visiting the walled cities in this area of Tuscany. It is close to the local town, Boggibonsi that has plazas that wind through town, good shops, and restaurants. A beautiful and magical setting for a tantalizing Tuscan getaway! A highlight of our 4 weeks in Italy!
Follow our road trip and adventures as we travel to through Italy from Rome to Florence to Tuscany to Siena to Venice.
Travel Tips
• Visiting in the Italy in the Fall eliminates the crowds. The only negative we had with our early November stay was in Certaldo –which was basically closed. The weather was very comfortable in the daytime with plenty of consistently clear blue sky sunshine days. Evenings were cooler but easily managed with a jacket. It was never a freezing cold.
• When planning a trip to Italy, we highly recommend a week in a Villa in Tuscany. Choose your preference from seaside towns to country Villas. We picked this area for its closeness to Siena and Florence, as well as, availability for accommodations in the fall. Some places especially connected with wineries are closed then. Plus it is nice to be in one place for a week on an extended vacation.
• GPS – we uploaded the latest maps for the area/country we are visiting into our Garmin. This assures it is updated and there isn’t the extra cost of renting it with the GPS with a car. Just be prepared, GPS can be literal such as when it took us into the “no traffic” area of Certaldo. Plus it could never locate the Villa with the address we had.
• Be sure to do research before driving to towns and especially walled-cities. There are parking restrictions on many. Most will give recommended parking areas. Note on our day trip to Siena we parked in the recommended area and the car was still towed. Having to pay fines and hefty towing fee.
• Driving in Tuscany is fairly easy. For this rental car we opted for a stick shift, with a lower rate. For Europe, if you are comfortable with a stick shift, it will save some money.
• Train travel was good for us in Italy. On this trip we took the train from Florence to Siena, where we picked up the rental car. Once we return the rental car in Siena it is easy to board the train to Venice, Ita