THAT TRAVEL GUIDE: Tuscany, Italy
CHEESE, PRAY, LOVE
Tuscany, Italy
Tuscany was quite the place. Rolling hills, sunflower fields, medieval castles, sprawling vineyards, family-owned cheese shops, the list goes on! The only downside, we were there for two short days. I would love to go back for a longer period of time, there’s just so mush to explore! Tuscany is a very large region in Italy. It covers a wide area of central Italy, from the beautiful city of Florence, to the towns you might know for wine like Montepulciano and Chianti. It takes about 3-4 hours to drive north to south, so it’s nice to have a plan of what towns to visit. Here’s what we did in our time there!
DAY 1
We drove up to Siena from Rome, which was just short of a three hour drive. We decided to leave early and make a few stops along the way to our hotel. First was Bagni San Filippo, a natural hot spring set just a short walk down from the nearby road. The springs were a bit crowded (we ended up going around 1pm on a Tuesday) but if you get there early you might have them all to yourselves! There is paid street parking next to the path, as well as a restaurant across the street if you need to change in the bathroom or buy water and food. The hike down to the springs is a bit steep, but I wouldn’t say it’s difficult. I read that in the spring / fall the path could get a bit muddy, but it was dry when we arrived in late June. The springs are incredible - glacier blue and warm like a bath. It was super relaxing to enjoy!
After a little soak, we dried off and drove towards Montepulciano where we had the most wonderful cheesy picnic at Caseificio Cugusi Silvana. This cheese shop sells picnic baskets that you can fill with their variety of homemade sheep’s milk cheese, as well as homemade jams and local meats. They provide you with the cutting board, knife, picnic blanket and sell beer and wine too! You then take your basket to the picnic area where you can enjoy a view of Montepulciano in the distance. It was one of my favorite memories of the trip!
Naturally, I had to make a cheese plate. Below features the following:
CHEESE: Pecorino Fresco, Gorgonzola, Pecorino Al Tartufo, Gran Reserva (won super gold in the World Cheese Awards!), Semistagionato
MEAT: Salami
CRUNCH: Bread and Taralli
DIP: Pear Preserves and Red Wine Jam
GARNISH: Fresh Lavender
This entire spread was only $16. It’s amazing how inexpensive cheese is here.
We then drove another 45 minutes north to our hotel, an adorable boutique hotel called Relais La Costa, located just 10 minutes outside of Siena. This hotel was such a dream. Nestled on a hillside up a steep dirt road, the hotel used to be a local post office in the medieval days, dating back to 1100AD. It’s hard to comprehend how old everything is here, so full of rich history. The food was amazing, all cooked by the local chef who lives on the property. Breakfast was free every morning, including fresh baked pastries and the most delicious cappuccinos. They also have a pool overlooking the Tuscan countryside. It was such a dream!
That night, we drove to dinner in Siena, such a charming medieval town set on a hillside. Siena is a UNESCO-listed historic center, surrounded by a 1,000-year-old wall. Casual. We grabbed a great dinner at Fonte Guista Trattoria and sat outside on the charming cobblestone streets.
Other restaurants in Siena we saved but didn’t have time to go: La Taverna di San Giuseppe, Osteria Permalico, Osteria degli Svitati
DAY 2
Day two was packed full of activities! We started out at a cooking class called Le Pietre Vive, set on a farm between the Chianti region and the wine producing regions of Montalcino and Montepulciano. The class wasn’t as hands on as a hoped, but still learned a lot! Our chef only spoke Italian, so he had a translator with him explaining the steps in English. It was hard to keep track at first, but after a few minutes we got the hang of it. We learned how to make a flan di parmigiano, homemade pasta with a Tuscan take on Amatriciana sauce, pollo della fattoria, and strawberry panna cotta. All was delicious!
After the class, we drove to a few vineyards to check out some wine. On the way, we stopped at a beautiful sunflower field and one of the most magical castles I’ve seen, Castello di Brolio. It costs $7 for a self-guided tour that includes a free glass of wine at the end. Highly recommend! We then checked out two vineyards, San Felice Wine Estate and Tolaini Winery. Both were wonderful! San Felice is located on a beautiful property where you can wander through the gardens and vineyards. Tolaini is set on a beautiful landscape as well, and prides themselves on being completely organic and as of next year, carbon neutral!
After the vineyards we headed back to the hotel for dinner, where we had a little aperitivo by the pool followed by a four-course home cooked meal by the talented chef. We started with the most flavorful fresh figs I’ve ever had, topped with goat cheese, prosciutto and honey. Next was a pesto lasagne, followed by lamb chops with a balsamic reduction and gelato for dessert! The dinner seating was for us and three other parties, so it felt very intimate and high quality.
I’m ready to go back to Tuscany again. Let me know if you check any of these places out!
<3
Marissa