Sorry for our long absence…having two kids and working full-time regular day jobs is rough. But we are trying to get back into this blogging thing if nothing else than to wrap up these amazing Italy posts for you!
Day Eight: Welcome to Tuscany – A terrible Hertz experience, amazing carbonara, & careening through the Tuscan countryside in a tin box on wheels
We wrapped up our time in Florence so well this morning, only to have it frustratingly turn sour when trying to get a car rental. Despite being a Gold member, and having booked our car ahead of time, I still needed to go through the queue for some reason (1st international booking?). We waited for a little over an hour with other extremely impatient and frustrated folks trying to get their hands on a vehicle. The place was packed, and EVERYONE was impatient. One lady had an argument with one of the employees. Yelling loudly in Italian, gesticulating wildly, and…even walked back in at one point, wadded up a piece of paper and threw it at the employee’s face before storming back out again. We were more than ready to GTFO.
After travelling around by train, vaporetti, bus, & foot…driving through the Tuscan countryside was going to be a nice change of pace. I booked our car for free with points from our credit card and since we had only our backpacks as luggage, I got a “compact” car. Which was a diesel Fiat 500. It was also stick. Now, I’m perfectly comfortable driving a stick. But imagine with me, for a second, piling into a TINY car in a foreign city where you are 1000% relying on Google to get you around, and other Italian drivers having no patience for my penchant for, I dunno, observing the speed limit, slowing to read signs, and generally making sure I’m going the right way while sounding out Italian street names b/c Google was BUTCHERING the pronunciation. Needless to say, it was pretty nerve-racking and I was white-knuckling the steering wheel.
Once we made our way out of the very congested Florence it was a stark change of pace to tiny, winding country roads that took us through the INSANELY gorgeous Tuscan hills. Before we took our trip, a friend of mine told me that: “Tuscany is breathtaking. Every picture you’ve seen is exactly what it looks like everywhere.” – And she was ever so correct
She also said “Rome is Rome” and it wasn’t until after Rome that we nodded our heads in agreement. But that’s for later.
We had set our sights on Volterra for a spot of lunch & Etruscan history. In the winding roads up towards the city, you’ll spot a “Mysterious O”
A popular stop with tourists, a sculptor by the name of Mauro Staccioli has created several statues near Volterra. You can read about that here
Coming up on Volterra, you will find that you’re not allowed to drive in the city center. One could consider it an inconvenience, but the fact that there are no cars means you can explore the city on foot without worry of traffic & exhaust. I think it adds an element of charm.
Volterra is a walled Etruscan city steeped in history. You can take a brief excerpt and read about it here and here. As for us, we’ll stick to the pictures…
First, however, there are stairs
Then you’ll arrive at the top surrounded by lots of brown buildings & stone streets
It was almost noon, and we rude Americans were ready to eat. We hit up a lil’ spot called La Vecchia Lira for lunch where it was mostly self-service.
This was obviously a popular spot with the locals because it was filling up quickly by the time we left. Kara ordered some bruschetta & some pappardelle, while I went with the carbonara. Hey, when in Tuscany, you eat Tuscan. We also picked up a half carafe of house red wine and to this day, it remains the best red wine I’ve ever had….and I have no clue what it was.
After lunch, the tourist center was open. So we paid a few Euro (goes towards preservation & restoration) to climb the tower and get a view from up top.
From up here you can really take in the size of this walled city.
After heading back down, we snapped a couple of shots of the plaza
This is the back wall of the church and it’s decorated oh so lovingly.
We sort of circled the perimeter of the city just soaking in the lovely weather and walking off our lunch.
Where you can see the amphitheater ruins…
And eventually stumble into a vast park that overlooks a good chunk of the city. Many locals were resting after lunch, reading, playing, and otherwise soaking in this gorgeous weather.
Something Volterra is famous for is alabaster. For centuries, Italians have mined alabaster from the Tuscan hills and Volterra is one of the last surviving hubs of authentic craftsmanship. You can find several alabaster workshops dotted throughout the city. Really wanted to buy something as a keepsake, but most things were expensive and we had concerns about how to get them home.
Now, we bid farewell to Volterra
Hopped back into our lil’ rental car, and set course for San Gimignano. I thought I was tackling all these Tuscan curves with Formula 1 precision because it felt like I was FLYING and making Kara a little carsick at my breakneck speed. However, the natives didn’t think so as I was constantly tailgated and being passed. Turns out me going 80kph isn’t that impressive when it translates to about 50mph. It just felt like I was flying because the car was tiny, the roads were tiny, and the windows were down. Oh well. I still had fun tackling curves like Andretti, downshifting and pedaling to the floor like a boss (the lil’ diesel Fiat had no power whatsoever)
Once we got close enough, you could see San Gimignano rising in the distance.
And once again, you’ll have to park outside the city. For some reason, San Gimignano gets a lot of trash talk these days for being “too touristy” – Not the city…the people. Too many tourists here as it’s become a popular stop. I get it. It was crowded, a bit loud, and full of folks who clearly weren’t local. But at the same time, the city is thriving on all these folks being there so….
We wandered around the city for a good while, following Rick Steve’s guide and reading the history, learning about all the towers, etc.
For a busy “tourist trap”, it was remarkably clean. And the streets were all neatly arranged bricks and stone. This town has a lot of charm. We paused on the steps of the church (closed at the time) to read a little history about the town, and people watch in the square & farmer’s market.
Next up was a trek up to the park for a breathtaking panorama
Selfie game = STRONG!
We walked all the way back to a church at the far end of town, stepped inside for a bit to rest
We slow-walked back towards the town square and we had one particular spot that we were eye-balling here. And that is Gelateria Dondoli. The fellow has been crowned the world champion of gelato, and for damn good reason. The line to his place was out the door and moving at a breakneck pace. Their gelato was other-worldly.
The most dense, flavorful, creamiest of them all. ‘Twas here, my friends that we experienced the best gelato ever. The only downside? The portions were not as generous as other places.
Kara’s chosen flavors were:
Michelle: (from the website) Saffron Cantuccini, Avola almonds, honey, bitter orange peel. Sergio chose saffron for this recipe as it’s a typical San Gimignano’s product and honey for its sweetness that reminds him of Michelle Obama’s refined sweetness
Carmignano Figs & Ricotta: (from the website) Fico Secco di Carmignano is a typical Tuscan product of Carmignano and Poggio a Caiano (Prato territory) where it is produced following the traditional methods of drying. Since some years it has been recognized as Presidio Slow Food
TuttoBosco: A mixture of berries & red currant
And mine:
Rosemary Baby: (from the website) The first of a long series of fruit ice creams flavoured with spices that have become famous. This ice cream blends the intense, fragrant flavour of the raspberry with the aromatic freshness of rosemary, which goes very well in the warmest moments of the season. An ice cream truly worth sampling. • Seasonal specialty: Sergio proposes this flavour only when the fruit reaches the right degree of ripeness.
Gorgonzola & Walnuts: (from the website) In this ice cream the marbled goat’s milk cheese (Blu di Pecora) is combined with Sorrento walnuts for a flavour at the service of typical local products. • Seasonal specialty: Sergio proposes this flavour only when the ingredients reach the right degree of seasoning
I’ll give you a minute to wipe the drool away.
Afterwards, we popped into a local shop and picked up a couple of touristy items. Some sun-dried tomatoes, lemon salt, some biscotti and then bid a sad goodbye to this charming medieval town.
And got back in our tiny, top heavy death wagon and jetted off to our final destination of the day…
Salvadonica. A real, working Tuscan farmhouse. Yep. Don’t worry darlings, we’ll save a full post for a write up of this place, but needless to say…our next couple of days were about to be a phenomenal.
We ate dinner at their restaurant while we enjoyed a Tuscan evening strolling around the property and enjoying the largest, most luxurious room of our trip.
ACCOMMODATIONS (WHERE WE STAYED)
Again, saving this for its own post because it was our longest stay in one location, and is worthy of a feature all in its own.
FOOD & STUFF (WHERE WE ATE)
La Vecchia Lira (Volterra) – A happening, family run restaurant in the heart of Volterra. Recommended by Rick Steve’s guide, and where we enjoyed a very quick, albeit tasty meal. And the best house red wine we’ve ever had! They offer full sit down service, and also pride themselves on their quick-service options, which is what we did.
Gelateria Dondoli – This is it. The BEST gelato we’ve ever had. His awards and accolades are well deserved. Don’t be afraid of the line, it moves quickly. Go for the specialty flavors. For the price, it’s more than other gelato shops for smaller portions. But well worth it. Sergio’s craft is precise.
ATTRACTIONS (WHAT WE SAW)
Volterra – We made like true tourists and stuck to Rick Steve’s walking guide in each town, as they allow you to go at your own pace, stray when you want, and are full of relevant history. The Volterra walk took us by the following:
- Porta all’Arco – A massive 4th Century B.C. arch steeped in history. Locals claim it’s the oldest surviving arch of the Etruscan age
- Pallazo dei Prior & City Hall – The main square, and the city hall that houses the tower offering panoramic views of the city
- Roman Theater – First century ruins that can be viewed from the street above, it’s free to enter
- Medici Fortress & Park – Large, old fortress (now used as a prison) adjacent to a sprawling, open park
San Gimignano – Again, following the walk tour took us by:
Up Next: Our day in Siena
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