ABC Wednesday - T is for "A Taste of Tuscany"

I'm posting early today because I'm going to be out all day tomorrow. Josie and I are taking "Geewits" on a three-hour cruise over to Vancouver Island and back. Then we're taking the lower Marine Drive to give her lots of opportunities to take photos and admire the coastal view. If it's nice enough, we'll go for a walk along the West Vancouver seawall and then go to some fantastic place with a view over a beach for dinner. It's going to be a long but full-of-fun day and I'll check in with everyone when I get back. In the meantime, sit back, relax, and enjoy a taste of Tuscany.

In keeping with last week's S is for Sicily, I thought I'd take you on a little tour of Tuscany. I had seen photographs of the area and thought, "How beautiful!" but little did I know that the photographs hardly did it justice. After driving up the Italian coast to Lerici (see post L is for Lerici) and spending 5 nights there, we drove east to Florence where we had a few hours to wander around and see the statue of David in the Accademia. No photos are allowed in there, but I did manage to get one of the replica in the Piazza della Signoria near the Uffizi. We wanted to go into the Uffizi but the lines were so long that it was impossible. Well, just another reason to go back, right?

From Florence, we drove south halfway to Siena and stayed at a B&B that was a converted farm. My roommate and I had the room that used to be the sheep pen - rather unique, I must say. We spent a few days there, traveling off the beaten track to various small villages, having cappuccino and lunch at "real" Italian restaurants. One day we went to San Gimignano, the city of towers where the movie "Tea With Mussolini" (set in Florence) was filmed.

We spent about half a day in Siena, where I found a couple of gorgeous silk scarves and a pair of leather boots. Then we continued on through Montepulciano to Pitigliano, a city high atop a mountain. We approached the city from a back road, stopping to get some photos where an elderly Italian potter was working in his little shed off the side of the road. He was very pleasant and even though he spoke no English, he invited us inside the shed to see his work. We managed to communicate via our pathetic Italian and lots of hand gestures, leaving him smiling and waving us onward towards the city of Pitigliano. By the time we got up the steep incline and narrow roads to the center of town, it was time for lunch so off we went in search. It seemed as though no one was around, and when we found a restaurant that was open, we were the first to come by that day and the owners had to scramble for us. But they were so kind, and served up one of the best lunches we had on our whole trip. They set up tables out on the sidewalk area complete with umbrellas to shade us from the sun. After eating, we wandered through the narrow streets and found lots of vantage points to take photos of the valley below. It was here that I found an old fire hydrant that completely took me by surprise. And the view from this spot where I found these plant pots was absolutely stunning.

Naturally, we had a tour of a winery in Tuscany! The whole area was surrounded by olive trees and vineyards, a gorgeous setting.

Some of our group even ordered cases of wine and olive oil to be sent home! I enjoyed the tastings but am not that much of a wine afficionado to be bothered. On the left below is Umberto, one of our guides, in the little piazza waiting for our tour, and on the right I am doing a bit of wine tasting - I look VERY happy, don't I? lol

Cypress trees dot the landscape in Tuscany. I'm sure you've all seen calendar photos of them, but believe me they are incredibly striking. From miles away you can see them atop the rolling hills, amidst vineyards galore. Here are a few landscape shots I managed to get. If you ever have an opportunity to visit Italy, especially Tuscany, I highly recommend you go. The country is clean, the food is magnificent, the highways and roads are smooth, and the people go well out of their way to be friendly and helpful.

I hope you enjoyed a taste of Tuscany today. I will be returning one day to see more of this area of Italy, a country renowned for its history, culture, food, and good-natured people.

To see who else is participating this week, see Mrs. Nesbitt's place here.