After days and days of travel – just joking, although it did feel like days by the time we dragged our bags through the carpark to the van #1son had rented for the first part of this bucket list adventure – when we arrived in Florence we promptly loaded ourselves and our luggage into a van for our trip to Tuscany.
Our son and his family have been in Italy for a few weeks and are spending the last 10 days of their holiday with us. The Gbabies were super excited to see us and busy telling us about everything they’d done so far. And what they’ve got planned for us – swimming in the pool.
Which is what we did as soon as we reached the cute little B&B we’d booked in Siena, Tuscany. Well, I didn’t go in, but it was great to stretch out by the pool after being cooped up in planes, trains, and an automobile for over 24hrs.
And we stuck to the B&B for dinner too. Everyone was exhausted and we had plans for the next few days we wanted to be ready for.
You can’t come to Tuscany and not sample local produce, Mr.C, #1son & #LadyNoLongerWaiting had already partaken in some local wine at dinner the night before so it was time to sample some local olive oil. And by sample I mean drink shot glass of it! NOT my favorite thing. But I gave it a try. So did the Gbabies to varying levels of delight. We did come away with a number of bottles to take home and I got a soft as silk hand cream that didn’t have an overpowering smell. Which is something I can’t deal with.
After those purchases we headed to a supermarket to make some more. Other than not being able to read any of the packaging, it looked like any other supermarket. Well, except for the tomatoes. They looked spectacular and not like the bland barely red ones we’ve been getting in Sydney lately. Purchases made, we headed back to our B&B where we put together a lovely spread of meats and cheese and crackers and bread for a ‘light’ lunch because we had plans for dinner.
Al Tocco did not disappoint. The atmosphere was spot on and the food was delicious! And best of all, gluten free pizza!
The next day (and doesn’t all that feel like more than two days in Italy?) we headed into the heart of Siena. OMG! We had to take four sets of escalators to get to the top! FOUR! Crazy how high the center of town is. And the streets are narrow and steep and uneven. But we had a ball wandering around. Well, the Gbabies complained a bit but we fixed that with another scrumptious Italian meal where I was able to enjoy a gluten free traditional lasagna! It was delicious! Actually, everything we’ve eaten has been delicious. By the time we got back to our B&B we were ready for a nap. Instead we spent another lazy afternoon by the pool before indulging in more food.
Day 4 in this beautiful part of Italy was spent at Abbazia San Galgano and Spada nella Roccia di San Galgano. The abbey lost it’s roof at one point in the past and while we couldn’t go inside because they were setting up for a concert, we got to poke around the outside and stick our heads far enough through a doorway to see the sky above. The sword in the stone of the Spada nella Roccia di San Galgano has an interesting tale but the Gbabies were disappointed they weren’t able to test their muscles by attempting to pull it out. We ate at the restaurant and again stuffed ourselves with delicious Italian food. I swear, all this walking better be keeping the weight off or I won’t fit into any of my clothes by the time we leave!
On Day 5 we said goodbye to our B&B and Siena, Tuscany, all of us piled into the van with our luggage and the GPS pointed toward Todi, Umbria. Of course we couldn’t leave without a quick photo-op in front of one of the many sunflower fields.
