Florence/Tuscany 2018
by Gil on Jun.13, 2018, under Happenings
Since we decided to got to the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Associations European Migration in Rome we added a week in Tuscany. We arrived in Florance on Friday after a long flight with two stops, so the rest of the day was relaxing and do a little sightseeing then dinner at the hotel. We stayed at a fantastic small boutique hotel right on the Piazza S. Maria Novella, and a short walk to the incredible Piazza Duomo (Religious Center). We had visited Florence before so we didn’t have to see the must-see tourist sights, so the plan was to soak in more of the culture and of course, partake of the great Tuscan food and wine. On Saturday we started the process with a “Culinary Tour of Florence”. Our delightful guide Barbra introduced us to everything from local truffle sandwiches, to finally Gelato, with lots of interesting things in between including tripe and local wines, olive oil, pastry, cheese, and on and on. We passed a steak restaurant where the minimum thickness is four fingers (three and a half inches) and rare is the only choice. We continued our tour through the Medici seat of government and viewed the famous statues in the Piazza Signoria then over the famous Ponte Vecchio, once a meat market known for its smell and finally on to our gelato. One interesting site is the Medici Justice statue, no blindfold, and a sword. The plaque essentially says “I’m Cosmos Medici and justice is in my eyes and I have the sword to carry it out”. We spent the afternoon walking off the morning calories doing more sightseeing including the Medici chapel/museum. The evening we dined at Il Cibreo a very special Florentine restaurant.
- S. Maria Novella
- Duomo
- Duomo
- Duomo
- First Dinner of many
- Art Gallery slide
- Just another beautiful church
- Cosmos Justice
- Cosmos “I’m justice”
- Culinary tour
- Culinary tour
- Culinary tour
- Culinary tour
- Culinary tour
- Tripe cooking
- Tripe?
- Steak restaurant
- Culinary tour
- Piazza Della Signoria
- Piazza Signoria
- Piazza Signoria
- Piazza Signoria
- Piazza Signoria
- Ponte Vecchio
- Tuscan humor
- Joyce and Barbra
- Medeci Chapel/Museum
- Gold Medici gift
- Medici Chapel
- Post tour refreshment
Our next day adventure started with a “Florentine Cooking Class” with our chef/teacher Laura of www.cookinginflorence.com. This turned out to be great fun and we learned and prepared brochette, Pici pasta, chicken breast stuffed with mozzarella, and Terra Ma Sue. Then we added a little Tuscan wine, music by Boclli and we ate the whole thing for lunch. Delicious, educational and great fun.
- Cooking Class
- Cooking Class
- Cooking Class
- Cooking Class
- Cooking Class
- Brochette
- Pici in sauce
- Chicken Breast Mozzarella
- Terra Ma Sue
- Enjoy!
A little more walking off the calories, then a tour “off the beaten path” by golf cart. Our guide, who was a delightful character, entertained us with little-known historical facts and hidden treasures of Florence. One piece of Medici gossip was the fact that one married a Hapsburg daughter and they made sure everyone knew by decorating the city hall with Viennese scenes. We finished the golf cart tour high above Florence with a breathtaking view of the city, from S. Miniato al Monte. We then boarded a boat on the Arno for a sunset cruise. We finished the day with dinner at the 100-year-old family run restaurant, Bucas Mario, featuring traditional Florentine recipes.
- Golf cart tour
- Pitti Palace
- Medici Hapsburg connection
- Just another beautiful sculpture
- Jochine and Joyce
- S. Miniato concert
- Florence
- Florence
- Arno River
- River guard tower
- Bascillica S. Croce
- Sunset Cruise
- Ponte Vecchi
- Prominent family residence
- Prosecco at Sunset
The next day our driver guide Simon picked us up at the hotel and drove us into Tuscany. We first toured the lovely medieval hill-town of San Gimignano. We explored this walled town with perfectly preserved towers and building with a wonderful view of the countryside. We then drive to a winery for a relaxed lunch and wine tasting, (and buying) experience. After lunch, we meet our local guide in the beautiful city of Siena who takes us on a walking tour of this fabled medieval city, including the remarkable shell-shaped Piazza del Campo-home of the famous Palio horse race and Unique Gothic-Romanesque Duomo. Finally, we drive out into the countryside to our hotel/castle, Castello di Casole, where we will stay while in Tuscany. Our hotel turns out to be a real gem on a hill overlooking the beautiful countryside of Tuscany.
- San Gimignano
- San Gimignano
- San Gimignano
- Siena
- Seina
- Duomo
- Duomo
- Duomo
- Piazza del Campo
- Piazza del Campo
- Lunch and Wine tasting
- Castello di Casole
- Castello di Casole
- Castello di Casole
- View from Hotel
On Tuesday Simon picked us up at the hotel for a day of learning about Chianti wine. We Began with an excursion to Panzano, then a visit to a historic abbey cellar. We then had another light Tuscan lunch accompanied by Italian wines.
- Panzano market
- Panzano church
- Abbey wine cellar
- Wine tour
- Light Tuscan Lunch
- Wine tasting & Lunch
Wednesday our great driver/guide picked us up again and we were off to the town of Montalcino. Montalcino is important in that it is the capital of the legendary Brunello wine region. We explore the winding streets and medieval walls and fortress with a great view of the Tuscan hills. Brunello is made from Chianti grapes, but they produce a very different wine in this region. We then visit a local winery for a tour, tasting, and lunch. We add some Brunello to our cellar to accompany the Chianti we purchased earlier. After lunch we decide to visit one last village in Tuscany, Pienza, finishing our Tuscany exploration with a celebratory Gelato before heading back to our hotel for our last night dinner of real pizza and Tuscan wine.
- Fortress of Montalcino
- Fortress of Montalcino
- Fortress of Mantalcino
- Montalcino
- Montalcino
- Montalcino
- Another light lunch and wine tasting
- Pienza
- Pienza
- View for Pienza
- Pienza Church
- Pienza baptismal
Tuscany was wonderful, Culture, Food and Wine and wonderful places and people. Tomorrow we drive to Rome to meet flying friends and visit a great city. It will be hard to beat the unique ambiance and character of Tuscany. If it’s not obvious by now, we love Italy, Italian food, and Italian wine.