Rarely do I visit a place that truly looks as good as it
does on postcards and in the movies, but let me tell you—the photos don’t do
these places justice!
My parents arrived in Roma a little late on Friday morning
and we missed our train to Florence by seconds. Luckily, we were able to grab
the next train less than a half hour later and the adventure began. We were
only passing through Florence on our way to Siena, but who can turn down a
chance to climb the Duomo?? I watched our luggage in a cafe while
they climbed the 463 claustrophobic steps—Dr. Jill couldn’t get her legs to
stop shaking even after she made it safely back to the ground! After their
little tour, we caught a SITA bus to Siena and found Hotel Athena without much
trouble… Fluffy full-size towels, a hair dryer, hotel slippers, delicious
breakfasts and a view to die for—I was one happy camper (and I think M & D
were impressed too)! We explored Siena, sampled a few gelaterias and had a less than stellar first meal—but a successful day nonetheless.
A rainy
Saturday morning gave way to a BEAUTIFUL day of sunshine (the gods have been
smiling on us this trip!) and we took the opportunity to climb the bell tower
in Siena’s main square, Piazza del Campo. Once a year, they turn the piazza
into a horse track and hold races there, kind of difficult to picture, huh?! We
explored the rest of the day, did a little shopping and ate a delicious meal at
an adorable little hosteria. The first of many pizzas for Dad… We made it an early
night because Sunday was going to be a big day.
Sunday, we awoke at the crack of dawn in order to
catch a bus (literally we had to run for it) back to Florence where we would be
picked up and driven to Chianti in the Tuscan countryside for our biking and
wining tour. I don’t know about you, but when I picture a bike tour of Tuscany,
I imagine myself wearing a sundress, pedaling a bike with a basket in front,
sipping on wine and nibbling on apperitivo. Apparently, my expectations were a
little off. What we got was a hardcore 20-mile bike ride, against the wind and
what felt like uphill the entire way! Yikes. 30 seconds after we got on our wheels—half the group was walking our bikes up the MOUNTAIN of a
hill they wanted us to climb That’s when I started to freak out, 7 hours of this?? I’m trying to get
over the cold I got in Amalfi last weekend—snot is pouring out of my nose and
I’m coughing up a storm… Not exactly what I pictured and Not. Having. Fun.
Every so often we stopped as a group to learn little tidbits about the
region and the vineyards and started to come to views like this:
Okay,
maybe this was worth the effort... I wish these pictures could convey the beauty in Tuscany; I haven’t seen this much green in four months! Rolling hills, sprawling vineyards, flowers blooming—seriously incredible sights. Hands down, the most beautiful part of Italy I’d seen.
Meanwhile, there were only two other people in our group
and talk about overachievers. Since they were setting the pace so freaking
fast, we were ahead of schedule. Instead of slowing down and enjoying the
scenery, the psycho asked our guide if he could add some mileage onto our route!
Are you kidding me?? Our Australian guide obliged and we biked onward…
Finally, we made it to the Principe Corsini Winery, best known for
their Chianti Classico and Zac wines. After an amazing lunch (produced entirely
with products grown on site) and wine tasting, we toured the basement to learn
about the wine and olive oil making processes.
Interesting fact #1: Olives have to be processed within 6 hours of being plucked from the tree in order to be classified as
extra-virgin! Interesting fact #2: The Corsini family (who dined next to us) is royalty! The family includes a Prince and Princess... Of the vineyard perhaps? Regardless, their estate is unbelievable. We headed outside to
the gardens after our tour and instead of birds chirping, we were listening to some serious techno. Techno? Shocking I know! The next
property over was having their annual two-day rave party and the music was
blaring. This was a raging party in the middle of rolling green
vineyards—hilariously random. Rumor has it; the princess was calling the police.
After we purchased some goodies, it was time to hop back on our
bikes—at least the way back was mostly downhill, right? Wrong. Our guide
decided to change the route for better views, but you guessed it—more uphill.
It was a good thing we were stopping for gelato because I’m not sure if I would
have been able to climb the next hill—twas a doozie. As challenging as the bike
ride was, I’m so glad we did it because the views wouldn't have been the same from any other angle. :)
We survived the rest of the ride, made it back to
Florence, bussed to Siena and even encountered a marching band on our way back
to our hotel. Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time Mom and I have run
into a marching band in Italy...
Monday morning, we took a taxi to the train station in
Siena. Then, we took a train to Empoli where we had six minutes to find our next train that took us to Campiglia. From Campiglia we took a bus to Port Piombino.
Following that, we took a ferry to Elba Island. Once we arrived on Elba
Island, we rented a car to get to our hotel. HOLY MOLY.
Staying zen in the chaos of travel
The drive once we got
on the island was ridiculous—never have I ever been on roads so windy. Dad
said it was like driving in a video game—I felt like I was on a roller coaster
ready to vomit. Aside from the curves, Elba was magnificent. It reminded me a lot
of Amalfi, just far less inhabited and commercialized. Clear blue water,
gorgeous beaches, green mountains, bright flowers, sunshine abound and a plethora of hiking trails—good pick Mom!
Ferrying to Elba: we even managed to spot some dolphins!
Loving life
The gardens at Hotel Illio
The beginning of our hike!
Celebrating with gelato, mmmm!
At the moment we are training back to Roma... Don't make me go! I would have gladly spent another few weeks in Elba but Tom & Jill have some serious exploring to do in the Eternal City!
