Under the Tuscan Sun (or Over the Tuscan Hills)
Wednesday, July 25th, 2012We’ve been enjoying the summer and I’m once again behind on blogging. Eric spent a month in Korea on a trip for work, but as soon as he got back we hit the road and spent a long weekend in Tuscany. The region had everything we’ve heard about – lovely villas, great food and wine, and lots of sunshine. It also has some seriously steep hills which I didn’t expect. When we were in the Piedmont region a few years ago, everyone told us it was “just like Tuscany.” Based on the small rolling hills there, we planned a bike ride through the countryside in Tuscany. It turned out to be a bit more like a stage of the Giro than the casual pedal through the vineyards that I had imagined. Once again I was reminded about why we travel. You can read and hear about a place, but it’s never quite the same as experiencing it first hand.
After the sufferfest on the bike, as least I could comfort myself with some amazing Chianti Reserva and Steak Florentine – two things that also just have to be tasted to be understood.
One the way home, we decided to take a detour to visit one of the smallest countries in Europe, San Marino. It turned out that there is no direct highway to get there from where we were staying, so we ended up spending hours on tiny winding roads crossing over the middle of Italy. This drive falls into the category of things that might be better not experienced in person. San Marino was worth the drive, however. It’s not much more than some castle towers and a small town perched on the top of a peak, but it’s dramatic and the views are great. Plus we got to add another country to our “been there” list.
The beautiful, but tiny San Marino:
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