A Perfect Day in Tuscany

It all started with Nutella.  Any day that starts with chocolate hazelnut smeared on fresh bread is bound to be a good one. 

From the Nutella we headed to the countryside.  The previous days of cycling out of Florence and into Central Tuscany had the back drop of rows and rows of ripening grapes as far as the eye can see.  The vineyards were only interrupted by little villages filled with old stone buildings.

Today, however, the landscape changed.  Today the vineyards were not only interrupted by historic villages but also by fields and fields of bright orange poppies and fields of fields of bright yellow sunflowers- thousands and thousands.  Big, huge smiles were inescapable. 


Happy sunflowers, with San Gimignano in the background...



From the fields we climbed atop impressive walled villages, San Gigmiano and Monte Reggio, to find a favorite lunch of ours- prosciutto and melone, followed by nothing other than a healthy portion of gelato.

It seemed oddly appropriate to park our bikes
in front of the Museum of Torture while we ate...

Today’s final destination was Agriturismo Agricola, a small farm and bed and breakfast just outside of Voltaire.  We were welcomed by Laura- a progressive farmer, baker, gardener, cook, and owner of the Agriturismo.  She showed us to our very own picturesque villa where we would spend the night and introduced us to her friend Maria Angela a feisty fellow farmer (they and three other women have a farm co-operative together- love them!). 

Is it too much for a girl to ask for her own Tuscan villa for her birthday?


We spent the evening cooking together- chicken cacciatore (meaning the hunter’s meal), with pasta and ragu (filled with fresh veggies from Laura’s garden), zucchini with garlic, and fresh yogurt with cherries for dessert.  We had a long, slow, wonderful meal- Italian style- on the terrace of our villa where the conversation moved from Italian culture, to Laura’s crazy neighbors, to problems with local hunters, to unpredictable Italian business hours, to Laura and Maria Angela’s hopes and dreams for their farms (hopefully we will help them come true by telling Lonely Planet what a great thing they have going).  The conversation, though, always seemed to wind back to the good food. 


The table was set for a wonderful dinner in Tuscany...



With ingredients like these, we couldn't go wrong...

The view from our villa...



It was one of those days you just didn’t want to end and feel so lucky to have had with company you feel lucky to know. It was, indeed, a perfect day in Tuscany. 

Ciao Bicis.