Greg and I fulfilled a key part of our ‘dream’ when we moved to London this weekend, by going to Italy for the weekend. Our timing was perfect as our friends Karen and Ernie graciously agreed to let us meet up with them while they were honeymooning in Italy for two weeks.
We flew into Pisa, which is one of those great, small airports where you are through customs and have your bag in about twenty minutes. I highly recommend it as a port of entry. We picked up our rental car and headed for the Tuscany hills to our favourite little hotel in Radda in Chianti, the Relias Vignale.
After sleeping in a bit (how wonderful to not be jet lagged and be able to hit the ground ‘running’ - really helped us maximize our trip), we headed down stairs to enjoy our cappucini and Tuscan breakfast complete with prosciutto, cheese, pastries and fruit outside on the patio overlooking the grape vines and olive trees. After a few hours by the pool we got cleaned up and waited for Karen and Ernie to arrive from Florence. They arrived a little car sick from the Tuscan curvy roads but their weariness quickly disappeared as we enjoyed a long lunch and some good wine while catching up on the behind the scenes stories at the wedding and the latest Seattle news. Ernie (of all people) was the most anxious to do some shopping, so we wrapped up lunch and set off for the outlets where all of us managed to find some good deals. It had nothing to do with the fact that Greg was driving, but both of the girls got car sick on the 30 minute (10 mile) drive down from the hills. Karen in particular was struggling, but her spirits were lifted after finding two pairs of Prada shoes and seeing Ernie is his slick new sunglasses.
We flew into Pisa, which is one of those great, small airports where you are through customs and have your bag in about twenty minutes. I highly recommend it as a port of entry. We picked up our rental car and headed for the Tuscany hills to our favourite little hotel in Radda in Chianti, the Relias Vignale.
After sleeping in a bit (how wonderful to not be jet lagged and be able to hit the ground ‘running’ - really helped us maximize our trip), we headed down stairs to enjoy our cappucini and Tuscan breakfast complete with prosciutto, cheese, pastries and fruit outside on the patio overlooking the grape vines and olive trees. After a few hours by the pool we got cleaned up and waited for Karen and Ernie to arrive from Florence. They arrived a little car sick from the Tuscan curvy roads but their weariness quickly disappeared as we enjoyed a long lunch and some good wine while catching up on the behind the scenes stories at the wedding and the latest Seattle news. Ernie (of all people) was the most anxious to do some shopping, so we wrapped up lunch and set off for the outlets where all of us managed to find some good deals. It had nothing to do with the fact that Greg was driving, but both of the girls got car sick on the 30 minute (10 mile) drive down from the hills. Karen in particular was struggling, but her spirits were lifted after finding two pairs of Prada shoes and seeing Ernie is his slick new sunglasses.
After very cautiously driving back up to Radda, Karen was not feeling well, so the Huhminsens headed down to Montelpulciano and we headed back to Radda where we ate delicious pizza at the famous ‘Da Michicle’. Our days in Tuscany nearly repeat the above heavenly sequence of events everyday (sans Karen & Ernie)
To mix things up a bit, on Saturday we drove down to Montelpulciano to meet up with Karen and Ernie. Greg and I had been to Montelpulciano previously but hadn’t really explored the town – Tuscany’s tallest and largest of mid evil cities. We handed the map over to the boys and showed them the lunch spot and they lead us up and up and up and around and around and around. We were feeling pretty good about walking off lunch prior to eating it but were starting to get a bit concerned we’d miss the magical 2:30 cut off for lunch when every shop and restaurant shuts down for the Italian equivalent of a siesta. Right about this time, we round a corner and things look a bit familiar…now Greg argues you’ve seen one Tuscan mid evil town, you’ve pretty much seen them all (he’s in Tuscany for the food, wine and shopping, not the sightseeing), but this looked really familiar. Yup, the boys had walked us hungry = grumpy girls in one big circle. When we finally did find the restaurant, it was about 100 feet from the entrance of the city when we started (nearly an hour ago). All was quickly forgotten as we enjoyed a nice lunch amongst the locals at Diva e Maceo.
After circling the town a few more times, treating ourselves to gelato and purchasing some wine, we head off to find a wine bar and magically end up at Karen and Ernie's fabulous hotel. We had a really amazing night sit outside on their patio drinking too much wine enjoying the sounds of the sheep and soaking in the the countryside. Too tipsy to drive home, we crashed Karen & Ernie's dinner plans and had a another great meal at La Grotta. They graciously accommodated our "mix up" of a reservation for four instead of two and the food was delicious. It was really fun to be in our favorite part of the world enjoying great food and wine with great friends.
They next day we experienced our first football game while in Radda. It was pretty cool to sit with the locals watching two Chianti teams battle it out for victory amongst the vineyards and olive trees.
We headed to Pisa for our flight back to London. We had a few hours to kill so we decided to re-visit the tower. It never fails to impress.
Another wonderful trip to Italy...can't wait to go back!
We headed to Pisa for our flight back to London. We had a few hours to kill so we decided to re-visit the tower. It never fails to impress.
Another wonderful trip to Italy...can't wait to go back!
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