Basking in the Sun on the Coast of Tuscany

We were not able to get the early start we were hoping for today. Although this has become a recurring theme, we both agree that vacations are not meant to revolve around tight schedules anyway. Our plan was to drive to the Tuscan coast to spend the day relaxing on the beach. Both Giulio and Christina recommended that we go to the southern part of the coast, in the town where Giulio grew up as a child and where his family still owns a home, Punta Ala. Giulio estimated that the drive would take about 2 hours, however due to the midday road construction the commute stretched into over 3 hours. Less than an hour before we arrived at Punta Ala, we took a detour to the little beach town of San Vicenzo. The guidebook that I bought for this part of my trip, “A Culinary Traveler in Tuscany…Exploring and Eating off the Beaten Track” by Beth Elon, suggested the seaside restaurant Bagno Nettuno. Although we didn’t technically plan to eat there, once we saw the signs for the town of San Vicenzo, we figured we would try to find the restaurant.
Unfortunately, we arrived right between lunch and dinnertime, so the menu was restricted to only antipasti dishes. Bagno Nettuno was a quaint and casual beachfront restaurant in San Vicenzo. Despite the restaurant’s limited menu selection, we still enjoyed a delicious meal of the coastal town’s specialty, frutti di mare (seafood). The sweet and sour shrimp, seafood salad, and the mussels/clams soup all hit the spot. The sound of crashing waves, the sight of surfers in the distance, the smell of the freshly caught octopus, and the cool feel of the clear blue water brought back memories of home. If I closed my eyes, I could have convinced myself that I was in Waikiki.
We hopped into the car again for the short drive down to Punta Ala. Giulio recommended that we stop at one of the many private beach areas to rent an umbrella and chairs for the day. We found our way to La Bussola and spent the day under the shade on comfortably padded sunbathing chairs, as the waves of the Mediterranean Sea crept up on to the shoreline. Of course, I fell right asleep just in time for typical siesta hours, while Alex went for a leisurely stroll along the beach. The sun was still out, but the wind had picked up by the time we left at 8pm. We completely forgot to drive down to the Punta Ala port and instead opted to drive a few kilometers south to the town of Castiglione della Pescaia, another of Giulio’s recommendations. Our first goal was to walk down to the harbor to break open one of the many bottles of wine that we had purchased over the past few days. Due to the two-bottle limit restriction imposed by international customs policies, Alex and I had three bottles that we had to drink while in Tuscany. With only three days left to accomplish this task (which by the way…in Italy it is considered rude to bring your own bottle of wine so unfortunately, restaurants do not have corkage fees or BYOB policies that are so common in Hawaii), we decided that there was no time like the present.
It didn’t take us long to finish the Gea red wine from Il Paradiso Di Frassina, purchased during our visit to Montalcino. By that time, I was craving another seafood meal, so the search was on. We settled on a restaurant located on one of the main drags of Castigione della Pescaia. The table that we chose was perfect for people watching and even though it was 11pm at night, there were still a surprisingly large number of local tourists in the town. We split the seafood salad, fritto misto de mare (fried seafood), and the lobster fettuccine. It was another amazing meal that we have now come to expect in the beautiful region of Tuscany. Alex finished off his dinner with a cappuccino and a few cigarettes, a combination that he insisted would keep him awake for our 3-hour drive back to La Limonaia. We didn’t leave the town until 12:30p and after making a few wrong turns we finally pulled into the La Limonaia parking lot at 3:30am. We both couldn’t believe that we spent over 6 hours of our day driving (thank you Alex!) to and from our destination on the Tuscan coast. But it was well worth the trip because unlike most of the Tuscan villages we have seen during the past week, the three coastal towns that we visited today were mainly destinations of only local Italian tourists.
I have found that vacations are so much more interesting and pleasurable when the initial planning is kept to a minimum. I like to make sure that I know where I am going and what my accommodations will be in any given city. Other than that, everything else I play by ear. This has worked extremely well for the first half of my European journey. Alex and I have seen and done more in Tuscany than I ever thought we would be able to do in our short weeklong stay. From the cooking class to our wine tasting adventures, from the inland villages to the coastal towns, I am convinced that Tuscany is a treasure that everyone should discover at least once, if not over and over again, in their lifetime. The beauty of this countryside is unparalleled and I cannot wait to return again…someday very soon.

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