Drinking through Tuscana

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Spent a wonderful weekend in Tuscana! It takes only about 3-4 hours to get to this area from Parma. Jackie and I stayed at a camp ground in mobile homes, it was great. Unfortunately we got in so late on Friday that we were forced to stay at the camp ground and pertake in happy hour specials and pizza. The next day we were finally able to get out into Siena. This is an old medieval city which has very small cobblestone streets, which somehow the buses manage to drive through. The main square is the scene of the city's famous bareback horserace which happens in July and August. Literally thousands and thousands of people crowd into the city center to watch this race. I would love to go back when it takes place on July 2nd but unfortuantely Siena is a pain to get to so I am not sure if I will be able too. Overlooking the square is a huge tower, one of the tallest in Italy. I climbed the 400 steps to see one of the best views in Italy. It was definitely worth the money and the pain, the looks were spectacular, truly breathtaking.

After wondering through the city for a few hours it started to pour so we were forced into this wine bar to try out the local vinos. In the basement of the bar, in a cave, there are 1600 different bottles of wine which people can buy. Upstairs we met a wonderful couple from Maine who then proceded with helping us taste all of the good Tuscana vinos. The man just kept bringing glass after glass of different wines to ensure that we truly got a sampling of the local wine. My favorite was Valpocella a red wine. The couple then brought us to a local festival where we were able to try out authentic Italian food, which they also paid for. For dinner I had Cinghale which is wild boar and very popular in that region. Ah it was so good!! Even better was the pasta Jackie got which was hand made and which is the reason why I can never eat normal (US) pasta again. The texture is so different and filling, there is really no way to describe it. Then after another bottle of local vino we moved to the dance floor and danced to Italian Pop music. The crowd was mixed with young and older people and everyone was dancing. Is wasnt until afer midnight that this couple took us back to our camp ground, after a long night of wine drinking and dancing. This awesome couple truly paid our whole Tuscana experience.

The next day (after a slow start) we planned to travel to Montepuliciano, known for their vino nobile and the location where New Moon was filmed. Unfortunately we had a horrible transportation day and after riding the bus for 2 hours (got on the wrong one) and missing our train exit (because we could not figure out how to open the door) we had to give up this plan and travel on to San Giminigano. Here we stayed in a camp ground which had the same owners as the one in Siena but the experience was very different. Though our mobile home was larger it was much older and full of spiders which prompted Jackie and I to just share the full bed instead of sleeping in two separate rooms. San Giminigano is an old medieval town which rests on top of a hill. It has cobblestone streets, two large towers, and colorful flags throughout the town. When we arrived there was a parade where about 20 locals dressed up in traditional medieval custume and played instruments through the streets.

Jackie and I had a wonderful dinner in the town and then walked back the 2km to our camp ground. The next day we went back into town and as we were waiting for the bus to arrive we had a drink in the town square. Then it started to rain, then it started to rain heavier, then literally cats and dogs came down. We were forced inside because the tents we were under could not support the water. Then it started to hail and things really went south. Since we had to make our train we were forced to go out into this weather (luckily our server gave me trash bags to place over our bags and we got bottles of beer to go). All of the machines were down in the train station when we received the unfortunate news that all the trains were booked and we could not return to Parma until the next day at 8am. Jackie convinced me just to get on a train with our tickets for the next day and luckily they were never checked (first time ever!) and made it home around midnight, and it was still raining. Truly was one of the longest days of my life but the trip through Tuscana was worth it! The landscape reminded me a lot of Sonoma county but was so much greener! Of course since it rains and hails in June. But what a wonderful trip. Next stop: Cinque Terra.

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Comments

[Johaan]

Love it!
Love it Erin! Keep up the good work. Each word I read makes me want to visit more. Can't wait to hear more of your stories. Take care and travel safe.