“When you leave a beautiful place, you carry it with you wherever you go.”

Alexandra Stoddard

After four weeks in Montepulciano, it was time to start a Tuscan tour with some friends for ten nights. I found that when I’m on a tour and had nothing to do with planning the itinerary, I don’t seem to pay as much attention to the details of what I’m doing. At the end, it’s sort of a big blur of fun activities.

Tuscany is fabulous. The gently rolling hills, the small hilltop villages, the food, the wine, all of it. Every where you look, it’s a postcard picture. We were lucky to be here in April when the grass is green, the hills are covered in wild flowers, and the grapevines are starting to grow their leaves. I was told in a month, these beautiful green vistas will start to turn yellow from the heat and sun.

Traveling in Tuscany may not be enjoyable for someone who gets car sick. Although the drives are beautiful, they are full of winding turns from one village to the next. I don’t know if it is better in a tour bus, but in a van, no matter how comfortable, you feel the turns and the driver breaking the entire way. Some of the hill towns have steep hills within them, such as Cortona, Arezzo, and Montepulciano, so you need to be able to walk on cobblestones, both up and down hill. Although there are other towns without no hills, so just be aware when you pick the towns you plan to visit.

For the first week we stayed at Villa Laura in Cortona, and then had drivers take us to different towns. Villa Laura was used in the film Under the Tuscan Sun, and while walking around the area our first day, some of us passed the real Bramasole where Frances Mayes lives. The villa was beautiful, it had a main house and farmhouse. There are ten bedrooms each with a private bath, a wine cellar, pool, and so much more. You can see it online if you search for it, as anyone can rent it for a week. I think if you had a large group of people, it’s probably a bit more economical than you’d think for accommodations.

We had a private chef to cook our meals, Chef Francesco. The food was fabulous, and the wine cellar had a nice selection to choose from. I have to admit, although we had some great meals dining out in Cortona at La Loggetta and Osteria del Teatro (I recommend both if you visit Cortona), I loved my meals created by Chef Francesco the best. One night he prepared Bistecca alla Fiorentina, and it was devine. If you like steak, and you visit Tuscany, you need to order this meal with your friends. At a restaurant they will freshly cut the t-bone steak based on the number of people in your group. The beef is from Chianina cattle, and it is cooked rare over coals with simple seasonings of salt, pepper, and olive oil. Once it is cooked, it is brought to the table and carved like a thanksgiving turkey. It melts in your mouth, and is worth the €60 / Kg price – or at least that is the price I saw advertised in most restaurants. With a few nice side dishes and a beautiful bottle of red wine, you will have a meal that you will remember for a lifetime.

Our drivers took us to Pienza, Anghiari, Montepulciano and Arezzo. I arrived in Cortona before check-in, and using the app Bounce I found a shop to store my bags while I explored the town for a few hours. I’ve used Bounce before and have had good luck, so if you are ever in need to store your luggage for a few hours, check it out, there maybe a place in the town you are in.

Cortona’s main street, Via Nazionale, is flat, and filled with shops and cafes on both sides of the street that lead to Piazza della Repubblica. From the piazza, you may find a few more flat roads, but to really explore the town be ready for a fairly steep climb up the cobblestone roads. While walking around the town, you may see some signs on buildings about the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. For this town, the movie brought fame and a lot of tourists. Sometimes I wonder though, is it a mixed blessing? A town needs people to survive, but how many people is too many?

One of the highlights while in Cortona was going to Fattoria Bistecca for a pecorino cheese making class with Ilaria and her dad. Ilaria has a real passion for cheese, and her dad made the class very entertaining. He actually had a small appearance in the film Under the Tuscan Sun and the cheese from this farm is mentioned in the book. It was a great experience and our lunch which of course consisted of a lot of cheese was delicious.

I had already been to Pienza and had spent a month in Montepulciano, so maybe I’m a bit biased, but Montepulciano now holds a special place in my heart, so it felt a bit like I was going back home, and I was excited to show it off to my friends. I wrote quite a bit about Montepulciano and Pienza in previous posts, so no need to cover them in this one.

If you want beautiful linens, you can head to Anghiari and visit the famed Busatti linen factory and shop. Italian linens are gorgeous and at this store you can buy already made pieces, or bring your measurements and buy the fabric to bring home. Across the way from the store on the hill above is the old town that you can wander the streets and marvel at the beautiful old homes.

Arezzo is a much bigger town than the others with lots of small shops and big name stores. The Cattedrale di Arezzo has a magnificent ceiling entirely covered with frescos, and the most unique sculptures and altar. There is a beautiful seat on the altar that was constructed for the Pope when he came to visit. In the cathedral there are the remains of Pope Gregory X. Arezzo is also where the current musical notes of do re me fa sol la were created by Guido Monaco, a Benedictine monk around 1025. Although the first note was originally Ut and later changed to Do. There is a plaque commemortating where he lived. The English Patient and Life is Beautiful were also filmed here.

If you decide to go to Tuscany, don’t worry about choosing the “right towns”. They are all wonderful in their own unique way. You can take an “Instragram” tour, and just go to the same towns that everyone else goes to, but honestly, you’ll miss out on some less popular towns that are equally beautiful, and less crowded. Create your own adventure. My last piece of advice, don’t rush it, take it slow. Have aperitivos at sunset, try gelato in each town, try the local foods and wines, and don’t worry about maps, just wander and walk as much as you can. You won’t be disappointed.

Next week, Bagno Vignoni, San Gimignano, Siena, and Bologna.

Arrivederci! 413 Girl 💕