a taste of tuscany

Having merely whet my appetite with a short visit to Tuscany a few years ago, I was eager to return for a proper taste of all that this enchanting region of Italy has to offer. The scenery doesn’t disappoint mid-April, when the hills roll together to form a landscape too vast to capture with a camera lens. Our flight issues and debates with travel agents were a distant memory as Fox and I began the picturesque drive, in our tiny Fiat Panda rental, from Pisa to Siena. Whizzing around corners, we were captivated by the breathtaking greens and browns intercepted at intervals by fields of yellow mustard flowers. The numerous B&B advertisements dotted along the route are a giveaway that this area is not deprived of visitors yet the sense of tranquillity has by no means been tarnished.

Our first stop was a brief break at one of Tuscany’s characteristic hill towns, Volterra. Behind the city walls lies a typical Tuscan town complete with piazzas, medieval streets and a bell tower that stands proudly in the centre of it all. A quick slice of pizza at Pizzeria del Corso to quiet our hungry stomachs and it was straight on to Siena.

Siena’s quaintness and unrivalled charm make it one of my favourite places in Europe. With its narrow, paved streets enclosed by ancient apartments you wouldn’t be blamed for underestimating the 60,000 population. From the striking Duomo which appears as a vision of black and white, to the red-roofed views seen from the Panorama and the history behind the Palio and the Contrade, there is a lot to be discovered in this town which can easily be meandered across in an hour.
Our afternoon visit to Sam Gimignano was worth the hour drive to experience this most famous of Tuscan hill towns and its scenic views. The town now boasts thirteen towers where seventy-two once stood but it has become a bit of a tourist haunt so not worth a lengthy visit.

Departing Siena two days later, we headed back to Pisa where I still struggle to see any appeal beyond the necessity of having your picture taken in front of the Leaning Tower. So we took our token happy-snaps and boarded a bus for the buzzing city of Florence.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why so many visitors flock to Florence. This is not for lack of attractions but rather that there are so many; cafes spill onto pavements on every street; the city holds a collection of artworks so impressive it must make art galleries around the world turn green at the thought; the smell of real leather dominates market stalls; Tuscan cuisine is known to elicit great excitement in chef’s the world over; and there is the world famous statue of David. I did not expect to be so impressed by a single sculpture but it seems that you simply can’t deny the perfectionism of Michelangelo’s masterpiece which proudly dominates the Galleria dell’Accademia (an entire gallery built specifically to house this marble work).
After a few days in Italy we had experienced our fair share of pizza, pasta and far too much gelati. Gelateria entice with their lush displays at every turn and during a hard day of walking who can resist a scrumptious scoop of pistachio or almond...or both? After wandering aimlessly up and down Via dell’Isola we were unable to locate the ‘most famous gelateria in Italy’, Vivoli, and just when I thought Lonely Planet was having a laugh at our expense, it became apparent that perhaps it was just our ability to decipher the Florence building numbers that had failed us.
A stroll through the grand Biboli Gardens, to my delight, was free on the day we decided to picnic amongst its statues, fountains and terraces. After five days in Italy, the only drawback was that the British Pound just doesn’t go as far as it used to in Europe so a freebie was perhaps more welcome than usual.

There are few places to which I would consider returning when there is still so much of the world to see. Tuscany, however, is so unassumingly addictive that I suspect one can only keep cravings at bay for so long until a return visit is once again on the menu.