Toscana

So this past weekend I went on an overnight trip to Toscana (aka Tuscany), which was organized by my school. In my program 2 trips are included, and this was the first one I chose. Everything was already paid for, which was so nice! I only spent 2 euro, which was the cost of a cappuccino and a post card that I bought.

First of all, I always thought Tuscany was a town in Italy, it turns out it is actually a region. Just like Rome is in the region of Lazio. So we visited several towns within Toscana.

We took a train to Chiusi, where we were welcomed by a private bus, which was very luxurious. It took us to Cantina Tanagatta, which was a precious little winery run by an Italian family in the gorgeous countryside. We toured their wine cellar where the wines are made, and got to see the steel and wooden barrels the wine is stored in, which are massive! They explained the process of wine-making, and how they use certain wood for the barrels, which I never really thought about.

Steel barrels 

Then they served us lunch, which was incredible! We started with some bread and cheese. And then we had hand-made pasta. It was called Pici all’aglione, which is a really thick pasta, and some kind of heavenly red sauce. Throughout the meal we tried 3 of their wines. If I could remember the names I would tell you, but all I know is that they were red. I haven't been a fan of red wine since I first tasted it, but these ones weren't bad. One was kind of dry, and a little too wood-flavor for my liking. I'm not an expert so I can't describe the taste in some fancy wine terms.

Cantina Tanagatta

After lunch we drove to St. Antimo Abbey, which is an old church nestled in the hills. Then made our way to Montalcino, which was a small town. We just kind of wandered around, and it was such an ideal little Italian town that you would imagine, including the narrow streets and old buildings. So calm and quiet. And even a man came out of his house to say ciao. You definitely don't see that in Rome. There was also an old fort there, and the views were incredible!

St. Antimo 

Fort at Montalcino

After that we went to our hotel, which was in Pienza. It was a four star hotel, which was amazing to stay at instead of a hostel. Also a decent bed is always lovely. I ended up rooming with 2 other girls who go to a different LDM campus in Tuscania (which is not Tuscany, by the way).

Our hotel

Dinner was served at the hotel, which was possibly even better than lunch. We had a 3 course meal, starting with home-made ravioli. So tasty. Then some spinach-stuffed chicken with potatoes. And for dessert this amazingly warm chocolate cake with a kind of chocolate sauce/pudding oozing out of it. It was heavenly.

The next day we had a tour guide with us through several towns. We first toured Pienza, which was where we were staying. It is a town from the Middle Ages, and there is even an old Papal Palace there. It had your typical narrow streets, and of course, more views of the Tuscan countryside, which I could not get over how gorgeous they are.

After Pienza we took a drive to Bagno Vignoni, another town. It had a hot spring, and a stream falling into it. The water was pretty warm. The main center of the town was a giant pool. It was a town previously ruled by Lorenzo De'Medici (Lawrence the Great), which is also the name of my school.

Natural Hot Spring

The main piazza

The last town we went to was Montepulciano. It's another old, small town with more amazing landscape views. We walked to the top of town, and right before we reached the opening our advisor said, "Have you seen the movie New Moon?" Umm...DUH! It turns out it was filmed in that square at the end where the clock tower is. I was seriously so excited, but I had to hide it, because no one else was. It was so unexpected, and of course I took a million pictures of it. I wish I could have taken more with me in them, but I felt bad for asking this girl who already took 3 for me. But that was basically the only exciting thing in that town. And the funny thing is I took pictures of a different clock tower in another town to show my family as a joke. And then I actually see the real one! It was crazy.

The Clock Tower!

I'm waiting in the doorway. 

We had lunch at Pulcino Farm, which is a restaurant/winery/farm. We had the same type of pasta with a different sauce, and with some meats and cheese. For dessert they had fresh biscottis, which were soft, and extremely delicious. They dip their biscottis in a dessert wine, which is a little funky. But I tried it a few times.

The whole region of Toscana was the epitome of Italy that I have always imagined. Even just going through the hills, the scenery was incredible, and I could not get enough of it. If you ever have a chance to take a trip through the Tuscan countryside, do it. Also listening to Ed Sheeran isn't a bad idea while doing so. Out of all of the places I've been so far this was definitely my favorite. My love for Toscana was equal (or possibly greater) to my love for Rome. It was so picturesque, and calm and quiet living. Hopefully someday I can have a vacation home there, or at least find someone who has one.

So gorgeous!