Tuscany

Buongiorno. Today, I am sharing our trip to Tuscany (Warning: picture overload!) and I am glad you are here.

    Tuscany is celebrated for its breathtaking natural beauty. The simplicity of the land dense with olive groves and vineyards, cypress, and pine was thrilling. The beautiful views of the lush valleys evoked a sense of tranquility and awe.

. This view is from our nontraditional hotel L'Olmo which is near Pienza, a walled hilltop town in Tuscany. 

Our hotel was surrounded on all sides by rolling hills. Search L'Olmo, Localita Monticchiello on Google Earth and you can see the vast rolling hills surrounding it.

Hurray for modern technology. This is a screenshot from Google Earth of L'Olmo.

L'Olmo is a converted stone farmhouse, circa 1600, with a courtyard terrace and an outdoor pool.

When we arrived at L'Olmo there were storm clouds on the horizon. 

A view of the fertile fields surrounding L'Olmo, where semolina wheat is grown.

This is a zoomed-in picture of the hilltop town, Pienza that you could see in the distance from our hotel. It is very hard to get a good picture from a moving car on the curvy roads.

Another view of Pienza.

Our bedroom at L'Olmo.

We were surprised but pleased the staff offered to serve our dinner in our room our first night. Our breakfasts were served outside under the arbor near the pool area. The staff went beyond the call of duty to ensure we all felt safe.

The spacious rooms were lovely view and had a great view from the second story.

Antipasti-

Tagliata al Rosmarino/Tagliata Beef with Rosemary
I  remember the meal being delicious and must have stopped taking pictures after this course because I don't have any other pictures of the meal. Italian menus include:
 Antipasi/Appetizers Primi Piatti/First CoursesSecond Piatti/Second CoursesContorni/Side Dishes  Desserts
 But for us, that is too much food. Often we shared courses or skipped a course. You can find L'Olmo's menu here: www.olmopienzaIf you are interested you can search their Instagram page at olmopienza. Their pictures are fabulous showing the different seasons.

The sunset from our room was glorious.

This iconic farmhouse on the hill viewed from our window was beautiful at any time of day but especially as the sun set.

Italian breakfast (prima colazione) under the arbor.

On our first day, we visited two wineries and an organic farm and restaurant called Podere Il Casale.
This link has beautiful photos from Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/podereilcasale.pienza/ This is an aerial view from a drone that shows the extraordinary view.They add videos often so scroll down their site to see more videos.

Instagram link is here which is also intriguing. Since I've been home from this trip I realized I could have prepared more before the trip using Instagram sites and Facebook sites. All hotels and venus have them now. 

This picture does not do the beautiful view justice. This panoramic view is stunning of the Val d 'Orcia valley. When we were there in September the fields had been recently plowed ready for a new crop of wheat. I can just imagine how beautiful this is to see miles of golden wheat growing. 

Our lunch of different cheeses and organic tomatoes, all processed and grown on-site at Podere ll Casale.

We could not resist buying this cookbook from Podere II Casale. It tells about the owner's dream thirty years ago of growing their own food organically and sharing it with others. Sandra and Ulisse have raised five boys on this podere(Italian for farm) and have fulfilled their dream and more. 

The yummy chocolate pistachio cannoli along with an expresso ended a fabulous lunch. The expresso was so good we bought a bag of their organic beans to bring home.

Use your imagination here because the picture doesn't do justice to the venue.  Beyond the canopy is a  view beyond words. 

Our host and guide, the unforgettable Sandra, explained how her famous pecorino cheeses are made. 

 

Cypress trees line the road near Monticchiello, Tuscany. 

The hilltop towns of Pienza, Montepulciano, and Monticchiello were near L'Olmo where we stayed in Tuscany. These hilltop towns date back to the 1500's.


Tuscany Dolce Vita- Link to Rick Steves Tuscany on YouTube - This is a fabulous overview of Tuscany. A must-see. ( click on the link and then click again on next prompt)

Gelato in Pienza.

We missed the opportunity to visit La Foce Gardens because it was rented out for a private party. I was very disappointed but I have recently ordered this book in the English version. I can't wait for it to arrive.

Our travel agent, Destination Europe, does a tremendous job of finding great hotels and tours. This is our Italian guide and driver Chiara from Montalcino Wine Tours. We finally got to see each other's faces after mask-wearing all day. This is the fifth trip Destination Europe has assisted us with travel plans and we highly recommend them. Thank you, Kayla and Sarah.

The grapes were almost ready for harvest.

This was a family-owned winery that has been in the same family for generations.

Pienza region is famous for its Vino Nobile. 

This was a gorgeous view of the vineyards of La Berne winery through the window inside the tasting rooms. The owners are delightful and so interesting. Again the picture does not do it justice.

We also toured Croce Difebo in Montipulciano. It is an organic vineyard and they work very hard. They do not use chemicals on their vines. Particular care is taken to prune the vines and grapes for a better harvest. 

Monticchiello- La Porta Osteria

Stunning sunset.

Our dinner at La Porta in Monticcheillo was delicious and the view on the balcony overlooking the rolling hills and sunset was memorable. 

When we explored Montepulciano, I had the best dish of the whole trip.

It was tagliatelle ragu with black garlic. I would love to have the recipe. Have you heard of black garlic?

A pasta-making lesson would be extremely fun.

Grazie Mille for staying with me reading this long blog post! There was so much more!

I always learn more about the region I have just visited when I get back home and prepare a blog post. Is that true for everyone? Seems like I never research enough before we go.  I just googled Val'd Orcia and found beautiful pictures of the different seasons. You might want to check that out also.

Ciao,  🇮🇹