Timeless Tuscany
We then collected our luggage and signed for our car hire pick up with Alamo on-site at the airport. Driving in Tuscany is right-hand drive with narrow roads and road signs are not as clear so sat navigation is highly recommended.
We drove for two hours in a beautiful village called Gaiole in Chianti in Tuscany, villa Casetta nel Chianti greeted on arrival by our villa host Liz and Manager Maja for A&K Villas. Maja had explained all the details we needed to know and showed us around the villa. Every detail was covered including emergency numbers, local cabs, local villages and health and safety.
Upon arrival I was mesmerised with the beauty tucked away in the vineyards with breathtaking views of Tuscany. Our villa was surrounded by trees and hills and grapes that you can pick and eat freshly. We were tucked away in a very secluded part of Tuscany. It was a total escape from everything. The locals were really friendly and hospitable with their local charms and tractors as they pass you by.
The villa was fully equipped with everything we would need for the week ahead. On arrival Liz had shopped for us so we had basic essentials such as bread, milk, eggs fruit, juice, margarine, and even the local wine. Logs of wood had been freshly cut in case we wished to light a fire in the evening. The kitchen was fully equipped, and the laundry room had everything we needed. The barbeque was cleaned and ready to use.
The villa had four bedrooms all en-suite with a swimming pool and an extra outhouse en-suite bedroom as an additional. My extended family had joined me on this trip and there were eight of us.
The character and charm that the villa had is hard to describe - it was beautiful. Liz visited every day to ensure a smooth stay.
The day we arrived, Siena (a village close by) was hosting the Palio which is a traditional horse racing event. Siena had cobbled streets with designer shops and Italian restaurants and Gelato everywhere, the atmosphere was once again very pretty.
We drove to a village 20 minutes down called Montevarchi and got a train to Florence. The drive would have taken us just over an hour, but we chose to take the train to experience the atmosphere.
Upon arrival in Florence we visited Dome Cathedral, Piazzale Del Duomo and Piazzale Michelangelo, it was certainly a city of romance and culture that’s bustling with atmosphere, designer shops, horse carts, markets and a small canal that runs through the city. The Cathedrals looked like a picture postcard almost surreal, museums and statues were incredibly detailed and ornate.
We also visited Venice for a day which once again we took the train from Montevarchi station and parked our car at the car park for free all day.
On our last day we dropped our car off at the Airport and took a shuttle into Pisa. It took us 20 minutes; we paid to leave our luggage at the airport storage and off we went to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We went to the top of the tower which cost 38 Euros and the walk up was tiresome but worth it. We then had some light lunch and Gelato to end our stay that had been incredible in Tuscany.
Tuscany was incredibly beautiful and recently has become home to many celebrities who wish to tie the knot especially amongst the Bollywood industry. Tuscany is a very romantic place to visit, the cost of living was very good, and it’s very easy to commute to.
The vineyards are very well looked after by the locals and June is a great time to visit as the olive trees, and grape picking is amazing.
I would highly recommend Tuscany and the villa was amazing as it gave us the independence to enjoy at our own pace. We also hired bikes out and rode the bikes through the valleys and vineyards inhaling the fresh air, it was an experience of its own kind.