Tuscany or Why I Moved to Switzerland Part 2

Part II of III Read Part 1 here.

After the Switzerland trip Alex and I decided to plan a trip to Tuscany for my 30th birthday. I have wanted to go to Italy since I was about 15 and saw the movie Stealing Beauty which took place there. It has been the #1 place on my list and so what better way to spend my 30th birthday than there. Granted I had technically already been to Italy. I went to Venice earlier in the summer but it wasn’t a great experience and I didn’t get to eat any good Italian food so I don’t think it really counts.

We decided the best idea for transportation was to rent a car. I would rent it in Ljubljana and Alex would take a train from Basel. We would meet somewhere and then do a road trip through Tuscany. At first I wanted to go to the Cinque Terre but after talking to a few people I learned that it is a very touristy region. So we decided to plan a different route.

Going against my highly frugal side I decided that the car I rent should be a convertible. Why not? You only live once, right? Since visiting Italy was inspired by a movie I guess I had this image in my head of driving through vineyard covered hills with my hand out the side of the car making roller coasters in the wind, my hair whipping around and some good tunes playing in the background. Call me cheesy but after having done it I would say its the best way to experience Italy.

I drove down to Bologna in my black Volkswagon Cabriolet. I hadn’t drove stick since 2008 so I was a little nervous. Turns out its like riding a bike and I really missed it. The drive was pretty easy and once i got into the city the GPS got me to the train station with only a few U-turns. I parked the car and messaged Alex I was there. Unfortunately, when he switched trains in Italy he had gotten on the local train to Bologna instead of the express so I had some time to kill as his train stopped in every….single….town….along the way (at least it seemed that way). The area around the train station in Bologna didn’t feel super comfortable to walk around in alone so I decided to just get a cold beer and relax for a bit at a cafe outside the station. Eventually I headed over to the track Alex’s train was supposed to be coming in on to wait. It was getting quite late and I was starting to get really hungry which normally also equals cranky. The buzz of the station died down as the last trains of the night arrived. None of this really altered my mood as I was too excited to see Alex and start our trip. I was even somewhat civil to the transient trying to make conversation with me even though he was creeping me out a little bit. Finally Alex messaged me that he had arrived on another track. I got up and rushed out to meet him and so began our trip in Italy.

The next morning, before beginning our road trip, we decided to tour around Bologna for a few hours. I had gotten a tip that the “best gelato ever” was in Bologna and so we also had to see if the rumor was true. Every European city I have visited is extremely different from the next and Bologna was not the exception. You can immediately feel the antiquity of the city. We toured around taking in the architecture and a few churches before hitting the road toward Florence.

We only passed through Florence stopping at an overlook where we could get a good view of the whole city. It looks beautiful and I would love to go back, especially to see some art. But for this trip we were more interested in seeing the smaller, less touristy destinations.  Next we stopped in Siena which at times I guess can be touristy but we seemed to be the only ones there. We parked and set out on foot to find a restaurant mentioned in my off the beaten path guidebook. When we finally found it there was a nice hand-written sign on the door letting us know that they are closed for two weeks. So we walked up the street a bit and as we passed the first restaurant we had to do a double take. All the way through the open door there was a beautiful patio in the back with an amazing view. Probably because of the time of day we were the only patrons. We were served by a young girl, probably the daughter of the owners and both of us enjoyed a delicious lunch while enjoying the view of the rooftops and hills.

After lunch we continued to Magliano in Toscano and after a few wrong turns down some beautiful country roads we came to our agritourismo, Podere Cavone. We wandered around a bit and finally knocked at the main house where our host Anna greeted us in some very broken English. She was a happy, round woman wearing a long house dress and communicated with us the best she could before having her daughter come speak to us in English about the important things. She took us to the guest house where she showed us our beautiful room, the shared kitchen where they would bring us some fresh breakfast treats each morning, and our patio overlooking the valley out to the ocean which proved to be an amazing view for a Tuscan sunset.

A couple days prior to the trip on my actual birthday, Alex had 30 long stem roses delivered to me at work for my birthday. It was one of the nicest, most unexpected gifts and I couldn’t stand the thought of them dying in an empty apartment while we were in Tuscany. So I had wrapped them in paper towels and brought them with me on the journey. Now I brought them in and set them up on the old vanity in the room and it was the final touch to a perfect room in Tuscany.

Being full from lunch and a bit tired we took a nice nap and later we went over to the main house to buy a bottle of wine produced by the estate’s vineyard. At 5 euros it was a steal. Anna’s large family of daughters, sons, in-laws, and grandchildren were just about to sit down for a late dinner. So we took the bottle and went back to the grassy lawn in front of our guest house to enjoy the wine and sunset, take some photos, and prepare to attempt some starscape photography.

With the morning sun and a light breeze flooding into the bedroom through the open windows and doors it wasn’t easy to pull ourselves from bed. But we had a packed schedule for the day so we ventured into the kitchen to enjoy some coffee and biscotti, breads and fruits, and wrapped some homemade sandwiches up to take along for the road.

Our first stop was Manciano. We drove the car up some very steep hills and found a parking spot. We walked through the town for about an hour and made our way to the top of the hill for a nice view. Next we drove on to Pitigliano. I’m not sure what I was expecting but I was shocked at how the town looked as we approached. So ancient looking and as if it just rose out of the dirt. It definitely was unlike anywhere I’ve been before. I absolutely love anything that is old. Old attics, basements, antiques, houses… I enjoy imagining the stories behind them and this town was full of that feeling.

We drove through a few other towns which were similar and then decided to try and find a vineyard from the guide book for lunch. The guide book documented “off the beaten path” type places and I couldn’t have chose one more “off the beaten path”. After driving back and forth for a bit we finally found the dirt road we were supposed to turn down. We drove quite far down this bumpy road with branches hitting the sides of the car until finally we reached the property. Pulling in we realized we were the only car and the building that looked to be the restaurant/wine shop looked closed up. We’d spent so long finding the place that I didn’t want to give up so we walked around the house and yelled “hello” a few times. I swear I heard people inside but no one came to greet us. I got the feeling we were being ignored. I guess they didn’t feel like being open that day. I was a little hangry (hungry/angry) at this point. We left in search of something else. We came upon the next town, Sorano which was very similar looking to Pitigliano. We began searching for a restaurant. We weren’t having much luck when I spotted a sign for a Cantina. Being as hungry as I was I’m not sure why I suggested it but I asked Alex if maybe we could sit and have a drink before continuing on our hunt. So we followed the hand-painted sign that pointed down a small staircase. We walked through tight alleyways and turned several corners and just when we were about to throw our hands up in the air thinking we were lost again we saw another sign. This time we were led quickly to Cantina L’Ottava Rima. The place immediately brought a smile to my face. Built into the side of the hill it was as if we were entering a cave. There were random antiques all around as decor, various wine bottles, and cute little tables and chairs. In the background some 1940’s American music played. We were greeted by a friendly, young Italian man and he showed us our seating options. We walked through the empty restaurant into the back dining room that literally was in a cave. Beyond that the cave went down further and was lit by candles. It felt like air-conditioning the further you went in! We decided on a table at the front of the house right by the small food prep area. There was no kitchen here but we found that there was a food menu and we decided on sharing an order of Panzanella and a plate of assorted cheeses, dried meats, and a cold bean salad. We asked the owner for a wine suggestion and he served us an affordable crisp, light, white wine which was refreshing against the hot weather and paired perfectly with our food choices. The food was amazing. So simple but full of underlying complexity. Each cheese and meat was expertly selected. The bean salad was probably my favorite part. This was the kind of Italian food I dreamed of eating. We both really enjoyed this meal, the ambiance and the friendly owner. I feel so lucky that I decided on a whim to follow that Cantina sign.

After lunch we headed to Ortebello, a town on the coast. After a stop at the store and a bit of driving around we found a parking lot for beach access. Since it was late afternoon at this point many people were leaving. We grabbed some beach chairs, changed into our suits, and ran out into the water. The water was warmer than I expected and we had a lot of fun swimming and jumping through the waves for awhile. After showering off and changing back into our clothes we decided to start our drive back toward the Agritourismo since it was starting to get late. We figured we’d end up close to it by dinner time and find a place to eat in a nearby town. I had some suggestions for restaurants that Anna had provided us. We headed toward one of them but I got sidetracked when I saw a sign pointing up a long windy road that said “Slow Food”. Perfect! I wanted a nice long Italian meal. We headed up the hill and at the top was a beautiful farmhouse with chickens, rabbits, and a huge peacock standing guard on the roof. We were greeted by a bunch of small yippy dogs as well but it seemed the animals were the only ones there. Another dead end. Fortunatly though we were in the perfect spot for a beautiful Tuscan sunset so we took a bunch of photos before getting back on the road where I took some more photos of the sunset.

The next town we drove through in search of dinner had its streets closed off and all of the parking was taken. Some kind of event seemed to be taking place inside the walls of the town. So we continued on to Magliano in Toscana but not without stopping first at a roadside cemetary that caught our attention.

This was probably the smallest town we had visited. At this point we both were beyond starving as it was almost 10 o’clock at night. It was dark and we didn’t explore much but I think it only had two small roads lined with shops and houses. Immediately we found the road we were looking for and the first restaurant we saw was packed with people. Alex suggested we just go there but I was convinced it was all tourists and wanted to find the recommended place. We walked all the way to the end of the road and never found it. So we returned to the original spot called Trattoria de Maria Moretti and entered. I immediately realized that we were the only tourists in there when every single eye turned and fixed on us. We sat down at a large table that had a couple at the other side…the only empty seats in the house. All around us families and couples chatted loudly in Italian and drank and ate what smelled like delicious food. A woman came over and did her best to ask us what we would like to drink. We asked for red wine and before we could ask what kind they had she disappeared. She returned with a bottle of red. “Uh oh, we didn’t order a bottle…I hope its not too expensive.” Then she returned again with a plate of bruschetta and another of salami. “Hmm, interesting that they give these nice complimentary starters”. When she returned again with a plate of pasta with mushrooms we realized we were eating from a fixed menu with no idea how many courses or how much it would cost. The unfortunate part is that we didn’t know how to pace ourselves since we weren’t sure what was coming next. We glanced around at other tables to try and see where everyone else was at in their meal. Another plate of pasta came out. Then another. We noticed that some tables had meat dishes but the couple at our table who were on track with us must have skipped it and went straight to dessert. Feeling quite full we agreed we should ask our waitress if we can do the same. Alex tried to explain to her and I was pretty sure when she walked away that she had not understood us. But when she returned she brought lemon sorbet and we both looked at each other relieved that she had understood. But oh no, we were wrong! The sorbet was just a palate cleanser! Out came the meat and potatoes. We both had a bite to be polite but we could not get any more into our stomachs. We then made it clear we did not want any dessert and she asked us if we’d like espresso or an after dinner drink of limoncello, grappe, or dessert wine. Alex got an espresso and I asked for limoncello. She returned with a bottle of homemade limoncello, grappe AND wine. Geez! In the end the cost of this crazy meal was 20 Euro each! So much food and drink for such a small price and everything tasted fresh and homemade. It was another amazing experience in Italian food. (Unfortunately in our hungry stupor we forgot to take any photos)

I think we may have shared some more wine when we got back to our room but I’m pretty sure we both quickly passed out from a food coma. The next morning we woke up, ate some breakfast and said our goodbyes to the beautiful Podere Cavone.

For our last day in Tuscany we would mostly be driving, headed back to the train station in Bologna. We made a stop in Pisa to see the leaning tower. This is a must-see I guess but the site was extremely touristy with lots of guys hawking sunglasses, watches and handbags. We got some amusement out of watching people pose like idiots in front of the tower so they could get that oh-so-cliche shot of themselves holding up the tower, pushing it over, or making it look like giant genitalia between their legs. (No offense to those of you who have taken these shots) There is much more to be seen there than the tower but we didn’t have much time. So we got back on the road en route to Bologna.

It’s funny how long this post is because in truth that last day felt like the trip was far too short. We got to the train station and walked out to the platform where Alex would take the train back to Switzerland. This goodbye was a bit nerve-wracking as we’d just had another wonderful trip together but unlike the last time we knew we wouldn’t see each other again so soon. I was really sad to say goodbye.

You know how in movies when they film those scenes of people saying goodbye at a train station? The couple kisses and embraces and then one of them gets on the train just as its ready to pull away and they wave and cry and maybe the person left behind chases after the train waving until its gone. Well it’s not like that in real life. We kissed and embraced and then Alex boarded the train since the last whistle has blown alerting us it was about to leave. He sat down in the first seat by the door and looked at me through the window. Now if they train had left right then and there it would’ve been more like the movies. But it didn’t. It sat there for a few minutes while we smiled at each other through the window doing our best not to look sad. Then it was just awkward as we were still staring at each other and the train wasn’t leaving. There was a guy finishing a cigarette on the platform still! We both just ended up laughing at each other because of how funny the whole thing was. Then the train finally pulled away. I didn’t cry or chase after it because I knew I would be seeing Alex again. He would be in California in just a few weeks and so would I.