Italy's Tuscany region is the Travelin' Maine(rs) favorite vacation spot - other than Maine, of cour...

1. A Typical Day in Tuscany
Italy's Tuscany region is the Travelin' Maine(rs) favorite vacation spot - other than Maine, of course!
George
A bus, two planes, and a rental car took us from Portland, Maine to Greve, Italy in less
than 12 hours. Most surprising, the trip went without a single hitch, everything on time, no problems
at all. The flight is an overnighter and we even managed a few hours sleep in the planes.
Upon arrival at Il Santo in Greve, we spent an hour with
Allessandro, a member of the three-generation family that owns this winery and Agriturismo, before
settling into our apartment set on a hillside above Greve, a small market town. Allessandro speaks
excellent English and works hard to make sure his guests have a wonderful time here. He's happy to
recommend restaurants, shops, day trips, and more. He even makes our restaurant reservations for
us.
Il Santo offers several apartments of different sizes, including the one we now think of as
"ours," in a beautiful old stone structure that was once a farm building. Prices are low for the quality
of these accommodations, and that's the reason we stayed here the first time. For our first two visits
to Greve, we'd rented a more expensive apartment in the village square. It was very nice, for sure,
but once we discovered Il Santo, while taking a walk one morning on hill, we fell in love. This is our
fifth visit to Tuscany and we've visited Greve every time. We really feel at home here.
A typical day for us does not involve rushing all over Tuscany. Ok, we used to do that.
Now we linger, languish, laugh, enjoy leisurely walks, and of course, eat and drink like kings. Even
the least expensive bottles of wine are extraordinary and every restaurant meal here is a multi-
course feast. I am hooked on pappardelle pasta with wild boar sauce and ordered it for seven meals
this trip. One night here, I thought I was dreaming about it, but it turned out that two wild boars
with 8 youngsters were foraging right outside our apartment!
We love to explore the area in our car, and there are many gravel side roads offering those
opportunities. One day we tried a very rough and narrow road that descended into a gorgeous valley
where we discovered a beautiful winery, Villa Cafaggio. Now, Cafaggio is one of our favorite wines!

2. On previous visits, we have toured many of the ancient walled towns and stayed in several
of them. This trip we did one day trip to Monteriggioni, where you can luxuriate in history - and even
walk the walls. And for our last three days, we visited eastern Tuscany. We'll tell you about that
later!
Linda
It's a seamless transition for us and we are very relaxed here, almost immediately upon
arrival. Some would think we're doing nothing all day, but the Italians have a saying, "Il dolce far
niente," which means "the sweetness of doing nothing."
Nothing to us can be daily walks. We find an area we haven't explored and take a short
drive to get started. They are the most pleasant walks imaginable, because we get a small glimpse of
daily life here. And the scenery always takes my breath away. It is worth every step up a steep road,
even in the heat of late June.
Food is a major part of our Italian experience. We enjoy a
simple breakfast of yogurt and fruit. I buy fruit from the grocery COOP, from shops selling only fruit
and vegetables, and from the farmers market held on Saturday. Every piece of fruit we ate was
extraordinary - strawberries, watermelon, apricots, melon, and cherries.
We usually choose one restaurant each day for lunch or dinner, then eat the other meal at
our apartment, something simple like fresh bread, cheese, tomatoes, olives, or pasta and sauce from
the "Pasta Man" in the village square. You order the pasta and he goes into the back room and cuts
it for you. Now that's fresh!
Part of the adventure of dining out is driving up, down and around the hills, often on rough
gravel roads, to amazing restaurants tucked out of the way on remote hillsides. Memorable antipasti
this trip were grilled eggplant with mint, fresh tomato bruschetta, and a chicory and pecorino salad.
Simple ingredients artfully prepared can deliver extraordinary flavors.
I love the ragu sauce on tagliatelle, but ravioli topped with a variety of sauces is a close
second. To get through each meal, we share courses. My favorite secondi dishes were chicken, while
George loved the sausage and beans. If we pace ourselves carefully, we are able to share a dessert,
usually a light panna cotta topped with fresh fruit. If we are stuffed, we'll grab a gelato later in the
village square. The different types of pasta are extraordinary, each with its own texture: pici,
pappardelle, tagliatelle, gnocchi, and ravioli.

3. And suddenly the sun is setting. Where did the day go? Well, we find ourselves drinking in
the beauty of the surroundings for long stretches of time. We look across rolling hills planted with
grapes and olives. Stone houses are remotely scattered across the hillsides. Our simple evening
meal with a delicious wine, enjoyed at our table on the deck, remind us that simple pleasures are the
best, whether you are in Maine or Italy. Il dolce far niente.
If You Go
Il-Santo in Greve, Allessandro Turchi,
www.il-santo.com, ilsanto@greve-i-
-chianti.com, Telephone 39 055 85 3733.
Other nearby lodging:
www.casalelemasse.it
www.patriziafalciani.com
All About Italy
You can read much more about George
and Linda's trip to Italy, including their
favorite restaurants, shops, hill towns,
and even birds, in their Travel Talk blog
on the website of the Kennebec Journal.
You can also receive a 3-page information sheet with all the details you'll need for your own Tuscany
trip, by emailing a request to georgesmithmaine@gmail.com.
http://georgesmithmaine.com/articles/travelin’-mainers/july/2015/typical-day-tuscany