Oh, Tuscany- Part Five.

For my last post on Tuscany, I wanted to talk a little about one of the best parts of the trip- the food and wine.  Before traveling to Italy, I always pictured the food as being classic pizzas, pastas, and warm Italian garlic bread.  While for some regions of the country these foods are definitely specialties, in Tuscany the food was much more diverse (and better!) than a typical Olive Garden meal.  

Oh, Tuscany- Part Four.

The last day of our Tuscan adventure we planned on touring wineries near Greve in the Chianti region. If you're planning on visiting Italian wineries, you absolutely must make reservations ahead of time.  Not only will this give you a solid plan for your time, it will also ensure that you're absolutely positive which wineries are open and receiving visitors at that time.  I am a meticulous trip planner yet made the mistake of assuming most places would be open and willing to accept call-ahead timing.  

Click through to read about my wine tasting experience at the unique Castello di Verrazzano!

Oh, Tuscany- Part Three.

When exploring a larger region (like Chianti) you can either pick up and move each night as you go along, or you can pick a "home base" and go from there, which is what we chose to do.  Greve is a little town nestled in the Chianti wine region.  Although I'm sure things change during wine season, it was overall very quiet during our time there.  The town square has a few rows of cute shops and an incredible restaurant, but don't expect to find anything open later than 8 or so at night.  

Click through to read more about this sweet Italian wine region!

Oh, Tuscany- Part Two.

We had no plans to go to Pisa, and then all of the sudden, late one evening, there we were.  I'm a pretty compulsive planner when it comes to traveling, but on this trip we focused on being flexible and open to wherever the Italian wind wanted to take us.  So, when we were hopelessly lost trying to find our hostel in Florence one evening, of course the logical thing to do was to get back in the car, forgo Florence altogether, and go in hunt of the famed Tower of Pisa.  

Oh, Tuscany- Part One.

If you want to really see Tuscany, rent a car and give yourself time, a loose itinerary, and plenty of crackers to absorb the delicious regional wines.  We only had a few days in Tuscany, but I'm pretty sure I could have entertained myself for weeks in rustic towns and centuries-old cities of central Italy.