A Villa in Tuscany

Le Redi, in Quercegrossa

In September two friends and I rented this sweet villa called Le Redi in the village of Quercegrossa. It's perched on a hilltop, and the views from our terrace and windows were classic Tuscany! It was a relaxing, fun week. 

provisions from Fratelli Zanzobini

Chris and Laurie flew into Florence from Boston a day before I arrived. They shopped for provisions at the Mercato Centrale in Florence. My Florentine friend Massimo had recommended a great wine shop near the Mercato named Fratelli Zanzobini, and my friends took his advice and made "a few" purchases from the very helpful proprietor. 

On our first evening at the villa we drank at least TWO of these bottles:)


The villa was spacious and comfortable. We ate our dinners out most days, but one evening we hired a delightful lady named Elisa to cook for us. She made a delicious meal of pork roast and fresh local vegetables. There was also pasta, and a meravigliosa fruit tart for dessert. We enjoyed watching her prepare the meal, and of course we enjoyed eating it! Elisa also gave us lots of advice on where to shop locally, and what to see.

Every day we'd set out in the car on a new adventure. No matter where we went, we got lost! We had a GPS...sort of. It was supposed to work via iPhone. But the GPS was temperamental, and road signs were not always helpful!

This Italian road sign is a good descriptor
for the natives' wild & crazy driving style

We dubbed the Tuscan byways  "spaghetti roads," and prayed to all the Italian saints to help us find our destination. It took a while to get used to the Italian driving style: fast, aggressive, and ignoring all the rules. Stop signs are meaningless; tailgating and passing on curves is the norm...and there are LOTS of curves in the switchback Tuscan roads! Laurie was our fearless driver. She wielded that standard shift knob like a native Italian (she's of Italian descent), and gave those crazy Tuscan drivers some competition. 

Chris and Laurie in Montepulciano

I've known Chris and Laurie for a long time. Chris has been my friend since kindergarten, and she and I met Laurie in high school. We'd often spent weekends together, but never had a week-long adventure like this one. They were so much fun, perfect travel companions. We had a GREAT time together, driving all over the Tuscan countryside, exploring the ancient hilltop towns of Volterra, Montepulciano, and whatever else we bumped into on our daily viaggio. We also visited Florence and Siena. And we had lots of laughs, practicing Italian swear words on the insane drivers we encountered:) 

Yes, the Italians are crazy drivers. But they are also the nicest people you can imagine: friendly, generous, and welcoming. Molto simpatico. They are Italy's most precious asset. Italians love their wonderful country, and they are delighted when they hear that you love it, too.

At the end of our week together we vowed we'd return to Italy for another adventure. I look forward to enjoying more wonderful Italian scenery, food, wine, and sunsets together with these great ladies. Prima è meglio è: the sooner, the better.

Sunset at Le Redi