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A Taste of TuscanyBy Beth Ede
Though mealtimes were an integral part of our holiday, I have equally fond memories of the times in between – of strolling leisurely through the streets of Etruscan Volterra and admiring the surrounding countryside with its lines of cypresses just like in the guide books, of climbing to the top of the Torre del Mangia in Siena and being bowled over by the view (shame we'd left our camera in the locker at the bottom), of driving along country roads watching the wind ripple through the fields of wheat, and of sampling wines in a small store in Montepulciano. Tuscany is one of those regions that delights you whatever your interests – art, walking, culture, food and wine – and if you like all of these, so much the better.
What is perhaps most astonishing about Tuscany – certainly for the first time visitor – is the sheer wealth of art. Though I must admit to having been a little suspicious at first of the claims I'd read in guide books, it really is not much of an exaggeration to say that even the smallest of villages or the most unassuming of churches boasts a wonderful Renaissance masterpiece. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was a Tuscan, Giorgio Vasari, who in the 16th century came up with a name for this impressively creative period - he wrote of the 'rebirth' of the arts. To go back to San Gimignano as an example, you could spend just as much time indoors admiring the works of art as outside strolling between the many ancient buildings. In the collegiata, virtually every inch of wall is covered with frescoes depicting scenes from both the Old and New Testaments, while the Palazzo Popolo boasts even more richly coloured frescoes, and the churches of San Lorenzo and Sant'Agostino both have their fair share of art.
We offer various holidays in Tuscany to cater for all tastes. You can walk between the 'classic' hill-top towns, through the timeless landscapes in the south of the region, across the land settled by the mysterious Etruscans or descend from the western hills to the sea. If you prefer to tour around, you can spend a week in a self-catering property, or, if cycling is your passion, you can explore on two wheels. |
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I'm
not one for souvenirs, but one thing I did bring back from my holiday
to Tuscany in April was an extra four pounds around my waist, something
which, despite my best efforts, is proving a lasting reminder of a wonderful
fortnight. Every time I fasten my zip, I think back to the pear tortelloni
drizzled with a deliciously creamy sauce and savoured with a glass of
wine in an authentic trattoria in Florence, the day we spent two-and-a-half
hours in a restaurant in the heart of Siena lingering over a four-course
lunch featuring dishes such as pappa col pomodoro (bread and tomato
soup) and pici (thick spaghetti topped with toasted breadcrumbs)
washed down with a delicious Vernaccia di San Gimignano while piano music
played quietly in the background, or the rural ristorante-pizzeria
where we sat amid Italian families out together for Sunday lunch and enjoyed
a huge but absolutely delicious four-cheese pizza followed by cantuccini,
hard almond-flavoured biscuits which, had I read my guide book properly,
I would have known to dip in the accompanying glass of Vinsanto so as
to soften them prior to biting on them. 
Beautiful
San Gimignano is the most famous of Tuscany's walled hill-top villages,
and it's a rare guide book that does not include a picture of its famous
skyline dominated by fifteen medieval towers. Astonishingly, these are
but a small proportion of the 72 towers that once stood over the village
– considered a sign of wealth and power, they were built in proliferation
in the 12th and 13th centuries when feuds between rival noble families
were at their height. Only one is open to the public – the Torre Grossa
– and it is well worth climbing it for views over the town and surrounding
countryside. But, just as I preferred the intimacy of Siena to the often
noisy bustle of Florence, personally I preferred villages such as Montepulciano
(Tuscany's highest hill-town, which Henry James likened to a ship because
of its shape), Certaldo and Colle Val d'Elsa. Although they are no challenge
to San Gimignano's beauty, they are all nevertheless full of charm, with
no shortage of atmospheric streets, ornate churches and Renaissance palazzi.
Finally,
you can't go to Tuscany and not sample the wines. While Chianti can, of
course, claim to be Italy's best known red wine, Brunello di Montalcino,
also made primarily from the Sangiovese grape, is generally considered
to be Italy's best, with a price tag to reflect its status. The region's
whites, such as Vernaccia di San Gimignano, are less well known but still
very good. Vinsanto ('holy wine'), the traditional accompaniment to cantuccini
but also very pleasant by itself as an after-dinner drink, is made from
grapes which have been hung to dry in the sun for months so as to give
the wine its strong, sweet taste.