I’ve driven in Italy before (badly). It’s
the wrong side of the road for me, and I kept clipping my wing mirror. I just
couldn’t quite figure out where my car was on the road. So this time I decided
not to drive and left that up to Luke. I figured that if I couldn’t manage
driving in my 20s when I had great eyesight and was brave, I shouldn’t attempt
it now.
Fortunately I didn’t have to, and I didn’t
have to navigate (navigate = holding a map upside down, pretending I had some
idea where we were), because of that wonderful invention, the GPS. So that
meant just staring out the window, being enveloped by the beautiful Tuscan
countryside. At least that was the plan…
First we had to get out of Florence. If
you’ve ever read about what it’s like driving in Florence you’ll know it has a
complicated one-way system, whole parts of the city you can only drive in at
certain times of day, in certain vehicles, and an extortionate traffic-fine
system that will follow you to your home country (or at least, the hire car
company will charge your credit card even when you’re safely home boring your
friends to death with your travel slide-night). And of course the city of
Florence needs these rules, it’s a tiny city with wandering narrow lanes, it
would be complete chaos if people were driving wherever they wanted. Better to
scare us upfront with lots of complicated signage.
However, we had no problem getting out into
the countryside. The car hire company is obviously used to this, and has the
GPS set up to get you out of the city and on to your next destination. Easy.
That’s when I started to relax. My god, it’s beautiful. No wonder people have
been flocking here for centuries. It’s not just that the countryside is so
cared for, so picturesque, but also that it is dotted with beautiful old
buildings. The skyline is punctured by firs and cypress trees, the vines are
manicured, the skies are clear blue with the occasional floaty clouds – the
kind you see in the backgrounds of Renaissance paintings. The roads are narrow
and sinuous, occasionally bounded by stone walls and running through tiny
towns. It’s gorgeous.
We were heading for Greve in Chianti which
was to be our base for the week. I’d chosen it partly because I hadn’t been there
before, and partly because the airbnb we were staying in was a little old
apartment right on the town square, and I liked the idea of being able to walk
out the door and be part of village life. It also meant if we wanted to go out
for dinner and fully appreciate the local wines (if you know what I mean) we
wouldn’t have to drive home. It was a perfect choice.
Greve in Chianti from the balcony
The apartment was in a building right on
the square (built in 1714!), it had a balcony which was shady in the afternoon,
and the perfect place to relax and watch the world go by. The restaurants in
the square were good, excellent truffle pasta, of course, (I know this because
I ate it practically everyday) and only a short drive away in Montefiorale was
an amazing restaurant - Ristorante la Castellana, where we had one of the best
meals of our trip.
Actually, just to digress, Montefioralle
was the most beautiful hill town we went to in Tuscany. I hadn’t actually heard
of it before and we only went there for the restaurant, but it was truly stunning.
I spent most of my time walking around trying to work out how we could move
there permanently. It was a magical place, timeless, elegant, pleasing in all
ways. And apparently it was the birthplace of Amerigo Vespucci. Who knew?
Montefioralle
Greve was a perfect home base, and after
days of walking and sight seeing it felt lovely to just be. The apartment was
above a butcher shop which is quite famous in the area, and quite unlike any
butcher shop I’d been in before. We bought various cured meats from them, and
local tomatoes and bread and wine from the supermarket to eat on out patio.
Along with a good book each afternoon, it was a perfect place to relax, Over
the top of the potted geraniums, I could watch bus loads of hot tourists being
shown around the square (my square!). I felt a bit like a local (a lazy local,
but still).
The famous butcher's shop in Greve
But of course, there’s a lot to see in
Tuscany, and we had hired a car, so I couldn’t let it be days and days of
sitting, enjoying ourselves. No! back out there. A day driving the S222
(beautiful tourist drive right through the heart of Tuscany) stopping at
whatever little hill towns took out fancy, and a day trip to Siena.
(see part 2)
