Three weeks near Arezzo
Flew from Bari through Rome to Firenze and rented a car — about 1 hr 10 min to the villa. While we’ve been to Tuscany many times, this was our first time in the eastern part.
A hilltop villa in a tiny medieval village in the Valdarno, between Florence and Arezzo. Vini Guerrini — a working winery — is literally next door at Via Querceto 24. The rest of Tuscany is within an hour’s drive.
Local food, great pizzas, incredible views of the valley.
We didn’t make it to Vini Guerrini next door, but found this winery instead, about 2km away on the other side of the village (likely related). Small, but excellent production.
An hour away. Walked the town and took in the gorgeous views of the Val d’Orcia — some of the most beautiful vistas in Italy. Have lunch at La Pecora Bianca at Podere Spedalone, Strada per Cosona SP71, 53026 Pienza (+39 0578 749515): local cured meats and Pecorino di Pienza, homemade pasta from ancient grains, homemade dessert — and splurge on the Bistecca Fiorentina add-on. It was amazing.
A quick trip to San Gimignano for lunch with Dave’s Italian tutor Alic and her partner Jiri at Ristorante La Mandragola, Via Diacceto 23, 53037 San Gimignano (+39 0577 940377).
Greve, the central town in the Chianti region and home to Giovanni Verrazzano, first European to explore the Atlantic coast between Florida and Newfoundland in 1524. A Saturday morning market, a walk up the hills for the bella vista, lunch and an aperitivo before checking into Albergo Casa al Sole, Viale Vittorio Veneto 82, 50022 Greve in Chianti (+39 055 854 6429). That evening, a tour of the Verrazzano castle and a wine-tasting dinner.
A quick day trip, about 20 minutes from the villa. Lunch at Essenza, excellent, on the main piazza. Piazza Grande 16, 52100 Arezzo (+39 340 106 6544, darioeanna.it).
Perched on a hilltop between Arezzo and Siena, Gargonza is a beautifully preserved medieval borgo — 13th-century origins, remnants of ancient walls, a crenellated tower, and a Romanesque church. Then on to Lucignano, the “pearl of Valdichiana,” a hilltop village renowned for its unique elliptical layout of concentric ring roads, intact for centuries.
Dear family friends, the Moriconi family, whom we visit every time we’re in Italy. Lunches at Casa di Nonni (the house of the grandparents), aperitivi, and two nights at Bed & Breakfast La Zagara. Final dinner with friends at Ristorante il Centauro + b’art, Piazza del Centauro 1, 55045 Pietrasanta (+39 328 448 6975).
A day trip, about an hour from the villa. The lowlands around Chiusi house numerous troves of tombs from the Etruscan civilization; the Etruscan Museum of Chiusi is one of the most important repositories of Etruscan remains in Italy. Lunch at La Solita Zuppa, Via Porsenna 21, 53043 Chiusi (+39 0578 21006) — highly recommended.