Through sheer Tetris skills, we were able to fit all 14 of us plus luggage into 4 cars. So grateful I didn't have to take a bunch of trains/busses to get to Tuscany and instead shared a car with Theo, Samar, Diego and Kristen. Thanks!!
The ride was about 3.5 hours, with a stop for gas (how are the gas station cappuccinos better than any regular ones in Canada?!) and then lunch at Eataly! So glad I went all the way to Italy to eat at a restaurant they have in Toronto 😅. My pasta took a million years to be made but in the end, it was one of the best "highway dining" experiences I have had.
Diego introduced me to a new game that entertained us back seaters for the rest of the trip - the movie game. Alternating between movie and then an actor/actress in that film with no repeats, you try to stump the other people. My kinda game. Kudos to John who later on at the villa one evening gave me a run for my money with his mad movie skillz!
We arrived in Poggibonsi, a small town about an hour away from Florence in the late afternoon and I was blown away by our air bnb. It was a villa, with gorgeous backgrounds of vineyards and Tuscan hills and a beautiful pool to ourselves. I swear, this has been the fanciest trip I've ever been on.
Churches, Swords and Fooooood
Today we visited the abby of Saint Galgano, an old church which houses the original "Sword in the Stone". I only knew of the Arthurian legend but apparently it was derived from this one (ah, cultural appropriation). In this story, an Italian knight (Galgano) decided to denounce his murderous and violent ways and become a good, peaceful and religious man. He sheathed his sword in a rock in defiance so that no more violence would be shed. He then helped poor/sick people and became a Saint. The end. More or less.
We entered into the cathedral portion first and walked around the ruins in awe. We even saw a group of scientists/archeologists who were doing an excavation outside the building. We walked up a giant hill (inappropriate footwear strikes again!) to see the small church where the sword is.
Next, we visited the town of Siena. It's a gorgeous sand coloured town surrounded by the Tuscan countryside. We grabbed lunch with a view and wandered the town for a bit. Gelato was obviously had (ginger & honey, mixed berry).
After lounging at the pool and refreshing ourselves, we headed to dinner in Poggibonsi. While some were super amped for their MASSIVE steaks, I was blown away by a charcuterie board and some delicious cheese ravioli. After we stuffed ourselves, gelato was obviously had (strawberry).
San Gimignano, Wine & a Home Cooked Meal
We needed a sleep-in morning, but we rallied and Lauren and I joined up with Theo and Samar to check out the walled city of San Gimignano. I had been there once before back in my 2010 Italy trip, so it was nice to wander the streets again. We bought a few souvenirs, felt it was too crowded with tourists and left after about an hour or so. Gelato not had.
After naps and pool hangs, we headed off to a wine tour. This was my favourite part of the trip so far. It was at a gorgeous agrotoruismo (Matt had stayed there before) and we sampled four of their wines alongside some cheese, olives, meats and breads. I ended up purchasing my two bottles of wine to bring home from here, as well as some amazing homemade olive oil.
<wine tour>
Theo, who is a personal chef, treated us to a home-cooked meal for dinner. Nick, who is apparently an undiscovered charcuterie wizard, treated us to one gorgeously large and impressive spread. Both were super delicious and we were so grateful for it!
We took it easy the rest of the night (more or less) as we were all shuffling off to different destinations the next morning. I am so glad to have met and bonded with this group of people. I was quite nervous joining up with people who were paired up and already friends (thanks covid induced social anxiety), but it turned out that we all meshed so well (and not everyone knew everyone like I originally thought). Everyone was able to bring something to the group and people were so kind and accepting. Sometimes you get lucky with people and this was definitely one of those times. I'll never forget the laughter and good times with this crew, thanks Matt & Laura for bringing us all together. 💕✌️
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