When it comes to traveling in Europe, I have a lot on my bucket list. Spending two whole weeks in a Tuscan villa was one of them. Last summer we were able to spend a couple weeks in Provence and it was magical to say the least, so we wanted to recreate that feeling this summer in Italy. We have been to Tuscany before but really looked forward to spending much more time in the region. There’s just something so nice about unpacking in one place for a while and really feeling settled. It’s that feeling like you live there now but also don’t have any real responsibilities. LOL  In this post I’ll be sharing some photos and what we did each day. I’ll follow up with more about the restaurants, vineyards, and villages in a future post. I have so much to share and in doing so hope that it might help you plan your own Tuscan holiday or maybe just inspire you to incorporate a little “Italian summer” into your every day.  

On a rainy Friday morning we loaded our rental car and with Lola in the backseat we began our journey from The Netherlands to Italy, eager for a sunny summer holiday. Yes, we drove all the way from Amsterdam to Tuscany! Because we live in Europe we have the unique ability to drive and therefore can bring a few creature comforts from home that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to bring if we were flying from the states (mainly Lola, of course). It was a long drive but it allowed us to stop in Germany there and back and spend an evening in a couple towns we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to enjoy.

On the way to Italy we spent the night in Freiburg, Germany. We had lovely evening weather and enjoyed walking around and seeing the old town. A proper German dinner of schnitzel and bratwurst accompanied by local beer was the perfect comfort food combo. There happened to be a wine festival going on so we found a picnic table and enjoyed a crisp glass of white wine, listened to the live music, chatted with locals, and watched the church lights come on as the sun went down. Lola was the best girl, of course (shoutout to Courtyard By Marriott for making our stay with Lola extra welcoming).

We left early Saturday morning and arrived at our villa just in time to see our first Tuscan sunset. They do not disappoint! After a helpful tour of the villa from the owner’s son we settled in and unpacked. It felt wonderful to fill my own antique armoire with my linen dresses and espadrilles, knowing that we were “home” for the next two weeks. We brought some dry pasta and tomatoes with us for an easy dinner and were delighted to find our hosts had stocked the fridge with bottled water, wine, beer, sodas, and juice. 

For the rest of this post, I’m going to outline our daily itinerary for you to give you an idea of how we spent our time. It’s tough to squeeze two weeks into a single blog post, so as I mentioned before, I’ll be sharing more photos and going into much more detail in subsequent posts. 

Sunday – We made a grocery list and went to the local Coop to stock up. I always love exploring grocery stores in new places. They’re a wonderland of surprises. We found the largest artichoke hearts I’ve ever seen and they were so good we went back for more. After returning from the grocery store we spent the rest of the afternoon lounging by the pool. It’s quite hot in Tuscany in the summer so having a pool was a tremendously appreciated luxury. Our vitamin D deprived bodies were in heaven.

Monday – We drove to the town of Foiano de Chiana to check out the market and grab coffee. Unfortunately this was the first of a few disappointing markets. I think I got very spoiled by the amazing markets in Luberon last summer. I’m convinced nothing compares to the outdoor markets in the south of France. But we enjoyed walking around the sleepy village of Foiano de Chiana and had a delicious apricot filled croissant and cappuccino. It was one of the best breakfast pastries I’ve ever had. We drove back to the villa for lunch, pool time, and dinner al fresco.

Tuesday – We explored the village of Poppi, which is really adorable. We toured the amazing castello there followed by a lovely lunch with a view at La Quolina. Our afternoon was spent back at the villa pool followed by another dinner al fresco. 

Wednesday – On this day we decided to visit Siena, the hottest place in Europe (ok maybe not but it definitely feels like it – LOL). It was every bit as hot as I remembered from a previous trip but still gorgeous all the same. We saw a market, had coffee and cornetti, and walked around the Piazza del Campo. A couple of ice cold beers to cool down led to some shopping and lunch at Pretto Prosciutteria. We stopped at the grocery store on our way back to the villa to enjoy more pool time and dinner. By this point we had a pretty solid tan!

Thursday – One of my favorite villages to visit was Certaldo. We rode the funicular up to the old town and had coffee and croissants with a spectacular view. After exploring around we drove to the Antinori nel Chianti Classico Vineyard for lunch with a vineyard view at Rinuccio 1180. So good! After a little rest at the villa we took Lola to Arezzo and enjoyed exploring and having dinner in the piazza.

Friday – We never left the villa. I began the day with coffee by the pool and ended it with wine on the terrace. Truly a day that epitomizes the term “holiday.” Highly recommend it.

Saturday – We drove to Cortona, the village from Under The Tuscan Sun. I did not expect it to be so high in elevation. You can see for miles all around. We enjoyed breakfast with Lola here and then made our way over to Montepulciano for lunch. We sipped aperol spritz under the shade of an umbrella and devoured two pizzas at Re Al Quadrato. I did a little shopping and we drove back to the villa. Dinner this evening was at the ever elegant Il Borro Toscana. 

Sunday – We came to Panzano for the sole purpose of meeting a culinary icon. We had reservations at Dario Cecchini’s (of Netflix’s Chef’s Table fame)and it could not have been more fun and delicious. There’s so much to say that I’ll be putting it into another post. Dario is a delight and his beef is spectacular. “Carne diem,” as he likes to say! Panzano was also very charming and had the best market we saw in Tuscany. I would definitely go back and explore further (and eat at Dario’s again)!

Monday – We spent another entire day at the villa, soaking up the sun. We decided to spend the evening in Florence, Paul’s favorite city in all of Europe. It was just as romantic as I remembered. We even took a taxi with Lola riding at my feet. Only in Italy!

Tuesday – We began the day with a wine tasting and “snack” at Frescobaldi. The tour ended up being private as the other couple had canceled and we enjoyed our snack in a cozy and beautiful room just the two of us. The snack was more than enough food for lunch and was paired with 3 glasses of Frescobaldi wine.

Wednesday – This was one of my favorite days simply for the incredible lunch experience we had at Villa San Michele. Everything about it exudes elegance. The food and wine were uniquely exquisite. While seated on a large veranda, we had an unobstructed view of all of Florence. It could not have been more perfect. I’m very excited to share more about this experience with you in my next post.

Thursday – Another day spent at the villa enjoying the pool. 

On Friday we drove away from the villa for the last time. I was sad to leave but happy to know we’d be back home in Amsterdam soon. On the way back we spent the night in Heidelberg, Germany. It felt only right to bookend the trip with more schnitzel! We did some exploring after dinner, seeing the old bridge and castle. It was quite a lively evening and the weather was great, even a bit chilly! 

Now that we are back in Amsterdam, I’m living off the photos and videos I took. Tuscany is magical and I look forward to going back. Check the blog soon for more about each day above!

As always, thank you for stopping by!

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xo – Erin

A Recap of Our Two Week Holiday in Tuscany appeared first on CathedralsandCafes.com. If you see this content published anywhere else, please email cathedralsandcafes@gmail.com.

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