Sail Back: Touring Tuscany

October is a wonderful time to explore the rolling countryside and deep vineyards of Tuscany. Vendemmia is in full swing as the wineries of the region harvest the grapes to make the delicious Chianti and Montepulciano wines. Mark and I explored the area in October 2012 with the use of a hire car and a single map of Tuscany.

Flying into Pisa airport we quickly located the hire car and set off with our map in hand. Our destination was the agiturismo Borgo Casa Al Vento, a working winery with a few boutique rooms and a specialist wine spa in Gaoile in Chianti.

Borgo Casa al Vento

Once off the motorway we were treated to spectacular views of the Tuscan countryside, it's rolling hills and line upon line of vines fit to bursting with flavours which have put Tuscany on the map. We had to stop as we caught sight of a stunning villa across the valley, which was illuminated by a rainbow. We were stopped in our tracks, and we later discovered the Villa Vistarenni is a favourite on postcards and calendars in the area.

Arriving at the winery, we were warmly greeted by the team and shown to our room, which was typically furnished and had a beautiful view of the tall Cypreese and the valley below. No TV and very weak internet allowed us to really switch off, enjoy the wine and the delicious food punctuated by walks among the vines and reading on the lawn.

Helping to sort the grapes

On our first night we were treated to wild boar and a dessert of red wine panna cotta which simply blew my mind and I've been searching for closer to home ever since.The best bit was seeing the winery in action and even helping to sort the grapes, picking out the bad ones before they get pressed.

The wines produced by the winery were called Aria and Gaoile and we spent our afternoons nipping to the co-op in the village to pick up essentials for lunch, then relaxing in the afternoon sunshine with a good book (I was reading Peter Mayle's A Good Year) and a bottle of wine.

Radda in Chani

A short and windy drive from Gaoile was Radda in Chianti. Perched on a hill above the vines, the town was blessed with panoramic views and cobbled streets, each bend more beautiful that the last. We enjoyed a drink in a local bar with a tiny window that hinted at the view beyond, before an alfresco dinner in a shady courtyard - quintessential Tuscany!

An evening in Radda In Chianti

On our final day, we checked out early and started a three city tour in one day to make the most of the car hire before our late flight home.

Siena

We started the day in Siena, about 15km from Gaoile in Chianti. The hilly city is dominated by its narrow streets and tall buildings which make you feel very small. We stopped by the Piazza del Campo where horses race twice a year for the Palio di Siena. There was no racing there that day, just the autumnal sunshine.

Siena

We walked the steep steps to the Duomo, which was simply stunning. This was the first Duomo I'd seen in such a style (similar to Milan and Florence); I could have looked at it all morning. We grabbed a pizza slice from a nearby vendor and munched through the hot bread and cheese before heading back to the car.

Duomo di Siena

Sam Gimignano

Our next stop was the picturesque city of Sam Gimignano; the city of towers. Though very small, San Gimignano draws a lot of crowds for its panoramic views and medieval architecture. The town was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990.

Piazza della Cisterna, Sam Gimignano

We wandered the streets and had lunch in Piazza della Cisterna whilst watching the world go by. Afterwards, we sampled the world famous gelato from Gelateria Dondoli on the steps of the Duomo before exploring the town more, winding down streets and enjoying the views. Before long we were passing back through the gates of the city and off to our final stop Pisa.

Endless Tuscan Views

Pisa

The sun was beginning to set as we pulled into a car park in Pisa, beside the walls of the Piazza del Duomo. Home the Pisa's most famous sight, the leaning tower of Pisa, the piazza was different to how I expected it to look - it was wide, flat and grassy with the Baptistry, tower and church all in close quarters. The sun was casting a beautiful glow and we indulged in taking some touristy photos with the tower before grabbing a quick dinner at the first reasonable place we could find on Via Santa Maria before getting the car back to the airport.

Mark and I at the leaning tower of Pisa

We had an amazing time exploring the Tuscan landscapes and cities, and certainly wet our appetite for discovering more of Italy's wine regions, which would eventually see us living in Barolo country.

Other blogs from the Sail Back series:

• Sail Back: Zakynthos
• Sail Back: Marmaris
• Sail Back: Bruges

Florence

30 May - 3 June

After a very scenic and comfortable train ride through the countryside we arrived in Florence before the morning was over.

Dreamy Tuscan villa

We had been to Tuscany a few years ago. We stayed at a winery in Gaiole in Chianti and visited Siena, Pisa and San Gimignano, falling utterly in love with the rolling hills and vineyards. This time we were only visiting Florence though and it felt more like a city than I was expecting. After a little wondering though, the Tuscan charm started to reveal itself in the small alleys and the wine.

Pretty houses on the banks of the Arno

Florence has a lot to offer art fans, and despite my not being able to tell my Michaelangelo from my DaVinci I tried to appreciate what I could. We made time to visit 'David' and the Duomo.

Duomo

One of the highlights for me was taking the walk across the river to Piazzele Michaelangelo for a stunning panoramic view of the city and the surrounding countryside. On a quieter corner of the square was stared out to the hills listening to the birds a sing in the olive grove below. It was a peaceful moment in a city that was bursting with tourists!

View of Florence

One morning to went for a run in the park nearly. It was a Sunday and full with families walking, runners, cyclists and kids learning to ride their bike. On one side there was a little fair and a market and it was nice to find a slice of local life. I'm really starting to enjoy getting off the tourist path and finding more day to day things to fill our time. I even had a chance to make dinner at our bed and breakfast which was lovely after 3 months of eating out. Its not long now until we finish our travels and start living as au pairs and I'm excited to pack my bag away and settle in for a couple of months.

After our run, we had earned our gelato, and sat in the sun in Piazza Della Repubblica wolfing down cheesecake and snickers flavour whilst watching the carousel spin and sing.

Carousel in the square

One of the finds of our trip to Florence was a Latin bar called Eby's. Its a short walk from the Duomo but serves amazing smoothies and burritos. Mark and I love Mexican food and the burritos made for a great change from pasta and pizza! Be warned though they are huge! "This burrito is delicious but it is filling!"

On our last day we picked up some postcards across the river from Ponte Veccio and enjoyed some more aimless wanderings around this pleasant city! Before we knew it we were back at the train station waiting for our train to Bologna!

Chao

Despite the fact I'm moving to Vietnam in a little over a months time, tonight I am taking my first lesson in Italian.

"Italian?!" I hear you cry.

Yes, dear reader.

You see, whilst I will have little use for Italian in Vietnam, (though I have been assured there is at least one Italian restaurant in the Mekong Delta) learning Italian is something I have wanted to do ever since I first visited Rome and began my love affair with the country in 2010. And believe it or not, I think now is actually the BEST time for me to start. Here's why:

1. I am about to start a new life an a teacher of English as a foreign language. I have almost no knowledge of Italian beyond the menu in Pizza Express and the phrase "bel far niente" which I learnt reading Eat Pray Love. With this in mind, I think it will be a great experience to be in the shoes of the student right before I become the teacher, refreshing my memory of the complex world of language and learning.

2. My husband and I would love to be able to end our time travelling by spending as long as we can in Italy. When we visited a Tuscan vineyard for a few days in 2012 we managed to squeeze seeing Sienna, San Gimignano and Pisa into one day en route to the airport in our hire car. It was one crazy day, but it gave us a taste of the Italian countryside, and left us hungry for more. With our TEFL qualification and some experience we might even be able to find work as teachers! I bet the Italian language classes will be useful then.

3. Why not? I am in the full swing of operation-pack-up and I will very soon run out of things to do. I've already worked out how many cups of tea I need to drink to get through this pack! Having something new and fun to learn will help me relax. I don't want to be waiting and planning things my entire life and this is one thing I can do now.

So there it is. I'm a British girl, moving to Vietnam, starting to learn Italian. (I am also learning Vietnamese too; Chào actually means hello in Vietnamese; Ciao is the Italian.)

Now, watch this amazing clip from the IT Crowd, which I think pretty accurately shows what I'll be like trying to use my Italian skills!