Tags
countryside, family travel, Italy, road trip, San Gimignano, Siena, Tuscany, Volterra
There have been many contenders, but currently perched untouchably atop the podium of road trip competitors is Tuscany. I consider myself a bit of a driving tour connoisseur, having motored through almost every state in the mainland U.S. and all but a few countries in western, central, and eastern Europe. My top criteria for road trip nirvana are all met in Tuscany: smaller roads, little traffic, eye-popping vistas around every corner, and one after another enchanting hill town just often enough to get out and stretch the legs.
Our own little corner of the Tuscan countryside lies just outside the small town of Casole d’Elsa; like many other communities in the area, it’s a medieval hamlet up on a hill with a stone fort, narrow winding streets, and a variety of small shops, eateries, public buildings, and homes.
We can walk there from our pastoral lodging … or not. The Tuscan landscape encourages relaxation and just being, and we spend plenty of time with a bottle of wine, a few snacks, and a view of layered hills covered in spring flowers.
When we do stir, we have a panoply of other towns to visit, and first up is Volterra. A walled city of Etruscan origin, Volterra retains its city gates, an acropolis, and the foundations of ancient temples from that era, as well as the usual Roman ruins. We visit right after breakfast and ascribe our unanimous election of Volterra as our #1 hill town, in part, to that fact. There are few crowds, the town is spotlessly clean and well-cared for, and the views from the main piazza are swoon-worthy. We very much get the sense that the town belongs to its residents; while catering to tourists through shopping (mainly alabaster, the city’s chief product) and eating venues, Volterra feels very “real” and unperturbed by the infusion of visitors.
We leave Volterra by mid-morning for San Gimignano, a town we have very high hopes for given its uniqueness as the setting of multiple high towers that erupt from the rolling Tuscan knolls. Our anticipation builds as we pass a whimsical red sculpture encircling a view of the hills and, later, get a sneak peek at the walled town and its pillars from afar.
As we approach the triple-walled city (also from Etruscan times), we get our first inkling that this is no Volterra. We start to see large tour buses winding up the last few kilometers to town. We pass crowded parking lots and wonder why people are parking so far away. We inch closer in order to drop at least my parents at one of the main gates but fear we may never find them again amid the growing hordes of visitors.
San Gimignano has eight gates, a fact that will soon play a role in our small family group getting separated from each other. We end up parking in one of the lots we had just pooh-poohed and allow son T to walk into town while my parents and I wait for a shuttle bus. Big mistake. T enters the city at a different gate than the one we are dropped at, and we all, in our separate parts of this tourist madhouse of a town, wonder how this will all play out with no means of communication.
The two groups decide on their plans: our group of three takes the easy route and plops right down at a table near the main city gate and orders lunch. Group 2, the impatient T, ponders. He stays put for fifteen minutes at his gate, wanders nearby for another quarter hour, has a dawning of comprehension about the relative immobility of Group 1, then hightails it through the city to what he guesses is the main entrance. He is correct, and he finally approaches, panting and hot, just as lunch arrives. Disaster averted, but we’ve had an unlucky start in the Manhattan of medieval Tuscany.
Unlike its larger neighbor, Volterra, San Gimignano actually feels much busier and more populous. It is later in the day, and even the sleepy-headed tourists are up and out now, so part of the bigger feel here is likely due to the visiting crowds. Nevertheless, the architectural uniqueness adds to the big-city impression. From about 1200 AD on, San Gimignano became the site of two centuries’ worth of competition between its wealthiest families, with these rivals striving to build ever taller tower houses. By the end of the Medieval period, there were some 72 of these stone skyscrapers, and 14 of them remain today.
As we leave town after a long and crowded stroll, we question whether we should try to squeeze in another city visit today. Oh, hell … my parents are only in their mid-eighties; we might as well make them walk another few hours today! But really, there is no arm-twisting involved, and we set off for the largest place of the day: Siena.
As we enter the town, the streets are not crowded, and the tourists seem to have left for the day. We easily find a parking garage that says “Cathedral Parking.” Great luck – the church is, in fact, our main target this afternoon! We begin to walk in the direction of a few other people and marvel at our good fortune to be here at such a quiet, peaceful time.
Until we realize there really should be more people. And that the 5-minute walk Google maps has over-confidently promised us has now been going on for more like 12-15. We blame it on my mom and her slow-but-steady pace. Like many mothers, she is regularly accused of dallying, too much window shopping, not paying attention to signs, and anything else delaying progress, but she is actually not at fault today. No, it appears we have simply parked at the very far end of the city, and as we wend our way closer, other visitors do materialize, and we finally find ourselves in the large square in front of Siena’s imposing black-and-white striped cathedral.
We are too tired to really enjoy it. My dad finds it garish, and the rest of us think it’s okay. We are impressed with the stacking of the black and white marble to heights that seem unimaginable in the days it was built, and we very much like the chairs that are available for us to sit on. After a few minutes of taking in the now-familiar Catholic furnishings, we gather the energy (and my worried wits) to go back down (the slippery marble stairs with no handrail) into the square for another short rest before making the lengthy walk back to the car.
It’s been an exhausting day, but we make the short drive home and rally with a Tuscan toast. A plate of cheeses and breads, a bottle of very local red (right from the property), and a Vernaccia from San Gimignano are appropriate refreshments for the early evening, and we sit on our patio overlooking the hills we’ve driven all day. Tomorrow is another day in paradise, and we have no agenda. Either way – eventful or unhurried – we all find Tuscany to be the star of the trip.
awtytravels said:
Ah, driving in Toscana. Bliss. You ought to have ventured to Val d’Orcia just to the south… it’s even more “Tuscan”!
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lexklein said:
It was so blissful that I’m sure I’ll want to go back and do it all over again, and Val d’Orcia will be on the list!
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Anna said:
What a beautiful day in Tuscan paradise! This is a spot in Italy I haven’t explored yet, but I will have to!
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lexklein said:
I went into it with some snarky feelings, thinking oh, everyone raves about Tuscany; it can’t be THAT great. But it really was! It was just so relaxing (even though this day doesn’t sound like it!), and for someone who loves to tool along a country road, this was like heaven on earth.
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J.D. Riso said:
Some places were just made for road trips. That sounds like a very long day, though. It’s tough to restrain yourself from trying to see it all when you’re in such places, though.
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lexklein said:
This one was the queen of road trip locations. And contrary to how it sounds in writing, it wasn’t really that long a day. We are not early risers, so we had a normal wake-up time, a leisurely breakfast, very short drives between the towns, and just a couple of hours in each place. We were home by 5 or 5:30 even after all that! And we didn’t budge for a good long while afterward, having drinks on the patio and then staying right there for dinner. It was one of our favorite days of the trip. (But we are also crazy high-energy people, and we did feel like we wanted to see as much as humanly possible!)
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KD said:
Oh, I can see why you chose Tuscany. gorgeous photos.
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lexklein said:
So glad we added it to the trip – what a stunning place! And thank you!
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KD said:
🙂
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Mabel Kwong said:
Voleterra looks every bit the picturesque countryside town. I like that with good food, landscapes like these encourage relaxation as you said – and really walking around and taking in all that peacefulness. San Gimignano looks a bit more bustling and does have a strong medieval feel to it…all leading up to Siena. Hope everyone was okay walking. Exhausting it might be but sometimes you just have to go all out for the experience.
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lexklein said:
We are all big walkers so it wasn’t too stressful. It was more about expectations at the end; we just never imagined we’d parked so far away, and we always tend to bite off a little more than we should! Worth every last step, though!
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Dave Ply said:
I fear my one experience in Tuscany was while ensconced in one of those dreaded tourist buses. Alas, it was mostly drive through while admiring the landscape. We did enjoy the main square in Siena and try the local version of pizza – quite different than the American version. It was the first foreign trip I made with my now wife, I think we’re due for a return.
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lexklein said:
Ahh, so it was the likes of you clogging up those old towns! 🙂 We all start out our traveling lives doing things we might not do later, and I’m sure it was a fantastic introduction to Italy and overseas travel in general. You would really enjoy a trip back and a nice slow car trip through some of the places you saw from the tour bus.
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Alison and Don said:
I just about felt like I was there with you. Captivating storytelling – words and pictures both. We went to all three of these towns – but not all in one day! San Gimignano was relatively quiet for us. And I vaguely remember feeling like I wanted to see more of Sienna but not enough time.
Alison
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lexklein said:
I’m sure timing and season and who knows what else all converge to make a place special or not. We really liked all three cities, but that early quiet time in Volterra just hit the sweet spot for all of us that day. They were so close geographically that we didn’t really feel too pressed to see them all timewise, but we definitely got our walking in that day!
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restlessjo said:
San Gimigano and Sienna were on my wishlist too but with only 5 days in Florence it was impossible. In February they would have been much quieter. The Volterra pics look fabulous. Want to roll along with you Lexie xx
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lexklein said:
Next time, Jo! All those towns are so appealing; you just almost can’t go wrong. Any plans to go back to Italy someday for you? That was my second trip (which I was reluctant to even do), and now I want more!
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restlessjo said:
I still need to see Rome but I don’t have anything planned xx
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Kate@VanhaTaloSuomi said:
I lived in Italy for a couple years – I may have said that once or twice? hmmm
oh well. I sure remember all those places well and so many others. I did a lot of driving all around the country while I was there 🙂
Sounds like your trip was full – did everyone have a good time?
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lexklein said:
I think I do remember that! The driving was just so easy and picturesque; I could go back right now and keep on motoring. We all had a fantastic time. It was my 80-something parents and my mid-20s son, and we all enjoyed everything about the trip.
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Manja Mexi Movie said:
Oh! Is this theoretically spoken or are you here right now? I hope it’s in the past tense because today it’s HOT. After a relative freshness due to much more rain than this time last year, the last few days have been scorchers. I’m happily home awaiting my visiting uncle due tomorrow, hoping that he will prefer to watch World Cup than do hill town-hopping. And then I’m off to Slovenia for the summer with him.
You indeed did much in a day! I have not been to San Gimignano yet. Even though the towers appear interesting, I am in no hurry to experience the Manhattan of Tuscany. Volterra I loved very much and will return (I missed the amphitheatre the first time). I’m sorry you didn’t experience the entry into Siena by way of the Fortress near the Stadium. That’s where I always park and there is a lovely stroll into the city.
In any case, I see that you know exactly how to do Tuscany with the right accessories and am not worried. (Not that I was, knowing you.) Let’s meet in the middle one day.
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lexklein said:
No, sadly not there now, but here at home we are sweltering as well. Next time I will not have as many big-city stops to make (although there are a few more enticing me to come visit), so I’ll perhaps be more free to putter on over to your part of the country!
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Bama said:
What an adventure! Volterra looks like a true gem, San Gimignano’s towers still look impressive despite the crowds, and Siena’s cathedral… oh I love that black and white marble stripes! Reading about how all of you handled the situation in San Gimignano really well where common sense prevailed made me think of how the outcome would have looked very differently for some families. You know, I’ve heard and read about the beauty of Tuscany, but to be honest this post is one of very few articles that actually make me really want to go to that part of Italy. The question next will be whether or not I have enough time to explore those towns and cities on my first trip to the country (hopefully sooner than later!).
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lexklein said:
I’m glad my infatuation with the Tuscan countryside came through in the post. I’d read SO much about the beauty of that region, but all the hype almost made me not want to go. I could not be happier that I went, clearly, and I think the best part is that you can get a feel for Tuscany in as few or as many days as you like. Its location roughly between Rome and Florence also makes it a sensible stop for as long as you can on the way from one to the other. I do highly recommend a car, though, as half the fun is pulling over constantly to snap photos of the wildflowers, grab some cheese, buy some wine for later, etc. Hopefully sooner than later for you in Italy and me in Indonesia!
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Ryan Biddulph said:
Tuscany feels amazing. What a treasured treat, traveling through this beyond picturesque region. Definitely on my travel list.
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lexklein said:
It was even better than I anticipated. Definitely go if you get a chance!
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Green Global Trek said:
Lex, that was a delightful jaunt through the Tuscan countryside with you. We have all had our Voltera moments ~ beautiful spots that for some reason we leave on our quest to the next destination and then wish we had stayed longer. Thank you for introducing us to Voltera. Your parents are positively stoic. This post made us yearn for some time in italy.. maybe next year!
Really enjoyed all your photos, but the last one is particularly beautiful with the end of day light and the sense of relaxation after a long day of hard labor!
Ben & Peta
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lexklein said:
Thanks! You have had a similar chance to experience Europe’s pastoral countryside this summer, and I felt inspired by your journey, too. I always swear the light is different in the Italian and French (and I guess Swiss and Slovenian and …) countryside, but maybe it’s just the mix of plant life and sun and the fact that I’m in a summertime frame of mind!
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Liesbet @ Roaming About said:
I can’t believe you did three cities in one day with the whole family. Kudos to your parents. I’d struggle and I’m half their age. Volterra sounds and looks like a gem. Your photos are stunning as always, and make me want to return to Tuscany. I was there a very long time ago (when I was 16 and hitchhiked a ride into Italy with my boyfriend) and only explored Sienna of your threesome. Such a beautiful area. Your food and drink choices make me jealous. 🙂
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lexklein said:
My parents were troopers for sure! Italy is such an intoxicating mix of stunning scenery, history, and FOOD and wine … and it’s a draw for people young and old. I’m sure hitchhiking through it as a teenager and revisiting again in the future as an adult would both be highly memorable. Maybe next time you’re home in Belgium …?
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Liesbet @ Roaming About said:
Maybe. Certainly no time right now. 🙂 Whenever we come to Europe for months, it would be nice to do some sightseeing abroad.
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The Snow Melts Somewhere said:
So many places to see in Tuscany by car… and to end the day with lovely local food, yum! Tiring touring like that, but worth it, right? 🙂
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lexklein said:
There is pretty much nothing better than a busy day followed by a relaxing meal and glass of wine, and Tuscany delivered that daily!
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The Snow Melts Somewhere said:
With great weather, too 🙂
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lexklein said:
Miraculously, given my travel weather history! 😂
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twobrownfeet said:
I absolutely enjoyed reading this post, Lex! It made me smile. Travelling with family can be hard and you survived. 🙂 Your mum sounds like a good sport. I couldn’t get enough of those towering stone walls and I love cathedrals. Europe is so far from here. Thanks for taking me there virtually. 🙂
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lexklein said:
We definitely have different ease of access to our disparate parts of the world. I’m envious of your proximity to Asian destinations, but it is great to have Europe still be very reachable for us. Family travel can be stressful, especially with this span of generations (!) but we had a great time!
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twobrownfeet said:
I know exactly how you feel! 🙂 We want to explore as much as possible (while we’re here) and have access to this part of the world.
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Jolandi Steven said:
Wow, wow, wow, Lex! Your photographs are magnificent. I still dream of an Italian adventure one day, but for now, your words and pictures will have to suffice. And boy, do they just soothe my soul!
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lexklein said:
Thank you! I have to imagine your vistas in Portugal are pretty special, too. And come to think of it, you could follow up those countryside days with some pretty good food and wine there also!
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Cheryl Capaldo Traylor said:
Love the descriptions and photos. This post heightened my anticipation for my upcoming Italy trip! I’ll share this with my family. Paradise, indeed!
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lexklein said:
Oh, yes, you’ve got that to look forward to! It was just such a lovely interlude between Rome and Florence, a perfect little idyll for a few non-big city days. I forget exactly when you are going, but have fun!
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Cheryl Capaldo Traylor said:
I hope I have some of those little idylls, too! Thanks! Rome, Campo Di Giove, the border of Umbria and Tuscany, back to Rome.
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carolinehelbig said:
Oh what a beautiful post! I have been to San G and Sienna, but not Volterra. Looks like we missed a beauty. We stayed in the tiny town of Vinci (yes, birthplace of you know who) and home to a couple of the best mom and pop restaurants I’ve ever been to. This is making me long to return. So nice that you could share this with your family.
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lexklein said:
Thank you, Caroline! I’m a return traveler in general, always wanting to revisit places I’ve loved for a short time in order to get to know them more deeply. However, Tuscany seems like a place that would demand multiple returns; there are just so many great little towns to explore and new roads to traverse.
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Lydia said:
Tuscany is so charming and I definitely have to get there as soon as possible. Your pictures left me speechless. Is Tuscany a good summer destination?
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lexklein said:
Thanks for your nice comment. We were there in the late spring, and we found that to be an ideal me. It helped that the weather was perfect, but I think this season was likely much less crowded at summer would be. Hope you can get there someday!
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AndysWorldJourneys said:
looks like you’ve been having a wonderful time!
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lexklein said:
It was great, Andy! I’m off on a new adventure now, road tripping around New England in the US this time!
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Sue Slaght said:
We did a cycling trip in Tuscany which was astounding. We would love to return one day and do a road trip. Sigh…
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lexklein said:
I hear ya – so many places, so little time! And I always want to repeat, too!
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Bespoke Traveler said:
“The Tuscan landscape encourages relaxation and just being.” How true! One of the many reasons those lush rolling hills and tiny protected hamlets set inside massive defensive walls are my favorite parts of Italy. If one can escape from the crowds into the dimly lit corridors in the late afternoon, then stumble upon an open, empty gelato store…it’s perfect.
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lexklein said:
They are now one of my favorite parts as well! I just felt a delicious languor in Tuscany, in both the little towns and the countryside. In spite of my pre-trip skepticism, I now see why people wax euphoric over this part of the world.
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Tina Schell said:
I’m figuring your parents are very wealthy and you are sole recipient of their estate because obviously you are trying to kill them!!!! And clearly son T is a competitor for their money since you tried to lose him😊😊. Seriously, so enjoyed your story and as I am a huge fan of Tuscany I enjoyed every word and photo. Terrific post!!!
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lexklein said:
I laughed out loud – hard! – at your comments! No great wealth, 3 other siblings, and kids beyond T who might fight us all for any $, which my parents claim will all be happily spent before they take their leave! I did get many brownie points with my siblings for taking my parents overseas in general, so I’m banking on an extra nice rug or painting someday – haha!
I remember some of your fabulous Tuscany photos. Although mine are not in the same league, I do think the light there makes even an amateur like me look better than usual!
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LuAnn said:
This brought back such wonderful memories for me Lexi. After reading “Under the Tuscan Sun” several years ago, I romanticized renting a farmhouse should we ever visit Tuscany, so that is what we did, outside the little village of Castellina in Chianti. We visited Volterra twice as the first time was a “rain-out”. I loved the 4th-century BC Etruscan Arch. Siena and San Gimignano were also hill towns visited. Although our time in Tuscany presented us with some of our rainiest weather while in Italy, I still found it enchanting. I would have been very nervous about trying to find your son with all the tourists to wade through. Such lovely photos!
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lexklein said:
Believe it or not, your post on your farmhouse stay was one of the nudges I needed to finally put Tuscany on my list of places to see! I so clearly remembered that little stone house, and when I went back just now to re-read your Tuscany posts, I saw that I had indeed noted that I wanted to do something similar. As it turned out, most of the full house rentals were for a minimum of a week’s stay, so we opted to stay in a country inn that looked and felt like a villa but allowed shorter stays. We ended up loving it and our little town nearby. I enjoyed your write-ups all over again, especially since we went to so many towns in common!
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LuAnn said:
I doubt that you could go wrong with a farmhouse or country inn stay. How great to be able to share this trip with your family.
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lexklein said:
It was indeed! 🙂
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Lisa Dorenfest said:
How lovely to see you transformed from your pre-travel trepidation (‘Italy does not really float my boat’) to your ‘in the moment’ experience (‘my top criteria for road trip nirvana are all met in Tuscany’). And it is no wonder. Just look at these awesome pictures. After this, I am starting to worry that you will be bored island hopping with us in Madagascar. But while the landscapes and architecture might pale in comparison to Tuscany, I think that Madagascar’s people and the wildlife will capture your heart in the end.
But back to Tuscany. OMG!!! I adored every moment of this road trip. Picture #2333 is just begging me to drop what I am doing right now and move to Tuscany. The Captain is from Milano and lived in Tuscany for many years. But believe it or not, I have never been. How I would love to sail with Fabio there on Amandla in 2019. That would be a dream come true. But to him, Italy is ‘home’ and he is not ready to go ‘home’ just yet.
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lexklein said:
“… bored island hopping … in Madagascar” does not sound like a phrase that could be uttered by anyone! That will be so exotic for me that no western landscape or architecture could pull me away from that opportunity! But Tuscany is indeed a land of dreams, and I relaxed into it wonderfully for a few days. I’m sure you will get there eventually, and the good news is I bet it won’t change much. It’s already been ‘discovered,’ yet those medieval towns with their tiny old streets and stone everything still feel like places out of time. Meanwhile, enjoy all the truly undiscovered (by most) stuff you are surrounded with now! Can’t wait to see it myself!
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thefolia said:
Happy trails!
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lexklein said:
Thank you!
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Elaine Bryan said:
It was a fantastic tour of Tuscany, especially taken with Lexie and Tim!
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lexklein said:
I agree! Especially great with you and dad!
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Hoarder Comes Clean said:
What beautiful photos – and the air looks so clear! I haven’t been, but would love someday to go; some of my favorite early-Renaissance artists are from this area. Thank you for the taste of it (and you’re so lucky to get to take your parents)
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lexklein said:
Thanks! We were incredibly lucky with the weather; every day was sunny and clear and the temperatures were just right. Must have been my parents that brought the good fortune as bad vacation weather is almost a given for me! 🙂
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The Snow Melts Somewhere said:
Hello Lexi! Hope all is well? 🙂 You inspired my latest post so I thought I’d drop you a link: https://thesnowmeltssomewhere.wordpress.com/2018/07/23/returning/
(Pingbacks don’t seem to always work for me)
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lexklein said:
I will check it out! I’ve been falling behind on both posting and reading as I am taking lots of U.S. road trips this summer. I try to keep up with my faves (yours among them!), but often all I can muster lately is a Like! Hope to get to your new one this evening! Thanks for the heads-up.
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The Snow Melts Somewhere said:
Same here – the babes have started walking and it’s a whole new vall game!!! I’m eay behind on blogs – reading and writing!
Road trips sound fun though! There must be heaps to see in your very large country!! Hope to see photos later in posts!
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The Snow Melts Somewhere said:
Ps. If you ever decide to actually quit blogging, and if you feel like keeping in touch just for fun, you can find my email address in your wp-admin comments… or through my contact page 🙂 I’ve enjoyed meeting you, Lexi!
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lexklein said:
I don’t think I’ll immediately disappear, and your blog is one that I enjoy following, and you know that sometimes I have time for nice long comments and sometimes I don’t! I don’t feel any pressure about it. With some, I do for some reason. Likewise on future contact, an email address for me is on my About page.
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