Major backlog.. whooooops! Nowadays, I rediscovered my love for Sex and the City and watched everything again. Now I'm addicted and I have forgotten to write... Lazy Saturday afternoon in Rome, so here I go.
Monteriggioni is a town in Italy's Chianti region set atop a hill... or so I think. It's a walled city that features a 10 metre - high wall with 14 towers. The town is tiny. It's so tiny that it would really be surprising if people did not even know their neighbors. If you do not decide to eat here, 30 - 45 minutes would be enough to walk around. But the view is breath taking so I strongly suggest, you pay €1,50 euros to climb the wall and take some pictures.
The town sells the region's wines and great smelling leather goods! You can do a little shopping here if you want to.
Oh and if you're wondering about the title.. different translations of the word "small". Talk about creativity.
18 September 2010
15 September 2010
Badia, short for Abazzia
Badia, as my title says is short for abazzia which translates to abbey in the English language. We visited a couple of "Badias" during our Tuscan trip. But let me talk about my most favorite one, a town called Badia di Passignano. From Lucca, you go past Florence and into the Chianti reagion... I think. haha In this trip I basically just sat at the back, listened to my parents navigate, and sleep. So directions would not be my forte in this one.
Anyhoo, we basically just took pictures and ate at one of the town's 3 restaurants. Passignano is a town whose center is an abbey, hence the name Badia di Passignano. The town is surrounded by gorgeous vineyards which the monks, in the middle ages up to when they got tired (hahaha... I'm not actually sure when they stopped) produced the wine the town used and sold outside as well.
Today, Badia di Passignano produces great wines sold all over Tuscany. The abbey (which I believe is Benedictine) is no longer open to the public because according to our waiter, the monks prefer to be left alone. This town has 3 restaurants and 15 inhabitants, 3 of which are the monks. Everybody else lives in towns a few minutes outside Passignano. Why? There's nothing to do there when you have no work.
Osteria di Passignano is the first of 3 restaurants you'll encounter in the town. Our plan was to have our aperitif here and move on to the next town. Fortunately, we were smart enough to decide to have lunch here instead. This Osteria is part of a cooking school and a wine shop. Visitors can decide to take wine tasting tours and afternoon cooking classes organized by the people running the place.
To start, visitors are given aperitif and a bread basket. Each one gets a plate of the best bread spreads in the Chianti Region. You're given 2 choices, the simple pomodoro (tomato) sauce or their very own olive butter made only from olives (DOI!!!!) without fats (daw!)... it was the best kind of non - butter, butter I tasted!
For lunch, I decided to share a Bistecca Fiorentina. I was told by many, especially my Italian teacher, to never leave the Tuscan region without trying their special bistecca fiorentina (typical tuscan cuisine)---porterhouse for normal people. This steak is supposedly melt - in - your - mouth type. It's expensive because of the part used of a certain breed of beef known as the Chianina. It's so easy to make that's why you find it in many restaurants around Italy, but finding a very good one is a difficult task. Mine, I give a 6 for the tough parts Mom was given. Dad had some Tuna carpaccio which he said was excellent. All the wines sold are made by the people in the town.
For dessert, we all had our coffee fix and we were served a hefty variety of biscuits and chocolates!
Passignano is a simple place. You visit for the view and for the food.
Check out my gallery for the pictures.
Anyhoo, we basically just took pictures and ate at one of the town's 3 restaurants. Passignano is a town whose center is an abbey, hence the name Badia di Passignano. The town is surrounded by gorgeous vineyards which the monks, in the middle ages up to when they got tired (hahaha... I'm not actually sure when they stopped) produced the wine the town used and sold outside as well.
Today, Badia di Passignano produces great wines sold all over Tuscany. The abbey (which I believe is Benedictine) is no longer open to the public because according to our waiter, the monks prefer to be left alone. This town has 3 restaurants and 15 inhabitants, 3 of which are the monks. Everybody else lives in towns a few minutes outside Passignano. Why? There's nothing to do there when you have no work.
Osteria di Passignano is the first of 3 restaurants you'll encounter in the town. Our plan was to have our aperitif here and move on to the next town. Fortunately, we were smart enough to decide to have lunch here instead. This Osteria is part of a cooking school and a wine shop. Visitors can decide to take wine tasting tours and afternoon cooking classes organized by the people running the place.
To start, visitors are given aperitif and a bread basket. Each one gets a plate of the best bread spreads in the Chianti Region. You're given 2 choices, the simple pomodoro (tomato) sauce or their very own olive butter made only from olives (DOI!!!!) without fats (daw!)... it was the best kind of non - butter, butter I tasted!
For lunch, I decided to share a Bistecca Fiorentina. I was told by many, especially my Italian teacher, to never leave the Tuscan region without trying their special bistecca fiorentina (typical tuscan cuisine)---porterhouse for normal people. This steak is supposedly melt - in - your - mouth type. It's expensive because of the part used of a certain breed of beef known as the Chianina. It's so easy to make that's why you find it in many restaurants around Italy, but finding a very good one is a difficult task. Mine, I give a 6 for the tough parts Mom was given. Dad had some Tuna carpaccio which he said was excellent. All the wines sold are made by the people in the town.
For dessert, we all had our coffee fix and we were served a hefty variety of biscuits and chocolates!
Passignano is a simple place. You visit for the view and for the food.
Check out my gallery for the pictures.
I continue to go beyond the Tuscan sun
There are way too many places to be visited in Tuscany. To make our lives easier (note that we did not pack lightly since I have to spend a month in Rome before I finally get settled in Milan for school!), we decided to pick cities for home base. For this trip, we spent a night in Lucca, 2 nights in Radda (in Chianti) and 2 nights in Montepulciano--a special place for you vampire fans.
Lucca
North of Pisa, it'll take you another 1 hour and 25 minutes to get to this place. But because we were guided by the MOST BRILLIANT GPS system *insert sarcasm here* called the TOMTOM, it took us about 3 hours.
Horrible experience. If you do decide to visit Lucca... actually, let me change my sentence to: If you decide to visit Italy and rent a car, research well about your hotel. In small towns like Lucca, make sure you know where the nearest parking lot is. Otherwise, you'd have to drag your luggage through the cobbled streets and fight with the crazy pedestrians as you look for your bed space.
Warning about Tuscan towns--- many streets are for pedestrian only, and the streets are narrower than ever. Tips? PACK LIGHT or if impossible try the following:
- rent a small car
- be a good traveller and RESEARCH!
To cut the story short, our bed & breakfast was not in the address given to us. When we finally got in touch with the owner, he told us we had to walk 30 minutes to get to it-- no way was I doing this with 5 pieces of luggage! And there was no internet connection (a pre-req when traveling with Dad). So we found the first hotel recommended by Frommer's, Hotel Ilaria. Thank god for Frommer's.
Lucca
North of Pisa, it'll take you another 1 hour and 25 minutes to get to this place. But because we were guided by the MOST BRILLIANT GPS system *insert sarcasm here* called the TOMTOM, it took us about 3 hours.
Horrible experience. If you do decide to visit Lucca... actually, let me change my sentence to: If you decide to visit Italy and rent a car, research well about your hotel. In small towns like Lucca, make sure you know where the nearest parking lot is. Otherwise, you'd have to drag your luggage through the cobbled streets and fight with the crazy pedestrians as you look for your bed space.
Warning about Tuscan towns--- many streets are for pedestrian only, and the streets are narrower than ever. Tips? PACK LIGHT or if impossible try the following:
- rent a small car
- be a good traveller and RESEARCH!
To cut the story short, our bed & breakfast was not in the address given to us. When we finally got in touch with the owner, he told us we had to walk 30 minutes to get to it-- no way was I doing this with 5 pieces of luggage! And there was no internet connection (a pre-req when traveling with Dad). So we found the first hotel recommended by Frommer's, Hotel Ilaria. Thank god for Frommer's.
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| Hotel Ilaria |
Lucca's a quaint but touristy town. Main sights you have to see are, of course, the Duomo where their main cathedral is, Duomo di San Martino. Italy's known for their Piazzas or their town/city squares. Lucca has one of the best in the country. Piazza dell'Anfiteatro is worth a visit during the day and especially during the night. It's surrounded by many restaurants where you can have good food and people watch! Piazza de San Michele houses one of the most beautiful churches.. actually a basilica, I've seen called the San Michele. And of course, Lucca's Torre delle Ore or The Clock Tower--- nothing fancy. It's just a big tower with a clock, but old--- so pictures are a must.
Mom made reservations at the Buca di Sant'Antonio for dinner. Great pastas and wine! One of the oldest and best retaurants in town. About 12 - 20 euros per person, if I remember right. Oh and their chocolate mousse was to die for. A tip I can give is probably to suggest you be seated upstairs. Where we sat (basement) was way too stuffy! Took pictures, but the quality is not so good. whatever.. check if you're curious.
And the highlight of this stop was breakfast at the hotel's breakfast nook. I can't find words to describe it because I feel giving descriptions is not really my thing, just check out the gallery. Best breakfast yet.
Lucca and Hotel Ilaria gallery is here.
09 September 2010
Italy Day by Day
Before I forget, this is the book I read and will be reading for my entire stay in Italy... One of the best travel guides yet.. Frommer's Italy Day by Day includes hotels, retos, museums, shopping areas, and MAPS!!!
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image from: http://blog.travelmuse.com |
08 September 2010
Beyond the Tuscan Sun
Thank you Mom for the title...
This trip has been a dream come true for me. Since the first movie I saw that was set in Tuscany, I have done nothing but dream about visiting this region-- I swear, it surpassed all my expectations.
Multiply the beauty on screen by infinity... that's Tuscany for you! + good wine + good food + good weather + parents (lol) = WOW!!!
My Dad did the planning this time. Thanks to Karen Brown's personal itinerary for us, we were able to get through our 6 days contented, happy, and 50lbs heavier!
note: her itinerary only includes the suggested places that her staff has visited. restaurants and wineries are Delgado finds and some are from books we bought.
Dad planned the trip extensively. He downloaded updated Italian maps and inputted our entire trip into his trusty GPS system. (yup, he's that psycho about traveling!)
The 6 - day vacation that was planned for at least 2 months, went by so quickly, I wish I had a rewind button!
DAY 1
From Milan, Mom and I met Dad in Florence to rent our car. Challenge #1: Our trusty GPS was left in our Amsterdam hotel!!!!!!!
Solution? I went back to Avis to rent a GPS system. The nice Italian woman said to me: I'm sorry we no have. I only give you TomTom So we drove with TomTom. (reviews on this to come)
Pisa
This place is approximately an hour and 25 minutes away from Florence. I didn't really want to visit knowing that there would be a gazillion tourists flocking this falling building, but mother knows best!
I give the place 3 stars... because, no matter how much you hate doing the touristy stuff, you still have to do it. And the view is gorgeous! In places like Pisa where you're sure tour buses will stop--and you're on a budget (but you want good food), visit the small streets or eat away from the hoard.. get lost! It's the best way to find that whole - in - the - wall restaurants.
Pisa deserves another * for entertaining me! As I said, it is a touristy place to go and do touristy stuff.. so, I saw a lot of people doing texactly that!! 95% of the people surrounding the tower had their pictures taken as if they were leaning, catching, etc the building... the cliche Pisa picture.
Even my Mom decided to embarrass me and have one taken of her leaning on the tower! And note that this was so hard to take, because these pictures take time, but around the tower, there are just way too many people, it's almost close to impossible to take time and take a perfect one... without members of the hoard in your picture... :p
More of Pisa?
Day 1: to be continued...
This trip has been a dream come true for me. Since the first movie I saw that was set in Tuscany, I have done nothing but dream about visiting this region-- I swear, it surpassed all my expectations.
Multiply the beauty on screen by infinity... that's Tuscany for you! + good wine + good food + good weather + parents (lol) = WOW!!!
My Dad did the planning this time. Thanks to Karen Brown's personal itinerary for us, we were able to get through our 6 days contented, happy, and 50lbs heavier!
note: her itinerary only includes the suggested places that her staff has visited. restaurants and wineries are Delgado finds and some are from books we bought.
Dad planned the trip extensively. He downloaded updated Italian maps and inputted our entire trip into his trusty GPS system. (yup, he's that psycho about traveling!)
The 6 - day vacation that was planned for at least 2 months, went by so quickly, I wish I had a rewind button!
DAY 1
From Milan, Mom and I met Dad in Florence to rent our car. Challenge #1: Our trusty GPS was left in our Amsterdam hotel!!!!!!!
Solution? I went back to Avis to rent a GPS system. The nice Italian woman said to me: I'm sorry we no have. I only give you TomTom So we drove with TomTom. (reviews on this to come)
Pisa
This place is approximately an hour and 25 minutes away from Florence. I didn't really want to visit knowing that there would be a gazillion tourists flocking this falling building, but mother knows best!
I give the place 3 stars... because, no matter how much you hate doing the touristy stuff, you still have to do it. And the view is gorgeous! In places like Pisa where you're sure tour buses will stop--and you're on a budget (but you want good food), visit the small streets or eat away from the hoard.. get lost! It's the best way to find that whole - in - the - wall restaurants.
Pisa deserves another * for entertaining me! As I said, it is a touristy place to go and do touristy stuff.. so, I saw a lot of people doing texactly that!! 95% of the people surrounding the tower had their pictures taken as if they were leaning, catching, etc the building... the cliche Pisa picture.
Even my Mom decided to embarrass me and have one taken of her leaning on the tower! And note that this was so hard to take, because these pictures take time, but around the tower, there are just way too many people, it's almost close to impossible to take time and take a perfect one... without members of the hoard in your picture... :p
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| Mom doing her tourist pose |
More of Pisa?
Day 1: to be continued...
And I Begin...
So...
I've been blessed to have the opportunity to travel abroad since the age of 7. And because of this, at a very early age I dreamt of 1 day being able to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world-- living their culture and expanding mine. Now, thanks to my parents, I am currently living that dream and have officially moved to Milan, Italy to study. School begins in 2 weeks. Meaning, I'm still on vacation for the next 2 weeks! Vacation first, before the real brain work begins.... :p
I spent 1 week in Florence and the North and South of Tuscany, hence the expect that the next few entries will exactly be about my days there.
That's all for now..
xo
I've been blessed to have the opportunity to travel abroad since the age of 7. And because of this, at a very early age I dreamt of 1 day being able to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world-- living their culture and expanding mine. Now, thanks to my parents, I am currently living that dream and have officially moved to Milan, Italy to study. School begins in 2 weeks. Meaning, I'm still on vacation for the next 2 weeks! Vacation first, before the real brain work begins.... :p
I spent 1 week in Florence and the North and South of Tuscany, hence the expect that the next few entries will exactly be about my days there.
That's all for now..
xo
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