Italy - A postcard from Tuscany

An Italian Escape

With Covid in abeyance and another health issue resolved it was time to head South for a week in Italy.

Bologna 17th May 2022

We chose the noble City of Bologna as our starting point and BA from LHR our carrier of choice. We had a shedload of BA credits from all our cancelled flights over the Winter so we even took checked luggage!

Really great to be landing in Italy and even better that they did not make us line-up in the 'Other Passport' queue, we were straight through the e-gates onto the Marconi shuttle into the City. Bologna Station is a bit of a maze and we struggled to find our way out. Eventually we found a long overpass that took us to the front of the building and a Taxi to our digs for the first two nights. Coincidentally this was in Via Marconi. I thought the comms pioneer was an adopted Englishman but clearly he is very well remembered over here. Our La Dolla Apartment was really nice and modern, a bit of a contrast to the lobby and stairs but that's pretty typical of Italy. Our Apartment door had some sort of hi-tech electronic locking system which we struggled with at first but it grew on us and it allowed us in and out!

Weary traveller - First night, Trattoria Da Me

Time to eat so we followed the recommendation of our hosts and wandered down the Via San Felice to Trattoria Da Me for a Spaghetti Bolognese. Well, that's what we would call it but Bologna locals certainly do not. We had a decent Ragu and Spaghetti meal with some very unusual puffed up bread. We had a nice table inside and it was a great place to people watch and quietly introduce ourselves to Italy. A nice atmosphere as we walked home, lots of young people around, students presumably.

Our Apartment in Bologna

Bologna 18th May 2022

A good nights sleep and a hearty breakfast we were ready for a big tourist day wandering and exploring Bologna. The Piazza Maggiore was only a short walk away.

Wandering

TW thinking about Lunch

We had lunch here in the Piazza Maggiore

Piazza Maggiore

Beautiful interior of the Basilica di San Petronio

Front of the Basilica - unfinished

I seen the light!

Neptune

A clever little Artwork by the pavement

TW and the cat

One of the many traditional shops in the old town

A shop window of Italy

The Vegetable Options

Choose your Pasta

Cheese and Ham?

The narrow streets of the old town

We eventually landed on the lovely Restaurant Osteria 051for Dinner. Its right next to the Basilica but we took a long detour to get there. I had the bright idea of returning to a Restaurant called Tartufo that I visited well over 30 years ago on a work trip. Unfortunately it was empty so we didn't stop. Osteria 051 was well worth the wait.

Siena 19th May 2022

It was back to the busy Station the next day for a train ride to Siena. It was a bit of a complicated journey for us with a change required. First port of call was Florence on a fast express. We settled into our comfy seats on the train. A young Lady in a mini skirt joined us in our carriage. We thought she was a bit dippy as she was totally weighed down with a suitcase and large shopping bags. She was holding up a queue of people and showing quite a bit of leg. She apologised to the people waiting - sorry, I come from Ukraine! Of course, we then felt guilty that we hadn't helped her. TW chatted to her and we made sure we helped her off the train, carried her bags through the station and into a Taxi.

Our Good Samaritan gesture meant we missed our connection but we were not worried and we found a later train bound for Siena.

Siena was a lot bigger than we expected so we needed a Taxi to our next home the Porta Pispini residence just outside the City walls. Another nice modern apartment. We dumped our bags and headed through the City Gate and into town. We picked up Lunch in the Supermarket and headed for the Piazza del Campo for a picnic. We found a nice shady spot, people watched and took in the scene. The Piazza is famous for the Corso del Palio, a bare-back horse race.

Siena, with its narrow streets is a great place to wander. Cars can still use the streets so we needed to be alert! Plenty to see though and easy to fill a couple of warm sunny days.

It was a hot day - refreshment required

The Duomo

Piazza del Campo after Dinner

Beer O'clock

Piazza del Campo

We had a good Dinner at the Osteria La Sosta di Violante. Seemed to us to be a typical Restaurant of the area.

We liked the Siena shop windows

Siena 20th May 2022

The Tower is in The Piazza del Campo

Distant Duomo

The Duomo

Stripey Marble in the Duomo

Tuscany Tour 21st May2022

We wanted to see something of the countryside so we invested in a hire car for two days. Post-covid car hire costs an arm and a leg! It was good though. We definitely gained some appreciation of the small towns and villages and the beautiful Tuscan scenery.

Our first port of call was Monteriggioni, a very pleasant walled village. Quite a few tourists around on bicycles but a very nice place for a spot of lunch. From there we headed to San Gimignano, a much bigger place and very touristy but great for a wander. We walked up to the Parco della Rocca and took in the view. The road from there to Voltera was really nice. Driving was OK apart from in the Towns where it gets a bit hectic. Worst moment was in an underground Car Park in Volterra but we managed to get out alive, just!

Monteriggioni for lunch

Monteriggioni

San Gimignano

Bit BOARED

Volterra - Tuscany in May

Volterra

Borgo Santinovo - Sampling the local produce - hic!

We stayed in a farm and winery in Borgo Santinovo. Really tricky to find and then we discovered there was no local Restaurant with an empty table. We ended up going to a very basic Eurospin supermarket to pick up dinner and then cooking it up in our Room. The only consolation was a very nice red wine bottled on the estate.

Tuscany 22nd May 2022

Borgo Santinovo - we did not test the Pool

Now that's an entrance! Borgo Santinovo

We struggled today with a diversion but eventually ended up in Rapolano Terme where we had a wander and a pretty good lunch at Osteria Il Quadrifoglio..

Rapolano Terme

We hit the jackpot for second night on the road. We stayed just outside Asciano at Agriturismo Paradiso Di Rughi Fabio.

Weary driver at the end of the day

Tuscany and Florence 24th May 2022

Breakfast

On the road back to Siena, outstanding views

Not too shabby in Tuscany

Florence

Made it back to Europcar unscathed with our little car and took a Taxi to the Station.

Back on the train, destination Florence for one night. We had booked a Hotel, the Bella Firenze near the Central Station but still seemed to spent ages getting there along the busy pavements. Still time for a Lunch at our favourite place, the Ostaria dei Centopoveri. Lots of walking, plenty of people watching.

The Bella Firenze worked out well because we were able to spend the next morning in Florence before heading back on a fast train to Bologna and the flight home.