Vinci una settimana in Toscana!
Chiuso
Are We Theeeere Yet
My childhood memories are studded with family vacations - the trips that used to mean two day journeys on the road in a packed car, trivia and bickering in the backseat and the occasional bag of candy whipped out the window.
This time around, we're back in the car, but things are a little different. Instead of five, we're three; The old, white Hyundai has been replaced by a rented Ford, the stacks of paper maps have been left behind for a GPS; The highway route to Florida has been avoided in favour of hillside adventures to Tuscany. This time around it's my parents that plead for ice cream, rely on me for an itinerary and trust my hands in the kitchen. It's my mother and I that stay up too late, gossiping and watching movies. And nap-time, well that is something that is now fully embraced by everyone.
With a 7th century farm-turned-villa as home-base, we explored the Tuscan country side and its surrounding towns for a week: GPS disaster in underwhelming Pisa ("turn around when possible" - thankfully it ended in laughter), the charming walk along the walled city of Lucca, shopping and sightseeing in busy Florence, a loungey day under big white umbrellas by the sea in Quercinella, the best meal I've ever had in Siena, a beautiful afternoon in old San Gimignano and wine-tasting in Ghizzano. Not to mention the handful of tiny villages we passed (and ate at) along the way. In fact, the driving was an event of its own. It’s like driving through a painting, where the cypress trees flocking on hillsides and lining the roads could only be the product of a skilled brushstroke; the infinite valleys covered in red poppies, the result of a splatter of paint. The roads wind along, climbing and then descending through the gorgeous countryside. In the distance, old terracotta houses and brick churches huddle together on hilltops, a golden haze above an endless green canyon. Absolutely worthwhile, despite the dangers of GPS Jane and her habit of leading you the wrong way down one way streets.
Much like beautiful Tuscany itself, some things have changed over the years, but others will always be the same: my dad will always be organized, will usually be right and will most likely have a sweater in his backpack for his wife. My mom will always be street savvy, will usually make new friends everywhere we go and will most likely try to cheat at cards when she thinks no one is looking.
A wonderful family vacation!
