This post has been a long time coming. Like over 6 months. But better late than never. I am finally over the
month of having both my kids birthdays, Christmas, New Years, and three other family birthdays. Phew!
This is the last of the Europe 2010 Travel Posts
London
Venice
Bologna Part 1 (Parmigiano Reggiano) and 2 (Balsamic Vinegar and Prosciutto)
Florence
Tuscany posts will be split into
Part 1 - Greve in Chianti - where we stayed
Part 2 - Montepulciano (Twilight Set)
Part 3 - Volterra and Sienna
Part 1 - Greve in Chianti - where we stayed
Part 2 - Montepulciano (Twilight Set)
Part 3 - Volterra and Sienna
Tuscany - Part 1 - Greve in Chianti
We left Florence and drove a short way south towards Sienna on the SS 222 (about 90 minutes) into the Chianti region. We stayed outside a tiny town called Greve in Chianti. Very cute hillside town but our hotel was up on a hilltop.
Hotel
See how the road goes uphill in this cartoon? They aren't kidding.
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| Yes it's a dirt road going up. Did a number on our little convertible rental. |
We stayed at Villa Bordoni. It's a 16th century Tuscan villa that has been completely renovated by a Scottish restauranteur. The place was fabulous - right down to the hand painted antique floor tiles from the Amalfi coast.
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| The reception area |
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| Part of the gardens - taken while having breakfast on the back porch |
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| The view from the back garden out over the countryside |
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| Common sitting area |
Our room
All 10 rooms are different in this villa. My whole impression of a hotel rests on how much I like the washroom. I was thrilled with this one and in fact my favourite part of our whole trip was this hotel shower.
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| Our room |
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Don't be put off by the weird mirror in the washroom. |
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| My husband loved the TV in the mirror. |
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| Absolutely love this shower! |
So you can't see but there are two rainfall showerheads in this shower. Plus a bench which has 3 jets on each side that gently spray you. Plus a handheld shower head. Nine jets in one shower - I wanted to take this home.
Food
Did I mention that our hotel is owned by a restauranteur? Well the Villa Bordoni restaurant itself is very well known. The parking lot for the hotel was full every night with restaurant patrons.
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| we didn't do the outdoor dinner but I'm sure it's lovely at candlelight |
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| Super yummy fancy mushroom soup |
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| Warm chocolate cake |
More Food
We had some spectacular meals in Tuscany. In Greve in Chianti itself there is a main town square. We went to Nerbone di Greve. It was peaceful and the food was hearty Tuscan. Some of this food isn't for the faint of heart but we loved it.
Take a peek at their menu online to see the interesting selection - warning to all vegetarians.
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| sorry for the blur - a flash felt too intrusive for this lovely patio |
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| I crostini toscani di fegatini - Toasted bread with liver pate |
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| Il bollito misto - Boiled mixed meat - ox-tongue, tripe, stuffed chicken neck |
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| Yum for pickles and relishes for the boiled meats. |
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| I fagioli all'olio - white beans with olive oil |
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| L'ossobucco all fiorentina - Marrow bone in the florentine style |
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| Honey mascarpone panna cotta - seriously licked the cup after! |
Officina della Bisteca - The Ultimate Beef Dinner
My husband loves steak. Apparently when his mother was pregnant she had to have beef every night or she felt ill. There are stories of him going to bed with steak in his pockets from dinner because "his eyes were bigger than his stomach" and he couldn't finish his meal.
We first saw the famous butcher Dario Cecchini on the cooking travel show David Rocco's Dolce Vita on Food Network.
This guy is a meat fanatic.
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| Here's his lament for "the death of beef" when Mad Cow disease was at it's peak |
The butchershop is in a tiny town called Panzano about 15 minutes south of Greve in Chianti. It has a space upstairs that seats dozens of people for this special beef dinner (or Sunday 1pm lunch as we did). For 50 euros you get three different types of beef plus wine, sides, and dessert.
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| Click to enlarge | <><><><><><><>
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| we sat very close to this fire. Everyone's sweating by the end |
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| beef "sushi" - steak tartare - they do cook it lightly - so good! |
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| Huge porterhouse steaks - Bistecca alla Fiorentina |
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| always having white beans with olive oil from now on |
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| yummy olive oil cake - can`t believe how much I ate of this stuff |
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Okay next post will be
Tuscany Part 2 - Montepulciano - finally I make it to the New Moon set!
2 comments:
I am living vicariously through you. LOVE your pics!! I really, really want to plan a trip to Europe. Maybe some day...
Great post!
I wondered if we would ever see Tuscany through your eyes ;)
It is lovely and wow the food!! Looks like a great time and thank you for sharing it with us.
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