San Felice is a luxury hotel complex located in the heart of Chianti. It is an old village that has been bought and developed as a hotel, while still retaining the feel of a typical Tuscan village.
It is a magical place with 30 suites and 29 rooms plus two churches, a range of shops, a spa, a winery as well as two restaurants, one of which has just received their first Michelin star.
Our friends Dani and Olga showed us around and we spent a hour or so wandering through the Borgo and tasting wine in the cellar room which was lovely.
Every time we visit Tuscany we make a pilgrimage to Siena. It was our local town for 6 months in 2011 and we take the chance to revisit some old haunts whenever we return.
Siena is famous for the Palio – a bare-back horse race that occurs twice a year (July and August) when local communities or contrada can enter a horse in the race with the victor having the honour that comes with winning. We have mixed views of the event – the drama, excitement and passion around the race is infectious but horses can often get injured or even killed during the event.
To prepare for the race, the central piazza in Siena – the Campo – is turned into a race track with a layer of clay laid down over the tiles and cobbles and gradually compacted over the weeks prior to the event.
Temporary wooden grandstands ring the Campo so the large crowd that attend the event has somewhere to get the best view.
When we arrived on Wednesday the track was down and all the bars and restaurants that ring the Campo had their tables and chairs set up on the track. Because of the temporary grandstands, they also have to squeeze their tables into a smaller area to allow people to walk past.
And once a day, at 3pm, the bars and restaurants have to remove all their hardware as the track is watered to help the clay compact. No one is allowed on the track so the Campo comes to a standstill.
Once the clay has dried enough – after about 2 hours – the tables and chairs, and people are allowed back on the track and Siena’s Campo returns to normal.
The Campo at 2:55pmThe Campo at 3:05pmThe “home straight” wateredSiena as the sun sets
On Monday we arrived in Radda in Chianti, our home for the next few days. Radda is a hill top village located between Firenze and Siena in the Chianti hills.
We have stayed at Relais Vignale before and it’s a great base to discover the Chanti region and all it has to offer. The hotel spans several buildings, all in a style which is called “toscana rustica” – the same style as the stone villas and cottages we all see in photos of Tuscany.
We were lucky enough to have our room upgraded to a junior suite so we now have an enormous room and a courtyard outside where we can sit in the evenings.
The style of food has also changed – from the seafood of Venice and Liguria to the meat and poultry of Tuscany. On Monday night we ate chicken and steak, expertly prepared in the hotel restaurant – all washed down with a fine bottle of local chianti.
The next few days will see us catch up with our dear friends who live here as well as explore some of the local towns and villages.
Our room with courtyard in frontRelaxingMoretti Beer – tutte beneBreakfast view – typical Chianti – grape and olive tree covered slopesRelais VignaleRelais VignaleCourtyard viewView from the terrace
It’s Monday midday and I’m writing this from the fast lane of the main motorway between Genoa and Florence. I’m able to do this because the traffic has stopped due to an accident ahead. I’m not sure when we will move – already we have sat here for 30 mins.
We’ve experienced this before and know that after 20 mins or so everyone will simply get out of their cars, have a drink, eat lunch and talk about what the delay might be.
Time passes …
We have now waited 40 mins and the line of traffic tails back a kilometre or two behind us. A couple of lads from the highway company have turned up with bottles of water for us all and while they are handing these out the traffic starts to move again.
There is much delight and running around as hatchbacks are closed, kids are wrangled from the side of the road, meals are curtailed and people return to their assigned seating positions.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day – well it certainly is in Italy.
In most hotels it consists of a massive buffet featuring everything from pastries through to fruits, fruit juices, cheeses, cold meats, multiple types of bread, eggs whatever way you want – including cold hard boiled eggs, bacon, did I mention cold meats, and all washed down with multiple cups of cappuccino.
There is a massive staff that constantly keep things replenished and who can also cater to special requests – like “cappuccino decafinato con latte di Mandorla” – which is Jeans current coffee of choice.
Our favourite hotel in Camogli is no different with a room that seats around 100 people serving breakfast from 7am to the very civilised time of 11am.
We are well acclimatised to Italian time now as we barely make it in before 11am and today we were the last in the room with everyone very politely packing up around us.
Elegant, even at breakfastThe ubiquitous breakfast buffetJean’s breakfast hit – cold hard boiled eggs
This post is a blatant attempt to justify sitting at the terrace bar at our hotel in Camogli for a couple of hours drinking and nibbling on bar snacks – by saying it was all an excuse to take this series of sunset pictures as the afternoon transformed into evening.
Yes, we have reached that point. There was no locked off tripod or set exposure – just me waving my phone above my head every so often and taking a picture. Half of the shots were out of focus the rest wobbled around to the point where Photoshop was the only way to vaguely line them up.
But we really need no excuse to sit there – we love the terrace bar, it’s excellent staff, perfect drinks, the tasty bar snacks that arrived unprompted, and it’s ever changing view.
We have been in Camogli for just under a week and life has settled into an easy routine. Time by the pool, time in the village and time doing bugger all else.
Camogli from our hotel windowFirst night dinner in our roomOther visitors to Camogli will know these steps – all 95 of themDining at Le Camogliese restaurantJeans sampling Liguria’s finestExasperation after repeating previous shot 4 timesJeans dinner cover upDressing to blend in – with the wallLocal fish caught that morningHearts on a fenceBeach dayThe sand on the beach is quite coarseThe public beachWaterfront buildings lit at nightThe marina at Camogli
After travelling by train to Firenze we picked up a rental car and headed north to the Ligurian coast and the small coastal village of Camogli.
We have visited here a number of times before and love the relaxed nature of the town and the lack of tourists – except those from Italy. This is a place where those from Milano and Torino go for their holidays.
First off though, a shout out to the lovely Fabio who manages the Avis rental depot on Borgo Ognissanti in Firenze where we picked up our car.
Fabio took one look at the size of our bags and gave us an immediate upgrade to a larger vehicle – for free. He said we simply would not have fitted into the car we booked. He also gave us his email so if we had any problems we could contact him personally. Excellent customer service Fabio and the best way to start any driving experience in Italy.
Two and a half hours after leaving Firenze we were driving through Camogli. It was not our finest effort as we drove through the controlled part of the town – which is barriered off – and arrived at our hotel via a one way road the wrong way. The valets at the hotel thought this was hilarious.
We agree as we’ve been here many times before without incident – we blamed it on Covid and the 4 years it’s been since our last visit.
This is our home for the next 6 nights – a chance to relax, eat great food, drink some of the local wine and wander through the village. After the bustle of Rome and Venice, this is a welcome break.
Having already published some Venice pictures, here are some more that we think might be interesting.
The torre in Piazza San MarcoHeron on a boat watching us arrive – a good omen according to AlariaAperol Spritz in the afternoonTrying to pass as a localJean liked the glass sculpture in the hotel lobby – but they would probably miss itAn evening in Piazza San Marco
Venice is a magical place. Over 4 days we have walked the narrow streets and alleyways, climbed more bridges across canals than you can count, and sat and people-watched in piazza’s ranging from the grand Piazza San Marco through to postage stamp sized ones tucked into the tiny spaces away from the crowds that define Venice.
We have eaten, yes, we have eaten. Whether it’s a simple sandwich and a coffee in one of the cafes in Piazza San Marco or dinner at our favourite restaurant Ristorante Da Ivo tucked away in a little back street which takes a bit of finding, the food has been exceptional.
But now we are leaving, with bags a little heavier from shopping and our wallets a little lighter from prices that can seem extreme.
And Venice is expensive. We remembered that from 24 years ago and it has not changed. But remember this is a truly unique place. For example, everything on the island is delivered by boat and then by handcart through the crowded alleys to shops and restaurants. That is an expensive process.
When we left, the hotel kindly arranged a luxury water taxi for our trip to Santa Lucia station – which was a fantastic way to say good bye. After arriving at the station we negotiated our way past the many porters offering to take our bags to the train for 20 Euro (about $NZ35 – no grazie) and we rolled out of Venice to our next stop – a week by the sea, on the Ligurian Coast.
An evening in VeniceDrinks at Cafe FlorianPiazza San MarcoOur favourite restaurantFrom our hotel roomGondolas near the Grand CanalCrowds as far as the eye can seeCanals in VeniceA glimpse of Ponte RialtoLunch in Piazza San MarcoJean loitering at the front of the hotelOn our trip to the train stationAhhhh, VenicePiazza San Marco from the waterGondoliFarewell Londra PalaceNegotiating the canals
La dolce far niente 