Coming to Tuscany is about catching up with friends. Dani and Olga are our longest standing, dear friends in Tuscany – and despite not seeing them for 2 years we pick up just where we left off. Dani’s wicked sense of humour is a delight and Olga’s ability to always look out for us is special.
Tina our friend from Auckland is visiting Tuscany. We only seem to catch up with her when we’re half a world away from home but we’ve sworn to make sure we catch up closer to home in future.
Matteo and Francesca who produce the best olive oil in Tuscany are also special friends who we met through Olga. They are the proud owners of Pornanino Olive Oil which we believe produces some of the best olive oil we have tasted.
When we all get together it is a wonderful mix of stories and laughter in Italian and English (and occasionally gibberish), always over a meal (or three) and a glass or two of wine.
Dinner at our hotel – first day in TuscanyDinner at our hotel – first day in TuscanyThe Relais Vignale pool – hotel in the backgroundBBQ at Dani and Olga’s placeThe two of usLovely table settingDani in his workshop – our gift of koru sculptures in frontBBQ team – Tina, Dani, Olga and your’s trulyTina, Francesca, Matteo and Dani
We have been in Tuscany for a couple of days and the contrast with Positano is dramatic. Gone is the bustle and noise of the busy seaside town, replaced by the quiet of rural Tuscany. The noisiest thing we hear are the church bells ringing out on the hour or the distant sound of tyres on white roads (gravel roads).
The constants are the long lasting summer weather and the incredible sunsets.
We moved into Relais Vignale in Radda in Chianti a few days ago and it felt like catching up with an old friend. We booked the same room as last year so enjoyed our own private garden and a room with enough room to swing many cats – if we so wished.
Marco still runs the bar like a military operation and remembered us from last year. The pool was still there but with new seats and loungers. The big change was the restaurant – Vignale Ristorante – which has a new manager, who has taken it’s slightly tired and stodgy menu and reinvented it with traditional local cuisine with a modern feel.
The restaurant uses its terrace view to great effect and we spent the first evening enjoying some delicious food – lots of meat and not much seafood, excellent local wine and the view of the sun slowly setting beyond the olive trees.
If you’re staying at Relais Vignale in the next wee while (that would be you Tony W) give the restaurant a shot. I’m sure you’ll be in for a great evening.
We have also been able to catch up with our friends Olga and Dani. We’ve had meals out and meals in – including a traditional kiwi barbecue at their place, with an Italian flavour. Marinated chicken, Italian sausages and a huge slice of prosciutto went on the barbecue, accompanied by arancini, courtesy of Dani, focaccia courtesy of our NZ friend Tina and everything else courtesy of Olga.
There was food for a dozen people but the 5 of us made a good dent in it.
Relais Vignale pool from the barAperol Spritz – cliched but a true taste of ItalyRestaurant Vignale’s terrace from the barThe view from the restaurantOur place – for a few daysSome bloke at the barbecueTwo barbecue expertsHome made Focaccia breadHome made AranciniTuscan sunset with a kiwi flavourSunset from Dani and Olga’s terrazzo
Our short stay in Chianti in Tuscany was a chance to catch up with friends – some Italian locals and some Kiwi’s on tour. For three days all we seemed to do was eat and drink and tour the small villages of Chianti.
The base for our stay was the delightful Relais Vignale in Radda in Chianti. Spread across a number of traditional tuscan buildings, this hotel is a great way to enjoy a break without being limited to the “Saturday to Saturday” villa booking cycle. The service is excellent – in fact the manager Serena went out of her way to help us when our booking was affected by our overly long stay in Hong Kong.
We met up with friends from New Zealand who were staying just up the road and our good local friends Olga and Dani. Meals were had and stories relayed.
As always when in Chianti, the surprises were off the beaten track – the small village restaurant we stopped at for lunch and the gallery where the artist told us the story behind the small print we fell in love with and bought.
But after a shortened stay we packed up our rental car with our already expanding suitcases, farewelled friends, and headed north to Camogli for a week by the sea.
According to the locals this summer in Tuscany was not good – lots of rain and wind, and not the usual warm temperatures. But we didn’t notice – for our two day stay the weather was glorious. It was a short stay but we … Continue reading →
