Tuscany

Click the pictures to enlarge them!	Our journey began with the excellent planning done by the US East Coast representatives of InvitationtoTuscany.com, current & former GTMS Board members Hugh and Barbara Barton. (They also have new properties to rent in Ireland and Virginia Beach.)
	Having no particular places in mind, the Bartons guided us to select La Marrana in Montemarcello just south of La Spezia high above the Ligurian Coast. This artistically renovated villa was charming and full of surprises for us.
	We found mountains in the backyard that we didn't know were there for 3 days (the weather was awful in March) & a washing machine that took a committee effort to figure out.
	Early in the first week Kathy & Priscilla went off to Florence and Peggy and Linda decided to explore the immediate area. Kathy & Priscilla ran into strikes and rain but enjoyed a wonderful time that included climbing to the top of the Duomo Bell Tower for a twilight city view. Peggy & Linda accidentally walked for 41/2 hours down a mountainside to a town on the Ligurian Coast that was largely closed for the season. Finally, a very kind gentleman at La Baca, an excellent seafood bistro in a wine cellar, finally fed them the exact meal they dreamed about all the way down the mountain.

	Thanks to the excellent arrangements of our official contact (and Hugh's cousin) Alex, we were able to visit the nearby marble quarries and workshops of Carrara -- where Michaelangelo picked out the stone he needed for his statutes.
	First stop was the amazing Nicoli & Lynam Studios (Nicoli Sculpture Studios) which has been operating at the same location for 125 years. Our debonair host, a 4th generation sculptor, Carlo Nicoli, told us delightful stories about statues that remain in the workshop, some since WWII. Their website tells more of the story than we can here.
	Next, a sculptor of horses, Sophia Mondini took us to the historic Carrara quarries -- very high up winding, dramatic roads. We watched as Sophia's friends at the quarry worked at breaking a 2 ton block of marble away from the mountain by pumping water into an iron pillow. You'll have to imagine the noise and the sheer power involved. It was as fascinating as it was cold and damp.
	To warm up after our marble adventure we went even further up the mountain to the little village of Colonnata which seemed to exist only to support several small restaurants that offer refuge from the cold quarries. You really a need designated driver going home after a warm, lovely meal that must start with a local specialty of lardo -- just what is sounds like and one of many new tastes we tried on our journey through Italian dinning. Curiously, lardo somehow involves marble boxes.
	On another of our days out we went to the Cinque Terra region just north of La Spezia. Five quaint little towns are set in mountains right along a dramatic coastline -- all linked by a natural wildlife park known for excellent hiking paths -- assuming the weather was nice -- which it wasn't that day. (See a recent Washington Post Travel Section article on Cinque Terra by folks who obviously were there in better weather.) We decided to take the train that ran between the 5 towns so that we could see something despite the ugly weather. None of the guidebooks tell you that the train chugs through tunnels under those picturesque mountains between towns. Twenty minutes into the trip we got off in the last cute little town, Monterosso, in another thunder storm. We did enjoy the few sites we found open. Our favorite was Fabrica d'Arte Monterosso where we all bought versions of terra cotta houses & door plaques.

	After we made a mad dash (once again through snow and on mountain roads) to the Milan airport to send Priscilla homeward much too soon, the remaining 3 of us discovered the Sforzesco Palace right in the middle of Milan. Yes, there is more to Milan than the Last Supper and the business world of high style. A huge edifice from the 14th C, this palace/fortress was originally the home of a family that rivaled the Medicis in power and opulent buildings. Leonardo da Vinci designed one of the many 40ft high ceilings here.
	On our way between our first and second villas we took some very small roads and found almost no places to eat open on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Once again we lucked out -- and into the friendliest pizza shop ever! Our charming new friend Luciano was most gracious to us and baked a mean pizza, too. Should you ever find yourself in Capannoli, not far from the Pisa airport, you will probably find Luciano's Il Sagittario Pizzeria open on the main street. Tell him his friends from Alexandria say Hi! Ask him about his grandchild or the time in spent in Tampa. It's amazing how much conversation you can manage without talking the same language!
	Our second villa is in a small, ancient hilltop town where you park at the bottom of the hill and take an elevator up to a very revitalized little one street town called Casole d'Elsa in the Siena area of Tuscany. Christine, the British owner of Il Tramonto (Sunset), made us most welcome with a bottle of wine to start us off. On our first full day there we had our first really good weather day -- and we had a balcony to enjoy it. As advertised, we saw a magnificent sunset or two which we always accompanied with another bottle of wine
	Christine also owns the gourmet bistro at the heart of the town, l’Osteria del Caffe Casolani. We enjoyed several meals there including a memorable wine and cheese tasting evening. We were most impressed with a delicious red wine. Little did we know that we would once again meet this wine later that week in its own vineyard. Boy, were we happy that we didn't have to drive in Casole. Home was a mere block away, through a small tunnel which you can see in our full photo gallery. And if you need more information check out this travel guide's review of the Tuscan peasant style cafe or these pictures from a German tourist. (We were too busy eating and drinking to bother taking pictures.)
	San Gimignano, only a few miles from Sienna is one of the many interesting hilltop towns we walked around and through. Although almost all of the towns in the area still have one or more tall towers, this town had an enormous number -- 14 of the original 72 that once stood. We learned that besides being used for long distance communication and reconnaissance as was the case in most towns, the San Gimignano folks used theirs to dry and process long bolts of cloth that were made in the city. Must have been a colorful site!
	During our first week, we had little chance to shop. We made up for that failing the second week! Each town seemed to have its own specialty. In Colle di Val d' Elsa it was crystal; in Florence, leather; in Siena, silk scarves; and in Volterra it was marvelously colorful alabaster. Looking at all the interesting items made from translucent stone was almost as much fun as buying them. We were fascinated by the alabaster musical instruments, especially the sound of an alabaster flute being played on a CD in one store. Kathy bought a CD of Etruscan music played on alabaster flutes. We recommend Celtic music.
Check out Giorgio's biking, hiking, winery, & food tours	For our final full day in Tuscany, we used our Invitation to Tuscany contacts to arrange for a private half-day winery tour. Our charming driver Giorgio took us to two excellent wineries and a castle, unfortunately closed for the day, but magnificent from the outside. And we didn't have to figure out which way to go all day long! By the way, we recommend a half-day over a full-day tour. Any more than two wineries and a lovely ride through the vineyards would be overkill. We were quite happy to return to our villa and chill out for the rest of the day in a very mellow haze.
www.ricasoli.it	Our first winery belonged to the Barone Riscasoli. It had been in his family for centuries until he sold it to Seagrams in the 1980s. Fortunately, he bought it back in the 1990s. Now it is an elegant, updated facility producing the finest wines and drinkable olive oil. We were delighted to discover that at least some of the Barone's wines are available here -- seen at Rick's on Duke St. in Alexandria. The winery's website tells much more of the story of a very classy wine, Castello di Brolio.
www.dievole.it	The second winery Giorgio selected for us was totally different and yet just as delightful. Dievole is both a very modern, very new winery and an wonderful collection of old buildings, suites, and dinning rooms. We loved the wines here, too. Tastings were held in various sites around the complex including a charming little chapel often used for weddings. Despite the looks on the faces in this picture, we were having a lovely time trying both wine and cheese here with some new friends from Vermont and our winery guide, Giorgio. We have also been delightfully surprised to find some varieties of Dievole several places around town.

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