Tag: tuscany

Florence Vineyard Day Trip-Girls Trip 2021

On By Travels with MelindaIn Florence, Girls Trip, Italy, UncategorizedLeave a comment

As much as we loved exploring the city of Florence on our Girls Trip 2021, we wanted to experience the Tuscan countryside too. A day trip to a vineyard with a wine tasting was in order so we found Fattoria Corzano e Paterno and took a forty-minute drive from Florence. Our day’s agenda included a vineyard walk and wine-making tour with a description of the vino production process. After learning about not only the wine business but also their dairy where they make their own cheese from sheep milk, we had the most delightful outdoor lunch and wine tasting. The views of the rolling countryside and other estates were spectacular.

This multi-generational family effort includes 20 family members making wine and olive oil, cooking food, herding the 700 sheep and making 14 types of cheese. They just harvested the white grapes and next up was the red grapes, which were impacted by the super-hot days they had in August. In November, they harvest the olives and make olive oil. Their cheeses they sell 90% within Italy and their wine they sell is 80% sold outside of Italy. Everything is done by hand. I will never complain again about the price of these items-once you see the incredible process, they have to go through to cultivate and make them, I can’t believe they aren’t more expensive! We will never forget this special day spent together in Tuscany among the vineyards.

To get there, we hired a private driver recommended by our ARBNB owners. Whether you drive or hire a driver, be warned that the last several miles of the trip are all uphill on a single lane dirt/rocky road so their vehicle must be up to the task. I cringed when our driver’s beautiful Mercedes Benz van hit the bumps hard, but he still came back and got us after the tour. We were afraid he might bail on us! At one point, he stopped in the road and got out to look for any damage. Luckily, nothing that he could see!

The following was included in our visit and it was only 30 euros per person-an incredible deal!

  • Vineyard walk, cellar and dairy tour with a description of the production process (30 minutes)
  • A light outdoor lunch followed (90 minutes)
  • Four wines to taste
  • Lunch included: cheeses served with locally produced Honey Tuscan white bread and Schiacciata (tradition Tuscan flat bread); Cured meats locally produced; Extra Virgin Olive Oils (mix and Mono cultivar); sunflower honey; Pearl barley and cheese; three different dishes with Seasonal Fresh Vegetables and Fruits (depending on seasonal garden availability-we had fennel with lemon; cantaloupe, grapes, and tomatoes with basil); Small dessert too!

After the tour, lunch and wine tasting, we got to relax and walk around the beautiful property, including checking out the pool they have for their overnight guests. Enjoy the journey!

Boboli Gardens

On By Travels with MelindaIn FlorenceLeave a comment

Think of Boboli Gardens as Florence’s open-air museum with a view. Located directly behind Pitti Palace in the heart of this busy city, these gardens are an escape into 111 acres of fabulous landscaping and art. The Medicis created this Italian garden style oasis in the 16th century, which became a model for many European gardens. Open to the public since 1766, there are statues, grottos, fountains, pavilions, and even a Porcelain Museum to explore. So much to see! In between visiting all the fabulous Florence museums, Boboli Gardens is a much-needed nature break. Stroll the many paths and work your way up, up, up to experience 360 views of Florence and Tuscany.

Bring a compact blanket, picnic lunch and water and you’ll be all set to relax. Boboli Gardens could be an all-day outing depending on how much time you have in Florence. At the end, you can take the north exit to visit Fort Belvedere (see my blog post of the Fort here) or the southwest exit to visit La Specola which houses the Museum of Zoology and Natural History. Or maybe it’s time for an aperitif, in which case there are many cafes ready to serve you right outside Pitti Palace. If you leave through Pitti Palace, you will probably see Morgante, the court dwarf riding the back of a turtle. Give him a pat for me!

ENTRY DETAILS

Boboli Gardens Boboli Gardens Tickets & Tours 2022 | Florence Best Deals 8:15-6:30 daily but check online before you go because opening hours change with the seasons. You can get a daily ticket for $10 euros. We got the 5-day pass for $38 euros each where you have to get your timed entry to Uffizi first and then you have five days to also go to Boboli Garden, Pitti Palace and the Archaeology Museum. We went to them all! You have one paper ticket to hold on to and show at these places to get in and skip the ticket buying line. It’s very convenient and the way to go if you want to visit all these places, which I highly recommend.