Tuscany has a way of celebrating everything.

From the big…

Chianina steak

…to the little

Pansies in Panzano in Chianti

The Fast…

Casanova di Neri- Brunello

…and the slow

Panzano wine bar

The inspired…

Castello di Brolio

…to the ordinary

Val d'Orcia, clothesline

And the cheese. Oh my Lord the cheese.

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Jamie and I had two weeks to immerse ourselves in Super Tuscans, 11th century castles, cinghiale (wild boar), pici (a pasta shape native to Tuscany) pecorino di Pienza… and breathing. Okay, maybe it was a little bit more like sighing. Happy sighs, of course.

Sospiro. It even sounds better in Italian.

We meandered, twisted and turned (and found ourselves desperately lost many, many times) through the hills of Chianti, Val d’Orcia and the best little wine villages in the world- Montepulciano and Montalcino- and came back to New York more settled, happy. What did we learn from our wonderful wine & pasta coma?

Deep Thoughts From the Tuscan Hills

  • In our next life, we’re coming back as old Italian men who live in the piazza
  • Eggs in Italy (with farm, date, time stamp on them) are significantly better labeled than the roads
  • A meal is only as good as its olive oil, bread & wine
  • The shortest path between two points is a really narrow, winding mountain road (that isn’t really that short).
  • If it weren’t for beans, tomatoes, great wines, sheep’s milk cheese, olive oil, locally cured meats and biscotti, there would be absolutely nothing to do in Tuscany but sit in the sun.

 

Easy make-at-home recipes inspired by our Tuscan adventures coming next week!