Category: Travels

And we didn’t have to pay thousands of euro for this experience!

After we finished visiting the medieval town of San Gimignano we headed to another town in Tuscany called Saturnia.

Saturnia is probably most famous for her hot springs. And as you know, thermal baths are good for you in curing external and internal maladies or just a relaxing place to just chill out. I was there last year, but I really didn’t want to do it alone so I was glad to have Hema with me this time!

You could tell that you are getting closer to the place when you see loads of people marching in one direction with their bathrobes on, next to the road. And if you have your car windows down, you could smell sulphur in the air. One of the unique things about the area.

At the point of time we were there, you could park freely right next at the head of the spring itself, although I’m not too sure how it would be like in the future, as when we reached there, it appeared to have the skeleton of a fence already.

Anyway, being there feels like a big family picnic, what with the crowds of families there, sometimes you might even encounter someone bringing a full BBQ set with them, which was interesting as it was something that my own family would do, whenever we do beach outings.

The Cascatelle del Mulino is sort of divided into two, the small pool right next to the parking, but if you are brave enough, you could climb down the path to the bigger pool area as what you see above. It’s just that the path is very steep and precariously narrow.

(Sidenote : Cascatelle means waterfalls and Mulino means windmill in Italian. So if you ever encounter the Brand – Mulino Bianco – That means White Windmill)

Since Hema was still recovering, we decided to just stay in the smaller pool instead but it was still quite steep to get in there anyway. Moreover we had to step into rubble to get in the water. And the water current was deceptively strong! If there weren’t any ropes attached at some points, I think that we would all been swept away! Also, there are deep points in the pool where I couldn’t even touch my feet, so do be careful!

I think I should also add that there are no changing rooms available here. So I advice you to have your swimsuit already on, or bring along a trusty sarong and convert it into a makeshift changing room.

Also, don’t bring valuables with you, as it is an open space, so I wouldn’t leave my camera, wallet and whatnots just lying around.

Nevertheless, it was an interesting experience! The water was nice and warm and felt quite relaxing just to soak yourself in. At the corner of the pool, we saw a group of people with mud on their bodies. We managed to scoop some, put it on ourselves and wait for it to dry and let the magic begin.

This is the life. To just relax. Let the negativity dissolve away and soak in the goodness and happily chat with random strangers there.

It was about to be nightfall, and it was almost time to leave, but of course, we couldn’t go without a memento so this is the last picture of us in beautiful Tuscany together.

We are so glamorous!

One last tip, I think is to bring along a large bottle of water with you to rinse away the water of the hot spring, we still had to reach Rome and had to drive for about another one and a half hours. I had a headache from sitting in the car that long, most probably from the lingering smell of sulphur.

And thus that’s the end of my blog post about about our short vacation in beautiful Tuscany. I do hope that you’ve enjoyed reading about them! So do comment and let me know!

Sidenote : Check out this blogpost by Natalie!

After our winery and olive oil tour, we headed back to the bed and breakfast for an early dinner and got ready to go to Firenze!

Firenze is the capital city of Toscana and I was most excited to explore the area as I’ve never been there before.

What can I say about Firenze? (Or Florence, I tend to use Italian and English terms interchangeably) While it is a city-center area, it has a different feel compared to Rome. As soon as we started entering the heart of the area, the roads begin to narrow and then is completely cut off and it seems the only form of vehicles that was went about were the 2-wheelers and the occasional cars.

Which means that it was great for walking around safely. And while we were there, even though there were a lot of people strolling around like us, it doesn’t have the same chaotic feel like how it is in Rome.

It was already nightfall when we reached there and it was lovely for a going for a stroll.

We started by walking on Ponte Santa Trinita and I enjoyed the breeze in my face, accompanied by the lively music from the buskers. And across the bridge, you will see Ponte Vecchio, which we will get to explore later in this blog post.

I spotted these couple sitting on a very narrow perch and very close to the edge. You don’t see it in the photo, but the bridge was very tall, and I would feel nervous if it were me there!

We continued our walk towards Piazza Santa Trinita where the huge obelisk was.

And look at what I found! Salvatore Ferragamo! Apparently, there is a museum near here showcasing the collections of the famous designer. I would have liked to see that!

Speaking of which, did you know that it was in Firenze where one of my favourite designer, Valentino started to get really famous to become an iconic brand today. Like Milan and Rome, Florence is a fashion capital too.

And as we walked past the obelisk, we passed through a lot of windows with high end labels. The area It reminded me so much of Via del Condotti, the long stretch of road in front of Piazza di Spagna in Rome which housed a lot of luxury brands, but without the chaotic conglomeration of people.

Here’s Hema, posing with one of her favourite brand, Gucci.

I peered through the glass to see if any of the bags she bought from the outlet were in there.

And here is another label that I adore – Dolce e Gabbana. They make such beautiful and feminine designs which will sure to make you feel like a movie star when you put them on.

And in no time, we reached the Duomo di Firenze. It looks magnificent and majestic – with the black and white stripes. It was nothing that I’ve ever seen before, for a church.

So beautiful!

We walked towards the duomo and passed by the battistero (which is like a smaller version of a basilica) next to it. By the way, the golden door that you see below has murals and was dubbed by Michelangelo as “The gates of paradise”

We reached the steps at the duomo to rest our feet a while, while I went to look at the carvings a little closer.

There were SO many elements to see, that it can be quite overwhelming if you try to take everything in. But just take into consideration the amount of work and dedication that was put in making them, and putting them together. It was impressive.

Every scene has its own story depicting an important event.

At it was then when I noticed something really funny!

When you’ve been living in Italy long enough, you’d see that this gesture is actually quite rude and I was amused to see it immortalised here. In fact, the whole row had such expressive statues, I think the artist had a lot of fun doing it!

I imagine the conversation to be like this :

YOU! HEY YOU! FLICK OFF!

GASP! OMG! WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

That was rude! That’s not very nice of you.

NO! I DON’T CARE! *stares* PISS OFF WILL YOU?

HUH? SPEAK UP SON! WHAT DID YOU SAY?

We then walked around the duomo and Cart asked us if we felt that it was bigger than, or was the same size as the San Pietro in Rome.

It was quite hard to tell, considering that San Pietro has a huge Piazza in front of it, making our perception different. We continued walking, and I felt as if I’m walking in history – with all the renaissance style buildings everywhere.

Where-ever we walked, there were little artistic touches here and there. Blink and you’ll miss it.

Another thing that I thought was cute was that a lot of their street signs were decorated too!

Who thinks of such designs and are able to incorporate them into street signs? They were quite adorable and I’m sure that we would have seen more, if we had more time to roam the area.

At length, we find ourselves in Piazza Della Repubblica and admired the charming nightlife there.

We decided to step into a pastry shop for a quick bite.

If you recall, the biscuits above are the biscuits that you dip in Vin Santo wine.

After our stop at the pastry shop, we continued walking to burn our sweets away and soon-after, I spotted this :

A Salvador Dali museum. I would have really liked to see that too as I love surrealism.

I snapped this picture because I liked the name, “Beautiful Art Square”

We eventually walked to the back of the Basilica di San Lorenzo and by this time, we were getting a little tired to explore more and continued to the other side to complete our path.

We reached Piazza della signoria where there are a lot of statues here in this square.

But probably the most famous one would be this one of David by Michelangelo. It’s a replica though, as the real one is housed in Accademia di belle arti some 10 mins walk away from the “Beautiful Art Square”

Next to David is the entrance to the Museo di Palazzo Vecchio. You don’t have to pay to enter but it was just about to close so we didn’t explore inside. I’m impressed that it was still open even though it was close to midnight.

Now that I’ve thought about it, a lot of funny images has been inspired by David. Some of the memorable ones are those boxer shorts I keep seeing in those touristy parts of Rome with David’s bits. As well as how David would look like after eating a lot of Italian food.

But never-mind that we didn’t get to explore inside the museum as next to it is the Loggia Dei Lanzi where you could see a number of interesting sculptures.

It’s impressive how Firenze has open air gallery where everyone could come and see, as and when they liked. And at the stroke of midnight, we said goodbye to David and his friends.

Slowly, we walked along the Galleria degli Uffizi and walking past the statues, I could spot out some names that I recognize.

This is Giotto, Italian Painter and architect. Also a famous brand for coloured pencils in Italy.

Donatello – Italian sculptor (And one of the member of Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles)

Michelangelo – Sculptor, painter, architect, poet, engineer … In short, a very very smart person.

Dante Alighieri – Beloved poet and author of The Divine Comedy

We are almost towards the end of our relaxing stroll and I tried to take in as much last minute atmosphere before I left.

And there was something about the area that made me realise how different it was compared to Rome … all throughout our stroll, I didn’t see any graffiti! Not even one! This is most impressive.

It seems that it is a major crime here to deface the walls and when caught will be charged very severely. I appreciated the lack of graffiti. It made the place look more refined and pristine and classier.

We walked towards Ponte Vecchio. Not sure if you could see it well, but someone managed to attach a lock away from the ledge. I couldn’t even reach them with my hands. So how on earth does anyone do that without falling into the river below?

There was a bad flooding in Firenze in 1966 and the water went all the way up to the red line there. I cannot imagine how anyone manage to get through that. I had a little bit of flooding in my neighbourhood and I was already freaking out.

At last, we finally reached Ponte Vecchio. Cart explained that this bridge was famous because there are a lot of jewellers on the bridge. As it was night time, it was closed but I would have loved to see it in action. I wonder if the prices were cheaper here, as the shop owners were said not to have to pay too much rent here.

The area used to be owned by butchers but now the bridge is full of jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. Take a look at the door below, it looks so medieval. And it was not difficult to visualise if anyone wants to do a medieval fair like how it was done in Bevagna.

And that was our little tour in the heart of Firenze!

To end this post, I’m putting up a picture of me in front of the hotel where the Jersey Shore cast supposedly stayed while they were filming their season. Not that I’m crazy about the show (personally, I think it’s stupid) but the idea amuses me.

And this is the end of today’s post.

I so do love Tuscany. It’s so beautiful! How can you not love looking at the sceneries like these as you drive down the road?

I never realised how much I love the countryside and I feel so completely inspired by this trip, that I wouldn’t mind going back there again on a scooter trip, like how I did to Pengerang and Malacca some years back.

We headed to a winery and olive oil maker called Fattoria le Corti which is owned by the royal Principe Corsini family.

Just a precaution, it would be best to check opening and tour hours beforehand as we only knew later that there are a lot of places that are closed on Sundays. So don’t take it for granted that places are open all the time! We were lucky that we got the chance to crash into another tour group or our journey would be for naught.

La Fattoria le Corti is a charming looking place. The tour started at 2 pm, so we had a bit of time to explore the outside.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen fuel dispensers like one below The last one that I’ve seen when I was a little girl going back to Tekong before it was taken over to become a military base.

Part of the vast vineyards that they own.

These are the two tractors that will carry the packed wines from the holding room opening, as you will see soon.

It costs 7 euro for only the tour and 12 euro for a tour and wine/olive oil taste respectively. Hema mentioned that she went to a free wine tour while she was in Australia, but found this one more comprehensive.

And in no time, the tour started proper. We joined a group of people from Holland and I was quite amazed at how they were wearing t-shirts and slippers, while I was still feeling cold, and needed my jacket.

First we were introduced area that was owned by the Corsini family.

And then we were shown the holding area where the wine will be distributed later.

My gosh, the barrels were impressively huge! I can’t imagine how much work and grapes it takes to collect to make all these wine. There were so many barrels of them.

I don’t remember what this machine is, but I reckon it’s what was used to separate the grapes from the stems.

Next we walked down the steps into the cellar where we saw loads of wooden barrels of wine resting and being fermented.

We were told that each barrel costs a lot of money! I think it was 8 hundred euro each. They use quality wood that will affect the taste of the wine and once aged, the barrels will not be used by the factory any more.

The cellar has a constant 12 – 18 degree celcius temperature and there is a water mister above which is used in case the temperature gets erratic.

Next the wine are moved into another container, to aid with the maturing process.

The wines are separated by types and at La fattoria, they specialise in Chianti Classico which uses 80% sangiovese grapes (the other 20% is either colorino or caniolo or both) 95% and 100% which is the most expensive one and is produced in very limited quantities. I think the guide said less than 100 bottles a year?

These containers are made of stainless steel

I wished that we were here somewhere end of September or October when it is grape picking time. I would have liked to see the grapes being harvested and juiced! I’m sure that would be a lot of fun!

The fermentation smell is very strong in here, and once the wine has aged for 6 months and above, they are packaged and here is where the packaging are made.

Ready to be transported all over the world!

Next is the olive oil tour. First we were shown the containers where picked olives are stored.

These huge containers were made of ceramic and was large enough for an adult to sit in comfortably.

In making olive oil, time is of the essence. Unlike wine that takes time to mature, for olive oil, the fresher the better.

These machine processes the olives into oil.

And then filters it.

And then finally weighed for packing.

Did you know that olive pits are collected to become a form of fuel?

It has a very musty smell to it.

And here is how olive oil was made traditionally!

After our tour, we got to see a view of the garden. It was gorgeous! Wouldn’t you love to wake up to a view like this?

This is the villa which is now converted into a bed and breakfast.

I wished I had worn something prettier to fit in the scenery.

At the end of the tour, we went upstairs to the dining area and got to get a taste of their wine and oil. Here are the types of wines that was sampled.

This is the cortevecchia which takes 20 months of ageing in the barrel.

This is the Don Tomasso which is aged for 15 months in the barrel.

And this is Le Corti which is aged for 12 months.

Since Cart and I don’t drink, I have no idea how these wine tastes like or appreciate them. Nevertheless, my friend looks very pleased with herself.

Cart and I tried their olive oil instead. There were two types – on the left is the Le corti extra virgin olive oil where the olives were hand picked and pressed within 12 hours. The one on the right is the organic one which is hand picked and pressed within 7 hours. It has won 3 olive slow food award in 2010.

We tried them both with Tuscan bread – which as you know by now, is tasteless since no salt is added to it.

It’s hard to see in the pictures, but the organic one has a darker colour.

I thought the organic one was amazing! It was intense and rich. Think of the best olive oil that you’ve ever had and imagine the taste more refined and pure by ten folds. And for some reason, when you taste it, the scent comes right out of my nose. Sort of like the wasabi effect without the heat. It was most peculiar. I told this to Cart and he said that this was the mark of high quality olive oil.

We immediately bought a bottle for ourselves after this. And that was the end of our little tour! While I don’t drink, I thought that the tour was interesting and I liked learning new things.

Tuscany is such a very pretty looking place.

And of course, being springtime, a lot of flowers are starting to bloom, making the place look so magical – like a page out of a fairy tale.

I’m surrounded by so much beauty!

Today, I’m blogging about the bed and breakfast that we stayed at for the past three days.

As you know, my bestie stayed with us for about a week and a half and for some inexplicable reason, wanted to visit a town called Greve in Chianti which is in the province of Tuscany.

Greve in Chianti is of course famous for their quality wines as well as olive oils. I think it’s a perfect place for wine tours and I’ll blog about our visit to a wine and olive oil maker in a near future blog post 🙂

As I’ve never visited the area before, I didn’t know where to stay and didn’t want to spend anything more than 100 euro a night. It doesn’t make sense to spend a lot on lodgings considering that we’d be out most of the time.

So I did some research on Venere.com and decided on a bnb called Pian De’ Noci. I did a booking using a credit card.

The bnb is managed by Il Palagio Winery so we headed there directly after our day trip at the designer outlets, to get our keys.

It can be quite challenging to get there as the road signs are rather confusing, so it’s best to print a road map before you leave as GPS, and even phone signals doesn’t seem to work so well for me here. This was one of the biggest reason of my stress for this journey, but it’s a learning experience.

Il Palagio is next to a castle overlooking a vineyard and when you reach there, you’ll be given a sample of their wines. Cart and I don’t drink, but Hema appeared to be enjoying her Vin Santo wine which she purchased eventually. I think it was about 25 euro for a 1997 batch.

By the way, it seems that they don’t withdraw anything from the credit card but they use the number as a method of security. We paid by cash in the end.

This is funny as the sign reads, “You shouldn’t be allowed to walk if your mouth haven’t tasted wine” but the irony is that you can’t walk if you’re drunk.

Tuscany is so beautiful. Green is my favourite colour and I never got bored looking at the shades of green from the kilometres of olive trees and grapevines in the horizon. It was so peaceful and tranquil. I felt so relaxed, lost in the depths of greenness. Somehow the place reminds me a lot of Cameron Highlands with the background looking like a big green carpet.

When we finally reached our bed and breakfast, I think we were all enamored when the caretaker showed us around. The place was so lovely with its rustic charm that I immediately took pictures in its pristine state. It was beyond my expectations. Poor Cart had to carry all the luggages in from the car himself while Hema and I snapped pictures excitedly.

This is what you see as soon as you enter – a dining table and then a working kitchen, fully furnished with everything you need – cutlery, plates, cooking utensils, basic condiments, etc. You may want to stock up on some things yourself though.

Upon seeing this, I was so inspired that I insisted that we prepare dinner the next day just so that we could eat in and enjoy a relaxing evening there. There is a supermarket in the area and we just had a simple meal of gnocchi and frittata, but it was nice spending time together with my hearts.

There is a circular staircase that leads to the living room. Unlike the bnb in Milan that was warmer, this room is significantly colder due to the rather bad weather when we reached there. But I reckon it will be very refreshing during the warmer seasons.

Interestingly, I didn’t find any Italian channels on the telley and instead saw mostly German and French programs. I suppose this is a sign that a lot of the tourists that visit are mainly German and French?

Next as you walk in past the kitchen is the bathroom with a shower space which is big enough to fit Cart and the standard toilet, bidet and sink. I didn’t find any hair dryers although, I don’t think that it was included.

And here is our bedroom where Cart and I spent our two nights! I so love the choice of decoration. Very country!

The room is so sweet and cosy and inviting. And I especially like the addition of a cylindrical pillow.

You’re also given 3 different towels each – I explained to Hema that the smallest one is for the crotch, followed by a face and hands towel and the largest one for the body.

We didn’t have a window so it was very dark when you turn off the lights. So I was very confused when I woke up at about 8 am but not seeing any sunlight. But there is a door where you could open a latch and see anyone at the front door and exit there if you like.

Normally, I need time to adjust when I’m sleeping in a bed that I’m not used to. Perhaps it is the Tuscan air, but I felt so at home and so comfortable that I fell asleep with no problems.

And here is Hema’s room! She has a lovely view of the vineyard and I imagine that it will be so beautiful when September comes, when the grapes are ripe for the picking.

We snapped these on the second day we were here, when there was a bit more sun out.

Baby grapes.

Hema said that she’d come here again with her hubby.

And this is how the front of the bnb looks like. Not sure if you could see it in the picture, but there is a swimming pool underneath a tarp to the left.

There is also wifi connection here that you could use and we used it to research the places we could visit on our smartphones.

After staying there for the past three days, I was actually quite sad to be leaving the bnb. It was so charming and relaxing just to be there and I really hope that I’d be back there again.

Here is a video of the bnb. You can definitely see how excited I was to be there.