Oh my. Tuscany! It was always a dream destination, for both of us. From Hollywood films to popular culture, the idyllic rolling hills and vineyards have a delightful charm about them.
The train ride from Rome was a chance to doze, but Naomi still maintained an intellectual air by strategically placing the IHT on her lap. Upside-down.
It was bucketing with rain when we met our host at the station. His two sons were squeezed into the back of his old Land Rover, soaking wet. Naomi sat in the middle section and it soon became apparent that it was also raining inside the vehicle! Each time the car swerved, water would pour out from under the rim of the sunroof.
Roberto, our host, did his best to comfort her with a grimy rag that offered limited protection.
We arrived at our Agroturismo lodgings, and when the skies cleared the view was indeed spectacular. However, we were very isolated - halfway up a mountain, with the nearest town many kilometers away. Our dreams of walking through the cobbled streets faded fast.
Being at this altitude, we missed out on the warm sunshine and spent much of our time watching thick clouds roll by through the windows.
Our entertainment soon became focused on a group of children on Karate camp, who had come to stay nearby.
They were fun to watch. Some took it very seriously and had real skills, others just thought they were cool because they were at Karate Camp. The leader was intent on covering all the bases, and seemed to enjoy his group of little fighters.
We only had a few days in Tuscany, and they were nothing like what we had expected. The weather worked against us, as did our location in the mountains. In the end, it was fortunate that we had our time earlier on in the Loire Valley in France - as that was more "like Tuscany" than where we ended up in Italy!
One of our highlights was to get a lift to "the market" for our food supplies. The above image is Naomi throwing out our recycling on the drive down the mountain. Yes, a trip to the bin is also a highlight.
The Market turned out to be a giant rural centre, kind of like a huge supermarket and department store all rolled into one. It was far from the farmer's market that we had pictured in our minds...
So, Tuscany came and went without too much interest or excitement from either of us. If anything, having quiet time after Rome was great.
The rest, well... we will get over it.
(the ghost-town streets of the nearest town, San Giovanni, where we caught the train)
The next destination in Italy was quite different for us. Stay tuned for Venice!
The train ride from Rome was a chance to doze, but Naomi still maintained an intellectual air by strategically placing the IHT on her lap. Upside-down.
It was bucketing with rain when we met our host at the station. His two sons were squeezed into the back of his old Land Rover, soaking wet. Naomi sat in the middle section and it soon became apparent that it was also raining inside the vehicle! Each time the car swerved, water would pour out from under the rim of the sunroof.
Roberto, our host, did his best to comfort her with a grimy rag that offered limited protection.
We arrived at our Agroturismo lodgings, and when the skies cleared the view was indeed spectacular. However, we were very isolated - halfway up a mountain, with the nearest town many kilometers away. Our dreams of walking through the cobbled streets faded fast.
Being at this altitude, we missed out on the warm sunshine and spent much of our time watching thick clouds roll by through the windows.
Our entertainment soon became focused on a group of children on Karate camp, who had come to stay nearby.
They were fun to watch. Some took it very seriously and had real skills, others just thought they were cool because they were at Karate Camp. The leader was intent on covering all the bases, and seemed to enjoy his group of little fighters.
We only had a few days in Tuscany, and they were nothing like what we had expected. The weather worked against us, as did our location in the mountains. In the end, it was fortunate that we had our time earlier on in the Loire Valley in France - as that was more "like Tuscany" than where we ended up in Italy!
One of our highlights was to get a lift to "the market" for our food supplies. The above image is Naomi throwing out our recycling on the drive down the mountain. Yes, a trip to the bin is also a highlight.
The Market turned out to be a giant rural centre, kind of like a huge supermarket and department store all rolled into one. It was far from the farmer's market that we had pictured in our minds...
So, Tuscany came and went without too much interest or excitement from either of us. If anything, having quiet time after Rome was great.
The rest, well... we will get over it.
(the ghost-town streets of the nearest town, San Giovanni, where we caught the train)
The next destination in Italy was quite different for us. Stay tuned for Venice!
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