Under Tuscan stars
You’ll find everything your heart desires right here ...
THERE’S one way to get noticed on the tourist trail and that’s to feature in a successful movie. We know that in Ireland from Ryan’s Daughter, The Quiet Man and the Skelligs appearance in Star Wars. There have been others, but it’ll take for ever for us to come anywhere near Tuscany’s stardom.
It’s had dozens and dozens of movies set in its countryside, its hilltop villages and farmhouses. Tuscan museums and galleries make a perfect backdrop for intrigue and mystery.
The Etruscan and Roman settings are perfect for period dramas, while their Renaissance towns exude romance and atmosphere.
No matter what the theme, they all have the same effect on me – they make me wish I were there. Under the Tuscan Sun captivated its audiences with the scenes filmed in Cortona and Arrezzo. Kenneth Branagh directed Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing around Greve in the Chianti wine region.
Even through the destruction and madness leading up WW2, form the plot in Roberto Benigni’s Life is Beautiful (La vita è bella) the majesty shines though. Zeferelli’s Brother Sun, Sister Moon used the Fortress of Montalcino and San Gimignano and to great effect. Saving the same towers of San Gimignano became the mission of a group of English art-loving society ladies living in Florence in Zeffirelli’s Tea with Mussolini. That’s definitely one of my favourites.
AND so the list goes on and on. Whilst these movies instantly transport me to Italy, they are no substitute for sitting in a square sipping an Aperol spritzer, listening to the birdsong, the putt putt of scooters and the ringing of the out-of- tune and often out-of-time church bells sounding the hours.
Mr Whippy’s daily ice cream van visit to my road is a poor substitute for trying to avoid the drips of an enormous melting gelato as I meander over sun baked cobbles, ducking in and out of the heat to marvel at centuries-old frescos.
It doesn’t make up for a drive through the rolling hills, between fields filled with corn and sunflowers, the sentinel-like cypresses marking boundaries and avenues to vineyards.
These trees are the Tuscan trademark and are believed to have been first planted by the Etruscans. They can live to a thousand years.
Florence attracts the largest chunk of visitors, and is deservedly generally regarded as the most illustrious repository of art to be found anywhere in the world.
Tourists also throng to Siena and Pisa like swarming bees for their basilicas, duomos, galleries and, of course, to marvel at the impressive Leaning Tower. Wonderful as these are though, the cognoscenti bypasses these places.
They head out to explore different attractions, the less packed towns where horseracing took place in the squares in bygone days, where barrel-rolling contests still happen annually and where feasts and festivals are never far away.
People come to Lucca with its curved ‘square’ to see where Puccini was born, and to appreciate the beauty in the decaying buildings and the grandeur of coats of arms and crests above the palazzo doorways of old dynasties.
There are far too many towns to include, so on a recent all too brief visit, (but then any visit to Tuscany is too brief!) I headed two hours by road south of Pisa to Fontelunga.
There I made the Fontelunga Hotel and Villas my base, but could quite happily not have left the grounds at all. It has just nine rooms, all themed and called after the colour of its indi- vidual décor. They have three villas within walking distance too. The owners an English/Italian partnership, Philip and Paolo, delight in treating everyone as long lost friends who have just arrived to visit them. It’s a dogfriendly hotel too. Breakfasts on the terrace as the sun rises and burns off the mists over the mountains are hard to beat. So too is Paola’s daily cake! Yes, for breakfast! But we had exploring to do and so dragged ourselves reluctantly away. As we drove through the fertile valley of Val di Chiana it was hard to imagine that this used to be under water. The swampland was drained and reclaimed with a series of canals in the 1800s.
We were headed for Cortona, about 70k from Florence. To visit this hilly walled town is to get a capsule of all that is good and intriguing about Tuscany.
Antique shops, upmarket boutiques, ice cream parlours, pottery shops, wine bars, artisan workers plying their skills, cheese and salami purveyors, all thriving in long narrow shops often on two levels.
The streets are narrow and tight and it’s easy to see why the Fiat Bambino was designed. Even so negotiating these roads and towns requires concentration and much holding of breath. Everywhere steps, archway, crooked winding pathways offers glimpses of promise.
The plainest of churches often reveal amazing art, sculpture and frescoes behind their weathered doors, while some of the more majestic specimens like that at Montepulchiano are just plain showing off when it comes to architectural prowess. Here the plans of San Biagio’s towering cathedral were used by Michelangelo when designing St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Just over 20 years ago Pienza was declared A World Heritage Site town by UNESCO and a stroll around leaves you in no doubt as to why it was given such an accolade.
As recently as 2004 the entire valley, the Val d’Orcia, was included on their list of World Cultural Landscapes.
OF COURSE you can’t write about Italy without mentioning its wine and food. We feasted in several local establishments. La Villa Ladola is a favourite of our hosts. After eating there I can see why. It’s a beautiful carefully restored Tuscan 1700 farmhouse with wonderful grounds and views of the hills overlooking Val di Chiana. From the atmosphere and buzz it seems it’s very popular with the locals. Another day we
lunched in the wine bar at La Dogana Enoteca in Valiano, where the owner told us, “Our windows are our paintings: the artwork here is nature itself.”
The vines were just in leaf as we popped in to the organic Avignosesi vineyards and winery to have a cellar tour before a tasting of their produce. After several we were treated to some of their renowned Vin Santo – a delicious sweet dessert wine served with almond biscotti.
Apart from the tour they have a small intimate restaurant and can arrange a hot air ballooning experience for you if that appeals. It’s certainly on my todo list.
Meanwhile back at the Fontelunga, time for a dip and an aperativo while our delicious diner was being prepared – all made from local seasonal produce and served with a flourish by Philip and Paulo’s ‘family.’
As it was a Friday night those staying in the villas came to join us as we raised a glass under the star-studded Tuscan sky.
Saluti!