Tuscany North Untour, Summer of 2004
by The Steffy Family, Lititz, PA
Welcome to the Steffy Family’s “Adventures in Tuscany”!I’ve included our itinerary, specific things we will remember about Tuscany and some things we wish we had known.
We are a homeschooling family from Lancaster County and live in south-central Pennsylvania’s Amish country. Our artistic daughter is graduating from High School this year and chose Tuscany for her “Senior Trip”. Of course her classmate/brother, teacher/mother and principal/father needed to accompany her! We are independent, adventurous travelers and found Untours to be a perfect fit.
The Centro apartment in Buonconvento was excellent for us. Our children are 14 & 18 and could walk around town looking at shops or go out for a soda or pizza anytime. Everyone in town was welcoming and patient with our efforts at speaking Italian. Since there were no other visitors near us, we had to dive into living like a real Italian family and learn new words from the people we met every day.
Our teens wanted an active schedule, so we covered a lot of territory and did a lot of driving, often stopping at 2 or 3 things each day. The children stayed in touch with life back home through email at Montalcino and at the 2 hotels we stayed at in Rome & Florence. Sunday & Monday there was very little to do in Buonconvento as all the shops were closed. Those days we traveled to more touristy towns that stayed open or drove around sightseeing. Our daughter, Shelby, took many photos for watercolor ideas and did some sketching and 2 small paintings while we were there.
Our teens quickly tired of oil paintings and churches, so we tried to choose more active things to do, like horseback riding, a tour of 2 farms, and going to the beach. Cecelia, the English speaking travel agent in Buonconvento, was very helpful at arranging tours, train travel and hotel and museum reservations. The horse ride and tour were at Pieve a Salti. You could probably ask there about these activities and bypass the agent’s fee.
When we planned our activities for the day, we had to account for the Tuscan habit of the “afternoon nap”. It was important to remember that we would not be able to purchase a late lunch or go shopping during the afternoon. Often we planned to drive or sightsee.
The weather in May was perfect and the flowers were blooming well. The temperatures were comfortable, perhaps a little cool in the evening and morning. We did not wear our shorts as much as we had thought we would and if it rained, it would usually blow over quickly. The wilting humidity that accompanies summer on the US east coast was absent.
We live near Hershey PA, where they make chocolate kisses, so I took a bag of them along to give to people we met. I also took a small pocket calendar with views of the Amish countryside where we live. These 2 things gave me opportunities to say “thank you” to people who helped us and gave me conversation starters.
Scott also brought his handheld GPS and set a waypoint for Buonconvento. If we had gotten lost, we could’ve found our way back home easily. Often our actual miles were greater than the direct mile reading on the GPS. It was fun to check the altitude of the mountains we climbed and see how far from home we were.
We really liked the “Language Survival Guide to Italy” by Harper Collins. It had lots of pictures and was organized by topics. It also had an English-Italian dictionary and an Italian-English dictionary. Italian is very similar to Spanish and when attempts at conversation were accompanied by a smile and a sense of humor, our interactions with Italians usually ended on a happy note with real information exchanged.
We found many of the guidebooks to Tuscany were too art/history oriented for us. Our favorite was the "Cadogan city guide to Florence, Siena, Pisa & Lucca". It told the history of places in an amusing, lighthearted way. I found some of our guidebooks at our local library’s annual book sale. Although their pricing was out of date, the reviews and histories of places were still accurate.
Another fun thing I brought along was a “Learn 50 Words of Italian in One Day” CD that I bought at Borders Bookstore. It was an amusing conversation between 2 travelers with jokes interspersed. It was nice to listen to in the car as we were driving and we did actually use some of the phrases. Learning “polite” words and numbers up to 10 really helped us. Italians appreciated when we tried to converse in their language and sometimes it turned into a lesson and we learned a new word.
Let me say a bit about food. I like to cook and loved the challenge of recognizing the familiar and adapting to the new. It also saved us money that we could then spend for other activities. I humbly offer my experiences to make cooking easier for another family. We tried to balance new food experiences with the comfort of recognizable family favorites. If we were home for the morning, we adopted the Italian habit of eating a tiny breakfast and a larger meal at lunch.
Tuscan bread is best described as a wrestling match between the crust and your teeth. The crust usually wins by pushing your gumline up under your nose with each bite. We liked the sesame bread from the bakery downtown and the children appreciated the familiar taste and texture of pane de semola de grano duro. They also liked fettine fuso formaggio a fette for grilled cheese sandwiches. We found that fontina cheese was most similar to a longhorn or colby jack from back home. We never found a good substitute for cheddar.
My family’s real favorite in the food department was pizza made with a prebaked crust, wonderful bottled sauce and the excellent (and cheaper!) wax dipped mozzarella. We ate that almost every night we were home, sometimes with fresh mushrooms.
The children are great milk drinkers and were disappointed in the irradiated whole milk. We liked the fresh milk better, even though it felt greasy to us going down. They did miss chocolate milk and stopped at a convenience store on the way home from Philadelphia just to get some.
Green salad in Italy is always served with oil & vinegar. If you’re fond of creamy salad dressings, you will have to make your own. I could not find sour cream, so I devised a version of “Ranch” with mascarpone cheese, vinegar, milk and some “salad seasonings” from the spice aisle. I also made a sweet/sour mayo dressing that our family likes.
When grabbing a sandwich from the deli, we missed mayo and mustard. Sometimes we took it back to the apartment to add mayo. The butter is unsalted and tastes slightly different from our. The little grocery store on the main street in old town Buonconvento makes up sandwiches on breads of your choosing with fresh sliced meats and cheeses. These were much better than the ones sitting behind glass all day at the bar. When you purchase sandwich meat, pay attention to what the ham looks like. It is always cured, but sometimes is raw and brighter red, not cooked and pale pink as we are accustomed to. I intended for us to have ham sandwiches with the piece I got, but didn’t realize it was raw. I ended up cooking it with potatoes and green beans for a main meal.
Creamy canned soups, a staple in American casseroles, are not available in Italy. I made a white sauce for my family’s favorite chicken casserole and frozen vegetable choices are not as extensive as in the US. Italians must use more fresh produce. I did find baby carrots to snack on and had to ask for celery at market.
The best and easiest main meal I made was minestrone soup. There is a wonderful frozen veggie mix that when mixed with a can of chopped tomatoes, a can of beans and a few bouillon cubes is absolutely delicious! Especially when sprinkled with a sharp grated parmesan and eaten with bread.
Our heritage is Pennsylvania-German, loaded with traditional baked goods like shoo fly pie. We were disappointed with the texture of Italian cake. It is heavy and coarse rather than fluffy. The strawberries were in season, so I made a traditional pound cake which we ate as shortcake. We also gave pieces to people we met during our stay.
The first week we drank a lot of carbonated soda with our meals. I did make fresh lemonade, but it didn’t taste like the highly sugared instant versions my family was used to. I found some Twinings Lemon tea (decaffeinated) and made iced tea to have with our meals. The water at the apartment tasted good and when we ate out we had acqua minerale or acqua frizzante in bottles. Scott and I enjoyed the coffee in Italy. It is strongly flavored and the decaf from the Coop had no bitter aftertaste. An unusual fruit juice that quickly became a favorite was red orange juice from blood oranges.
Do patronize the market. Things are much cheaper. The roasted chickens are wonderful and we had some sausages that were sweet and good, not flavored with sage as our American sausage is.
Memories of Tuscany
- Old, well trimmed grapevines dancing in the sun as they reached for each other
- Bright red poppies scattered in fields of yellow blooms
- The tiny vehicles! “Smarts” in Rome the size of golf carts! Apes, looking like a cross between a motorcycle and a garden tractor cart, putting along in the country
- Older women walking arm in arm with their scarves and jackets
- A cat curled in a windowsill beside a potted geranium
- The color “Burnt Siena” coming alive before our eyes in the walls of homes
- Hill towns at night, sparkling like a chain of stars
- Street musicians and mimes in Florence and Rome
- Pigeons cooing and the church bell in Buonconvento striking the hour
- A snowstorm of cottonwood fluff on the Tiber River
- Seeing places in Rome from the movie “Roman Holiday”
- Siena Market aka Wal Mart on Wheels. Three hours and empty wallets!
- The driver in Rome who reversed his car rather than part a kissing couple in the middle of the street
- Seeing nuns, monks and priests
- The curves of the hills covered with green velvet
- Marble gravestone shaped mileage markers carved in Roman numerals
- Roses at the ends of the grapevines
- “Roman soldiers” talking on their cell phones after “imprisoning” a tourist for a photo and a fee!
- Pay toilets that were clean and free toilets that were not
- Trees like giant stalks of broccoli and rows of cypress lining farm lanes
- Military jets screaming overhead
- Islands off the coast of the Argentario swathed in haze like mystical Atlantis
Our Itinerary
5/4 This day is a jet-lagged blur
Short on sleep, we appreciated Harriet’s guidance and care as we got our car and drove convoy style to Buonconvento.5/5 Welcome meeting with the entire group
Our gracious hostess, Harriet, was well prepared with information on local sightseeing, helpful driving advice and emergency handouts. I can’t remember a single question that stumped her. She is really a treasure and a wonderful hostess. Her experience with both cultures shows itself well.In the afternoon we drove to Monte Oliveto Maggiore, which was closed, and to Asciano and Siena, then home to Buonconvento. The drive was beautiful. Our second adventure was grocery shopping at the Coop. The children were delighted to find Cheerios, peanut butter, American style bread and Kraft American cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches. At dusk we drove to Montalcino to take some sunset photos.
5/6 Mount Amiata
We packed a lunch and headed south through Torrenieri, past San Quirico d’Orcia and Bagno Vigioni. At Castel d’Piano we started up the mountain through orchards of chestnut trees and pale green beech forest. At the end of the road, beside a ski chalet, we hiked up a still snow covered ski slope and were rewarded with a wonderful view and a 70 foot iron cross. Watch for signs to “la Croce” - “the Cross”.We headed down the western side of the mountain through Abbadia San Salvatore to Piancastagnaio. This was a wonderful, unspoiled, small hilltown that we will remember for its quaint charm.
On the way north on the Via Cassia (S 2) we saw a medieval tower and discovered Radicofani, a restored castle. We could see all of Mount Amiata from the tower, including the towns we drove through approaching the mountain and the ones we passed through on the way to Radicofani. We stopped at Bagni San Filippo on the way home, but couldn’t find the place Harriet had described. The smell of the water was not encouraging, so we didn’t look very intently.
5/7 Buonconvento Market Day
Ah...the challenge of the market! What fun! Armed with a “cheat sheet” of basic Italian food words, I went forth to find fresh strawberries and tomatoes. At market, you are forced to use your “piccolo Italiano”. You must accompany your communication attempts with lots of “molto bene”s, “grazie”s, “scusi” s and “per favore” s, always following up with a smile that’s understood in any language. The food was fresh and cheaper than the Coop, so it was worth the effort.Two other events were happening today in Buonconvento; a craft show and a motorcycle rally. My market purchases inspired me to cook, so we stayed home today. Scott & I did visit the Farming Museum in town and found it fascinating.
5/8 Murlo, Montalcino, Sant’ Antimo
We made an appointment for an English tour of the Etruscan museum and it was very worthwhile. The children were anxious for internet service in Montalcino, but we found it closed. We drove on to Sant’ Antimo to hear the Gregorian chants. Tonight Montalcino had fireworks that looked really cool from Buonconvento.5/9 Roselle, Argentario and the Maremma National Park
Roselle was very worth the trip. It has ruins of a Roman town on top of an Etruscan one. With a bit of imagination, you could picture the activity and life of the residents.The Argentario’s steep cliffs plunged directly into the sea and were very beautiful. The Spanish influence was very evident and the town and villas reminded us of islands in the Caribbean. Follow the “Panoramico” signs for a lovely drive across and around the island. The views are breathtaking.
We didn’t have to pay to enter the Maremma National Park and the entire place was empty of people. We enjoyed our first meeting with the Mediterranean Sea. The beach was undeveloped and full of driftwood and the water was blue and cold. We had a gorgeous sunset on the water. Outside the park, in the grassy plains, we saw domestic beef cattle and horses. Inside the park we met some charming foxes and saw the famous “chighale”, the wild boar.
5/10 Lunch with the Untours gang, San Galgano & San Vincenzo
Wow! That lunch was great! We were all stuffed! We enjoyed exchanging stories of what we had done with other Untourists. After lunch most of us went to San Galgano. It was serene and rested in the reflection of its former glory like a contented old soldier sitting in the sun.San Vincenzo showed Spanish influence and reminded me of what Miami would look like if it were cleaned up. We were astonished to see huge marble blocks used as a harbor jetty. Value is definitely related to supply. They would be precious in the US.
5/11 Siena Market Day
This was an awesome day! Shelby & I worked the market, which was much larger than Buonconvento’s. We called it “Wal Mart on Wheels” and purchased all of the gifts for folks back home at much cheaper prices than the shops. Shoes, clothes, purses, leather goods, books, household goods, groceries, hardware, pottery, table linens, curtains, scarves, jewelry, fruit, vegetables, potted plants, roasted meats, cheese, candy, etc, etc, etc. What fun! We had to find a “bancomat” to get more cash and left the men folk people watching at the bus station.For lunch we found a cafeteria behind a pizzeria next to the Palazzo Pubblico on the piazza. We liked the choices and all had different things. We spent some time watching a street clown outside an outdoor restaurant. Using a squirt bottle and other props, he picked on unsuspecting people who walked through his area. Some of his antics were slightly embarrassing for his victims and when he was finished his routine he pulled out a can and passed it for tips.
We found the cinema and enjoyed the break from walking while we watched the film on the Palio. At the Duomo, we toured the museum, but the main attraction was the panoramic view of the city from the unfinished church expansion. The fan shaped piazza was especially pretty from that height. The climb is narrow and not for the faint of heart. We went inside the Duomo and promptly looked like country kids in New York City. Our heads tipped back and we said, “Wow!”
5/12 Horseback Riding, Monte Oliveto Maggiore, Sinalunga, the Chianti Valley & Montepulciano
Early afternoon we met Claudia at the Pieve a Salti farm. The horses were very goregeous and very big! We enjoyed our trek on the farm lanes and getting a closer look at the countryside at a slower speed than a car.Later in the afternoon we drove to Monte Oliveto Maggiore and Montepulciano. The views over the Chianti Valley were pretty, but more cultivated and less “wild” than our part of Tuscany. Scott and Sean were very patient with Shelby and I as we “ooh”ed and “ahh”ed at every turn of the road and stopped to take photos.
5/13 Farm tour
At noon we met Amelia, piled into her tiny car and had lunch together at Pieve a Salti. She was talkative and easy to speak with. After lunch Leo gave us a 4-wheel drive tour of the farm and explained their organic farming methods. He showed us several of their guest houses and the processing plant where they make organic pasta. Amelia then took us to Sergio’s farm to see a special breed of beef cattle and a market lambs. She also showed us a special kind of pig native to Italy. We really liked this tour as Scott worked on a farm as a teen and we live in a farming area.5/14 Rome
We had not planned to visit Rome, but Shelby insisted it would be foolish not to. I reserved the hotel and learned about the train and subway systems from Cecilia, an English speaking travel agent in Buonconvento.We drove to Chiusi to catch the train to Rome and had an hour and 45 minutes on the train. The Rome train station was large and busy, but we found the metro and bought a day ticket. We found our station and located our hotel, which held our backpacks for us.
Our first goal was the coliseum. It was crawling with tourists and offers of English tours, but still impressive. We headed first for some food at one of the “lunch wagons” then entered the Palantine Hill ruins. The ruins were interesting, even though there were no interpretive signs and we had no guidebook. The hill overlooked the remains of the Roman Forum. I was amazed to think we were walking where St Paul might have also walked.
We walked through the Arch of Titus and by the Arch of Constantine and right into the Coliseum without waiting. Our ticket was good for both places and we avoided lines by going to the Palantine Hill first. Although it was crowded, you could still get a feel for the place.
Our metro tickets were also good for the bus, so we chose one at random for a tour of the city. We ended up at the Tiber and saw signs for a river tour. The boats were all booked until 5:00, but they told us about the water taxi boats that you could ride for much cheaper. They started at 4:00, so we had time to walk to St Peter’s Basilica. It was neat to be in the place where the funeral service for Pope John Paul II was held. The lines for the Vatican were even longer than the ones at the Coliseum. We didn’t want to spend time waiting in lines, and it was time for the riverboat, so we walked back to the Tiber.
We rode the water taxi to each end of the line for 2 euro each. There was no “tourist commentary”, but we still enjoyed its slow pace and the fact that it was not a prepackaged tour. I hate to mention something offensive, but portions of the steps leading down to the river were filthy with human waste. We chose carefully which sets of steps we used.
The river taxi ended near the Circus Maximus, a long, grassy rectangle with sandy lanes where the chariots used to go. The sense of history was interrupted by joggers and dog walkers. We walked back to the subway and chose a station for supper. It was in a neighborhood that was not tourist-y and we found a restaurant that was opening for supper. We enjoyed the ambiance of outdoor tables and neighbors calling to friends from second floor windows.
Back at our hotel we rested our tired feet and caught up on American news with CNN. It was nice to hear English from the TV after 10 days of American movies dubbed in Italian or commentary on sporting events.
5/15 Rome and home to Buonconvento
This morning the subway was packed. We saw the Spanish Steps where Audrey Hepburn buys gelato in the film “Roman Holiday”. The Piazza del Popolo was holding a demonstration of police work. We hopped a tram to somewhere and ended up outside the city. We got off to wait for another bus and back in town saw a flea market full of antiques on one of the streets near the river. We live near lots of antique shops back in PA, so it was fun to see what is considered “old” in a country with so much history.We walked to the Piazza Navona, where there was a craft show and they were preparing for a concert. Fortified with gelato, the Parthenon and Tivoli Fountain were our next stops. Both were very crowded with visitors. Our last place to see was the Palazzo Venezia. The views from the top were wonderful, ancient Rome on one side and modern Rome on the other.
Walking on the Roman road through the Forum reminded me of how much had happened there. We were amazed at how accessible the ruins were. Back in the US, everything would have been behind a fence. We sat at the Coliseum for a while watching people and eating pizza and gelato. These two items are getting to be a habit!
The train back to Chiusi was easy to find. There were English speaking attendants at the terminal that would look up your track number and departure time. The sunset was beautiful driving home. We got home at 9:30 and Sean made another great pizza.
5/16 San Gimignano, Volterra and mountains
San Gimignano is very tourist-y and full of shops. We climbed the one tower that is open and got gelato again! We drove home through Volterra and the mountains. It was beautiful, but long! Very few roads run east/west and most are very twisted, which slows your driving speed down. We love the mountains back home, so enjoyed the scenery. One place was intriguing. The heat from natural thermal springs was collected in silver tubes snaking all over the hills and then converted to electricity.5/17 Preparing to leave
Slept late, packed, cleaned and said “goodbye” to the good folk we’ve met in Buonconvento. We ate lunch at Da Mario’s and supper at the newer pizzeria at the Montalcino end of town.5/18 Florence
Harriet’s directions made returning the car in Florence easy. The Pendini Hotel is on the fourth floor of a beautiful old building right on Republican Square. We were early for “David” at the Academy, so we picked up some sweets and juice for breakfast and sat at the Piazza of the Annunciation, one of the prettiest ones in Florence.David was incredibly alive. We could appreciate the plaster models because we understood their purpose and use after touring the Vermont Marble Company. We fed the sparrows at the Piazza San Marco with crumbs from our paninni and pizza, then we walked toward the Ponte Vecchio.
We got sidetracked by the beautiful Duomo and waited to see it. The painting on the dome was stunning. Every church had its own special beauty.
At the Ponte Vecchio it was amusing to see the padlocks all over the fence in the middle of the bridge. How ironic that a sign of “true love” is regularly removed by policemen with bolt cutters. Scott thinks it’s a way to sell padlocks.
We met Stan & Geri Crosby, the first Untour couple we met at the Florence airport last week, on the bridge. They told us the Pitti Palace was free today and it was beginning to rain, so we were glad to spend several hours wandering through the opulent rooms marveling at the riches of the Medici family.
Florence has a newer history than Rome and is very much a “tourist” city. Leaders of bus trips held hats on umbrellas high enough for their people to follow like a herd of sheep. Florence seems to have assembled itself into a “destination” and marketed itself to Victorian travelers. No warm brown stone and plaster here. Nope, marble and lots of Victorian touches in the carved trimwork. The buildings have a prideful air about them. Like an aging, former beauty still clinging to her dignity. There are street hustlers trying to sell you scarves, art prints and knock offs of designer handbags and the beggars were intrusive. One young girl was really in Sean’s face and wouldn’t let up. We had to leave to get rid of her.
Back at the hotel, we participated in the Italian tradition of the afternoon nap and went out to dinner at a restaurant in the Piazza. Halfway through supper the sky opened up and it just poured! We grabbed our plates and the manager brought an umbrella to escort us into the restaurant. The waiter was amused at our Italian. Here in Florence it would not have been needed as everyone we spoke with spoke English. We had dessert for a change and enjoyed American style coffee with our tiramisu and cheesecake.
5/19 Home to the USA
We got up early and had breakfast at the hotel. We called for a taxi 2 hours before our flight was scheduled to leave. Our taxi driver was fun. He kept clicking his tongue and saying “Mamma Mia!” at the traffic. Using my “piccolo” Italian and lots of hand movements, I managed to have a conversation with him, much to the amusement of my family in the back seat. Talking to Italians and learning new words has been a lot of fun for me.The alps were clear and beautiful. The rest of the flight was uneventful and we landed at Philadelphia and were met with hugs from our family.