It’s been a bit of scorcher here to say the least. Like all of Europe, Italy has been literally blasted by heat since early May. I’m a sun worshipper, I’ll fully admit, but sometimes the cool terracotta floors and darkened rooms of the local stone built Tuscan houses, the shutters firmly closed, appear remarkably inviting until the arrival of the relatively fresh relief of the evening air. Ahhh! Breathe.
It was against that background of bright sunshine that we welcomed our women only WoW Sun Ladies last week, picking them up in the midday sun of a sparkling Florence at Porta Romana. Well, I have to tell you, and here I’m not even adding an iota of bias, what a set of gorgeous guests, and what a week we had!!!
The sunflowers are currently in full bloom, fields and fields of glorious yellow, and the WOWs came thick and fast as we headed down towards our accommodation. The aftermath of a large Italian lunch was visible in a neighbouring garden as we arrived. Someone was swinging gently in a hammock, half drunk jugs of local wine were still on the table, together with the leftovers of the huge bistecche fiorentine that quite clearly were just too big to finish. Sleepiness filled the swollen afternoon. It was a perfect slice of Dolce Vita to begin our Italian journey through secret Tuscany.
What followed was a week of great chat, fun facts, serious talk, and belly laughing banter as we whirled our way through the very best of the Tuscan landscape. Our arrival evening was over aperitivo and dinner in the enchanting hilltop town of Cortona, the base for all our daily itineraries. The next day was a walk round the medieval walls, up to the Fortezza, with Tuscany as far as the eye can see over the dry and golden ValdiChiana, and on the left, stupendous views over Lake Trasimeno and into Umbria. Lunch. Cured Ham and the sweetest of melons. Chill by the pool. A snack or two. Possibly a glass of wine. A snooze.
Our days took us through quintessential Hollywood Tuscany, undulating golden cornfields with dark silhouettes of Cypress and down dusty white roads. We stopped for a private picnic lunch in the Montalcino vineyards where a beady eyed peacock lay in the shade and watched our every move, occasionally screeching. We ate fresh spinach pasta and had a glass of red as we lay on our blankets and watched the silent passing of the long afternoon, before suddenly heading down a forest track and into a deep valley of chalky hot spring basins, each one cascading into the next, where we donned our cozzies, and sat, working off lunch in the bubbling waters. Only the locals know it here. There’s not a tourist in sight.
Another day, our Ladies decided to go horse trekking, and we watched them disappear into the silvery Olive groves, and emerge 2 hours later, sunkissed and grinning. There were Vespa Scooter trips, complete with tricolour Italian helmets ( ‘after 2 hours’, says Patti, ‘I felt like I was on a Harley’), trips to the lake on a chuggy ferry for a wander and lunch, there was food shopping for varying types of pecorino ( ‘drunk’ pecorino made with wine, or with black pepper, or with hay, fresh, seasoned, extra mature) and olive oil and wine tastings for those that fancied. Each evening was aperitivo in a serene square, with some people watching thrown in, followed by the Best of The Best of local fare in some whopping Cortonese restaurants. We even got in some retail therapy in the local big town, nonetheless an ancient architectural jewel, and both new dresses, and shoes were worn out to aperitivo that evening. Oh, and those Italian lessons, and hand gestures. Nailed!
Best of all though, were the cooking lessons from our Wonderful Unflappable Cecilia, a true Italian local girl who keeps her superb culinary skills under very modest wraps, as she churned us through how to make cantucci, fresh pici, gnocchi, proper pesto, tiramisu, crostini, all washed down with a very healthy selection of great local wines. As we ate round the big family table in our Tuscan home, in the sultry air and the night illuminated by glowing garden lamps with magnificent Cortona twinkling on the hill in the darkness, and as we moaned and groaned in gastronomic pleasure (remember that famous scene from ‘Chocolat’????), I looked proudly upon the scene. A Family. A big boisterous International family, living like Italian locals, full of laughter and good nature, eating and loving our slice of La Dolce Vita alla WoW Sun Tours.
Our holidays are aimed at making you part of our expanding WoW Family, at making you part of something singularly special. You won’t want to travel without us again.
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