lisastravelblog.net

I received all types of input about what time to leave for the airport with a 11:45am flight. Everything from 5:00am – 7:30am. It was going to be about an 1:40 drive into Florence. Then we needed to fill up the car, drop off the rental, and take the rental car shuttle over to the airport. Ultimately, I decided on 7:00am – to allow extra time for anything unexpected to happen. Heidi had told me the night before – whatever time you think we need to leave is good with us. We will be ready.

And so we pulled out of the farm at 7:00am sharp and the sky looked like it was wanting to rain. I had hoped most of the drive would be without rain, because I had done that drive before when it was raining in sheets and we could barely see out the window. As it turns out, the drive to the airport was the easiest one I could remember. With all the times, my nerves had been shot to hell on this trip on the road, this was a pleasant surprise. Thank you Google maps for not sending me on some crazy route. It was mostly on a highway, and the stop for gas was an on and off highway situation with full service. A little Italian man popped out and was happy to fill the tank for over 100 Euros. I guess gas in Italy is tracking with gas prices in the USA.

The car drop off and shuttle ride also was easy and eventless. Once we arrived at the airport, we both went to our airline counter. Mine already had a big line at 9:15am – the reason being, the ticket agents hadn’t arrived to work yet. I was remembering that they don’t actually show up until about 2 hours before the flight departs. If you get lucky, one will show up early that day. Around 9:30am a ticket agent rolls in and opens up shop. She must be used to having long lines when she arrives. She doesn’t seem hurried or worried.

• 

When my turn finally comes up, she asks to see my negative COVID test. Everything I read on line prior was, take it a day in advance of your flight. She sees the time stamp of the day before at 11am. She tells me, ‘This is not valid. It is more than 24 hours from your flight today.’ I say, ‘Well, the guidelines say 1 day. It does not say anywhere 24 hours. I am traveling today – all day. I took this test yesterday, less than 24 hours from this moment right now.’ She looks at me frowning. She talks to the agent next to her that has just arrived. That agent shrugs her shoulders. She picks up the phone to call someone. I just stand there praying under my breath, ‘Jesus, favor. I need favor. Please help me get through. I want to go home.’ Within a minute she hangs up and says okay for me to load any luggage I want to check. I exhale with a sigh of relief.

I meet back up with Heidi and Jeff who are now also already all checked in and we head down to our gates. All in the small same area. Plus, their flight is about 2 hours after mine. I decide I need one cappuccino and a croissant for the road. That actually turned into 2 cappuccinos – but who’s counting? Soon Heidi joins me up a a bar top and we visit until it is time for me to board. With a hug and safe travels to both of them, I’m off on the next leg of my journey.

• 

• 

After I board in Florence and we are on the runway to take off, the take-off aborts. We don’t even get lift. The flight attendant comes on and says, ‘The pilot will come on and let you know why we had to abort.’ Then about a minute later the pilot comes on and casually says, ‘We will try it again, but we had to abort the first take-off because of too much air traffic.’ Uh, okay. Well, I hope someone figures that out before the next round. The next take-off happens and there we go, up up and away. I look down on beautiful Italy, wondering when I will back back. I have a feeling it won’t be anytime soon given the state of the world and the never ending variants.

Once I get to Paris, I head over to the Business Class lounge. I had remembered this small City within a City the last time I was in this Air France lounge with Dana. Floor to ceiling windows with views of the planes taking off. Lots of room and options to sit, or lay out. Incredible, never ending food selections. We felt like we had one the travel lottery. I was actually looking forward to my 4 hours in this lounge. Once I was checked in, I could immediately tell this wasn’t the same lounge. This was a smaller, dark, more cramped space. Plus it was full. Full like a bus station, with people everywhere. In chairs and on the floor. What was happening in here? It almost seemed like being out in the main terminal would be preferable? How are this many people flying business class? Had the airline messed up with a flight and sent a plane full of passengers in here?

I finally found a spot in the corner to park myself and really wasn’t up for any of the food. I knew the flight home would serve me dinner. So I basically just drank water and did some writing while I waited. When it was time to go to my gate, I had this sinking feeling that I might get hassled about my COVID test time. This flight was going to take off at about 4:30pm – my test was definitely 24 hours before that time. And sure enough, when I get to the screening area they ask for my test. The man says, ‘This test is invalid. It’s more than 24 hours from this flight.’ I say, ‘Look, I’ve already had this conversation in Florence. I have been traveling all day. Someone called in Florence and they assigned me both boarding passes and said I was good to go through to LAX.’ He said, ‘Well, technically, we shouldn’t let you go, this isn’t valid. You know what I mean.’ I just look at him, ready to take this to the next level if I need to. Just then he waves me through. I really just think they love the power trip of all of this.

• 

As I move through the next holding area to wait to board, I have no confidence he isn’t going to change his mind and come pull me out of line. Just then I look down on my phone and I get an email from Air France letting me know that I am cleared as ‘Ready to Fly.’ The documents that I had uploaded the day before, including my passport and COVID tests were all approved. I wondered why it had taken THIS LONG to send me the approval. It would have been helpful to have all of this several hours ago. Basically, if you have the ‘Ready to Fly’ boarding pass, the gate agents don’t need to screen you. With that email, I was becoming more and more confident that if I got pulled out of line, I could show them my email and would actually get to board my flight and get home on this night.

I boarded and found my way to my seat and got settled. I took a Nyquil as I wanted to sleep most of this night and was trying to stay as least congested as possible, for my ears sake, on take off and landing. And so it was – we took off, they served me dinner, I laid flat and slept a good 6-7 solid hours before they turned on the cabin lights for breakfast. It felt like the quickest international flight home I could ever remember. Once I landed, my trusty airport driver, Aaron was already texting me saying he was able to find parking in the garage and would be outside of customs waiting for me.

• 

Once I deplaned and went through ‘Global Travel’ and expedited screening clearance I have used for several years, I expected to scan my passport as usual and move to the baggage area. This time they said, no scanning of your passport. Step up to the camera, take down your mask and wait for clearance. And it happened just like that – new facial recognition technology cleared me without even seeing my passport. Can’t decide if that was super cool or super creepy. The next station, the customs agent didn’t say a word to me, he was busy chatting with the other TSA agents. His main focus once he got my passport was to find a free space to stamp and move me through. It literally took me about 2 minutes to clear customs.

• 

Once I picked up my bags, I headed to the exit. The place where they usually ask for your landing card which has a list of everything you bought while you were gone and it needs to be under a certain amount so they can decide if you need to pay tax on it. Wait, come to think of it, they never had us fill out a landing card. Not only that, there was no one at the end of that exit like usual collecting those cards and looking at your luggage while you sweated it out. ‘What about this Gucci bag?’ ‘Yes, of course, I brought it with me. I didn’t buy it in Italy.’ ‘Nuts and seeds or meat?’ ‘Nope, none of that, but please keep those sniffing dogs away from my bags.’ I’ve had minor ‘food’ things confiscated before – I don’t even bother to try to pass it through anymore. Who knew, they don’t even care or check anymore. It’s a free for all. All they care about now is monitoring COVID.

Just as expected Aaron was waiting for me – I hadn’t seen him in almost 2 years, with all of my business travel being cut off. Even so, it seemed like yesterday since I had seen him and it was comforting to have someone familiar pick me up, take my bags, and take me home. I knew with Amy 9+ months pregnant this wasn’t a job for her on this night on Thanksgiving weekend. She usually was my faithful pick-up for this trip, but her new circumstance made me find another option. I was more than happy to call my faithful driver Aaron. I was a so happy to be back in the USA where everyone around me was speaking English.

Once we left LAX, there was no traffic all the way home. And you know, once you get on the 405 and start heading home, it feels like you never left. Oh how I loved these spacious highways with plenty of room. We had a nice catch up session on the way home and it wasn’t long before we pulled up to me house. My sweet house, just waiting for me. We pulled up around 11pm and once inside, I looked through some mail and then headed for the shower. My home shower with all my stuff inside. I was so happy to be there.

The very best part was being showered, in fresh PJs, and finally, finally pulling back the covers on my fresh bed. I had dreamt about this moment many times in the last few days. I couldn’t have been more giddy to lay down and close my eyes. I was actually so excited, I took a photo of my bed in this moment. I didn’t want to forget how happy I was. It was a surreal ‘Dorothy – there – is – no – place – like – home’ moment. I love travel, I love Italy, I love adventure – but most of all, I love home.

• 

After finally falling asleep at 4am the night before, I woke up around 9:45am to the sounds of the group gathering to leave with Antonella for San Gimignano. I was bummed to be missing this day out there with her on a guided tour, but after the night before, I knew I was in no shape to be out and about all day.

I was actually a little hungry again. Do I dare test the waters? My boss told me once to always eat local yogurt every day of your trip when you travel internationally. It helps you build up the local bacteria in your intestines. I remembered Carlo had provided local yogurt in my refrigerator that I hadn’t consumed yet. I decided to test the waters with that and a banana. It was a good sign that I was finally hungry again.

I next decided to do my TeleMed COVID test that I brought on the trip with me to use for clearance on my trip home. You can do the test from the comfort of your own room and I wanted to get this out of the way as soon as possible, so if, by chance I had a positive test or something was wrong with the test, I could make other arrangements before I traveled home on Saturday. This continual stress of testing was really wearing on me by now. I longed for the good old days when you could just travel on not have this added level of coordination and uncertainty, can you actually fly home when you want to? Nothing was certain.

I follow the instructions and quickly am connected by video to the representative on the other end. They can see me on my phone but I can’t see them. I can only hear the voice. The person is speaking English, but it is in the thickest Indian accent I do believe I have ever heard. I need to keep asking them to repeat themselves so I can understand the instructions. Somehow we get through it together. I test myself. They tell me to come back to the phone in 15 minutes and sign-in again to report the results.

15 minutes later, I’m relieved to see the same result I have seen for the last 2 weeks. ‘Negativo.’ I sign back in. I get an equally hard to understand representative but I am thankful that the wait times aren’t long – I’m willing to work with her on communication because at least she is a person on the other end. Calling your airline or rental car company is a another story right now – wait times can be up to an hour and you are grateful when you are finally able to speak to someone. You think, ‘How nice, I have only had to wait an hour. Can you help me? Great.’ Anyway, the rep asks me to show the QR code to the camera so they can send me the results within 15 minutes. Then she ASKS me what the result says. She doesn’t ask me to show her. I think, really? This is how they are testing? This is a joke. It feels like a formality at this point and I am taking part of a hugest money making scam the world has ever known. Why is there a continual testing requirement for a virus with a 99.8% survival rate, a vaccine option, a virus we now know how to treat, and one where I’m tested regularly even with zero symptoms. When have we ever tested ourselves so much for something where we feel no symptoms and where the risk is so low at this point.

With the test behind me, I keep refreshing my feed to see my results. This is my ticket home I think. I then go to check in for my flight and see they don’t have a seat available for me – even though I am booked in business class. They say, call the airline. Oh gosh, there goes my next hour. Yes, there it went, my next hour only to find at the end that yes, they do have a seat for me, 10L – they aren’t sure why my check-in process tried to block me. Okay, great, at least of have as seat where I can lay down and hopefully pass out on my Paris to Los Angeles leg.

Next I need to think about the rental car. I have platinum status through Hertz and on previous trips, they offer the convenience of collecting the car directly from you at the airport vs. needing to go drop if off at the rental car place and then take a bus to the airport. It is a nice option that saves a lot of time on the day of when you need as much margin as possible at the airport. When I had picked up the car 2 weeks ago they said, ‘Just call the day before and we can look into it.’ I laugh to think about it ‘Just call.’ Just calling is a nightmare. It took me about 30 minutes of trying to get through to the local desk at the Florence airport. It was a constant busy or no one would pick up.

Finally someone picks up and I explain, I’d like a pick up on Saturday at the airport and was calling to coordinate. The gentlemen tells me ‘Oh no, we don’t have enough staff to do that anymore. You know, because of COVID.’ Of course, why didn’t I expect this to be the case. I saw when I first picked up the car. They had one person representing four agencies on a Monday. They surely wouldn’t just have extra people ready on a Saturday to meet me at the airport as in years prior. I let him know I understand and frankly I’m just happy to have that checked off of my logistics for the following day – I know where I need to go and just need to plan extra time for that process. All of this logistical planning seems over the top this trip, I’m just ready to be home where life seems easier and predictable in many ways.

I am still holding the line with the meal I ate for breakfast. I make some tea and try toast and eggs. Thank you. It seems whatever was in that soup or something I ate was behind me now and my stomach was settled. In all my trips to Italy – I have never had a stomach issue. This was new for me. By now it is noon and so I showered, got dressed, and spent the rest of the afternoon packing. I finally get a chance to lay down and rest for a bit, as I know I need to take Heidi and Jeff to San Quirico to get their pre-flight Covid tests. They had a 4:20pm appointment at the pharmacy.

They text and let me know they are hitting traffic on the way back from San Gimignano. Mike and Veronica have graciously offered to bring them straight to their appointment, if I can just pick them up when they are done. I say sure, no problem. By now, I feel just a little weak, but so much better and I had taken a DayQuil so my cold symptoms are really non-existent. I’m all dried up.

It’s still raining when I head out to go pick them up. I felt bad for them standing in the rain under umbrellas. I tried to coordinate as closely as possible so that I could get there just as soon as their results were available. I pull out and they hop in. Poor things – they are wet and look cold and violated – having just had the test up their nose that makes your eyes water. Jeff, who really never complains, ever says in the kindest of ways, ‘Gee, I’m not sure I’d want to travel again Internationally, while you have to take that test. It is such a hassle.’ I was thinking to myself, yes, imagine being me, I had to take it every other day. I’m on the same page with you, Jeff.

It’s about 6pm and the group had talked about all gathering at the farm that evening for a pot luck. Heidi, Jeff and I decide we will go pick up pizza to bring for the pot luck. I knew a place in Pienza that Carla and I had really liked. So we drive over there and go to the Pizza place. Sorry, we don’t make food or Pizza until 7pm. OMG. My first lesson of the trip, I had already forgotten. No pizza until after 7pm. Yes, it’s the same all over. So hard for an American to imagine a world without pizza until 7pm, but there we were living in that foreign world. We drove back to the farm, with the Pizza place number in Heidi’s back pocket and decided we would order it ahead of time and pick it up after 7pm.

When we got back to the farm, Carlo was in the gathering room collecting the money for the week. You usually have to pay in cash, but now you have the option to pay by credit card – kind of. What we didn’t realize was that you can pay the room by credit card, but the Dolce Vita package and any extra wine you consumed in your room all had to be settled in cash. Heidi and Jeff needed about 833 Euros. This was going to take another trip into an ATM in town. Luckily that’s where we were headed anyway for Pizza later on. Carlo recommends an even better new Pizza place for us to pick up our pizza. I think why not, let’s try a new place.

Jeff and I go to run the errand. We decided to place the order for the Pizza first and then come back after we have gone to the ATM to save time. He goes inside and orders and tells them we will come back to ‘take away’ the pizza. We believe they understand. We then go to the ATM and Jeff walks up with 2 cards and 2 codes to makes sure he can pull out enough (there are limits per day on cards). I’m waiting in the car. He walks back to the car and tells me when he gets in – I feel like a target with all of this cash on me. Yes, that’s how it always feels. We both start laughing.

We go into the pizza place after parking the car on a partial curb, just to fit in the spot. We are all ready to pick up the pizza. The lady says, ‘Okay, you want us to start making the pizza now?’ Ugh, message fail. So Jeff and I get to set there for 20-25 minutes while we wait for 2 fresh pizzas. Everything feels hard today. Every communication. Yes, I’m ready to go home where it feels easier.

We get back to the farm where everyone is in the gathering room with their pot luck contributions. We eat dinner and reminisce about the last week. It’s not too long before Luciano joins us with Vin Santo and the tools to roast us chestnuts on an open fire. But first, he asks me to come to the car, he has a little gift for me. There in the car is a bubble wrapped, ready to fly, bottle of his personal Vin Santo hooch he made. It is so sweet. I just don’t know how I will be able to fit this in my luggage, it is packed to the gills, but I will find a way. I’m touched by his gift. He is truly a sweet old Italian grandpa.

We spend the rest of the evening watching Luciano, build the fire and roast the chestnuts. It looks like a scene out of a 1950’s cowboy movie. He then brings the chestnuts inside and starts cracking them open and offering them to us to try. I pop one in my mouth and Heidi says, ‘Really girl. You just got over the cha-chas, are you ready to risk it again?’ I laugh. Er, ah, maybe not. But Luciano keeps handing them to me and it’s hard to resist. And well, they do taste good and I had my yogurt with the bacteria this morning. I should be good.

• 

This last night together was really good with everyone. I finally felt the relief of no more responsibility for the week and everything lined up to travel the next day. I was relaxed and felt so much better health wise than the night before. Everyone was inviting everyone to their homes in the USA and hopeful that we could all travel together somewhere again someday – even in the US, if circumstances allowed. Are hearts are here in Italy, but I know for me, I couldn’t see wanting to go through all of these logistics again to travel internationally. Not until the world has climbed out of crippling fear enabling governments to overreach their control to give people an illusion of safety. I long for a maskless world like 2019 again.

I made it back to the farm by 10:30pm and it was clear to me that the head cold was coming on. What what what could I do to help my immunity? I didn’t have my normal home ‘potions.’ I dug into my vitamins for tomorrow in advance – C, D, Echinacea, Zinc – yes, that all should help. What else could I do? Oh I know, I have garlic in the kitchen, I can cut a clove up and swallow it. Supposedly raw garlic is so powerful in antioxidants it helps fight colds and flu, right? So that’s what I did, and then I quickly got ready for bed.

It felt so good to be finally laying down. I had hoped everyone was still at La Moscadella enjoying themselves. I could hear the rain tapping as I closed by eyes. I must have drifted off, when all of a sudden – wow, I felt my stomach feel super sour. My goodness, was it too much for me to eat the garlic raw on an empty stomach? Maybe I needed to eat an apple to help balance it out? Ugh, this hurts. I can’t even get comfortable.

Oh no, is this the soup finally doing it’s thing? The soup that expanded in my stomach to make me full all evening. Here to say, throwing up, just is not an option. I haven’t done that since I was 7 years old (you read that right), and I avoid it at all costs. I’m looking up sour stomach on my phone and what is best to do. This was going to have to be worked out another way. And so it was, every hour on the hour all night long I was up in the bathroom working it out – adding chocolate thunder to the sound of the rain outside. Thankful that I hadn’t had even a bite of food or a drink of wine at Thanksgiving, it would have made this night even more challenging.

In between bouts I thought – ‘Gee, with my hourly toilet flushing, I sure hope I’m not disturbing Mike and Veronica below me.’ ‘How am I going to fly home like this? I simply can’t. This needs to go away tonight.’ I sneeze. Oh yes, great. My head cold is hitting now also. Traveling like this will not be fun. Oh, I longed to be back home in my own bed and to not have to deal with the next two days of preparation to leave and then traveling all day home.

At this point, I am so relieved that I opted out of all activities during the day on Friday and could just focus on healing, packing, and taking my final COVID test to make sure I was clear to fly home on Saturday. About 4am, I finally fall soundly asleep.

We arrive shortly after the start time of 7pm. It’s lightly raining on this evening, but once you walk in the door you forget about the weather outside. The ambiance indoors is cozy and beautiful. Also, Isabella has arranged for live musicians to entertain us throughout the evening and hired a professional photographer to capture the evening in photos.

There are a few seats left for us at end of the table so I find my spot and get seated. I still have no appetite with a rock in my stomach and the thought of a bite of anything is completely unappealing. The table is is set so beautifully and I think, how ironic that I finally get to the Thanksgiving dinner on a Thanksgiving week in Tuscany and I can’t imaging eating anything or having a drop of wine. Also, what’s that – is my nose now starting to feel just slightly runny? Oh, why yes, it does. Please let it be an allergy to a cat that possibly snuck into this room earlier in the day.

Everyone gets up to go get their first course of appetizers artfully displayed in the other room. I stay seated, hoping if I pass on the appetizer course, I might feel hungry for the rest that is to come. Imagine if I could live my regular life like this? An outrageous meal set before me and I’m not even tempted with a bite. I spend the time just visiting with others trying to draw away attention to the fact that I’m not eating just yet. I was thinking if I could just stay until 9pm or so then I could get back and rest.

All the courses came out and one by one, I passed and said I just wasn’t hungry. It was a new record for me. I came to Italy and finally had become filled to the brim with pasta and wine. I couldn’t imagine another bite of anything on this night or the rest of the trip – in that moment. As long as I didn’t eat, I felt okay to just visit and enjoy the music. Possibly a life lesson for me as well that an even doesn’t have to be about the food (as much as I love it to be) it’s also about the people and enjoying the environment.

Isabella and her youngest son Filippo joined us at the end of the table and it was great to hear some more from Isabella about Italian culture and how it isn’t as easy as it seems to live in this part of the world. It looks so idyllic when you come for a visit, but life has it’s challenges, like anywhere and the culture and values are very different from what we are used to in the USA. Especially when it comes to women and their role in society. She said she learned in her studies of the area, it hasn’t even been very long, maybe a generation, since big families lived together and the brothers would sleep with all the wives and they wouldn’t know which child was whose so that they would treat them all equally and raise large strong families that stood up for one another. She said this type of approach only just stopped in the 1960’s.

And well, that’s what I’ve always loved about a conversation with Isabella. She is a wealth of perspective on this part of the world. She encourages you to come visit and enjoy all the sweetness of life in this part of the world. But also helps you to not be seduced that if you packed up and moved here it would be the same. Italians are not very accepting of outsiders, even other Italians, who are from different parts of the country, let alone different parts of the worlds. Isabella has walked this out not only as someone who came from Milan to the area, but also as a strong business woman in a male dominated culture.

Where had the time gone? I looked at my watch and it was already 10:30p.m. I looked at Heidi and told her ‘I need to gypsy.’ She had taught be that term a few days before. I had never heard it. But she told me it means when you leave a party without making a scene. You just kind of vaporize. So that is what I attempted to to do. I had sat through all the courses, listened and sang along with several rounds of Italian and American folk songs, taken the group photo. I had earned my longed for evening of rest.

I managed to make my exit and, in advance, find a ride for Heidi and Jeff so that they could stay longer. And additionally, I made the call to NOT go on the tour to San Gimignano with Antonella the next day. As much as I had been looking forward to that tour with her, I knew, especially with what felt like a head cold coming on, I needed to buckle down, rest and get packed on Friday. The drive out there was 1.5 hour each way and it would take the whole day. Plus rain and winds were expected for Friday.

With that, I said my goodbyes and exited the first official Thanksgiving where I didn’t eat a bite of food. Even so, I enjoyed myself and the beautiful party, and seeing all the effort and detailed touches to make this the most extravagant Thanksgiving setting I had ever personally walked into. Not feeling 100%, and the fatigue of the week continuing to set it, the evening did feel a bit like a super nice business dinner that I had to push through to get there and stay engaged, but happy in the end that I did so. This reunion was 3 years in the making, and Teresa was right, I simply could not have missed this special evening.

Feeling run down and aware of the head cold being passed around. Lynnette had shown up to Carlotta and JonCarlo’s the night before with a Costco-sized portion of little Italian Kleenex packages. She was passing them out like candy for anyone interested. The evidence of her own head cold was all over her face. Poor thing. I wanted to hug her but not expose myself anymore to what was going around. That is especially why I wanted a good night’s sleep.

So it never fails, when you really need it most – that is when sleep can tend to allude you. I tossed and turned for hours. I was probably freaking myself out thinking about compromising my immune system by not sleeping well this night and I new the truffle hunt was looming in the morning. It was an earlier start time than normal, so that combination of an early wake-up on the horizon and tossing and turning had me finally falling asleep at about 3am after I took a natural sleep-aid. At best that would give me 4-5 hours. Not nearly enough. Before I fall asleep my last thoughts are, ‘How can I back out of truffle hunting and get Heidi and Jeff a ride?’

Like a sweet little Thanksgiving miracle we all get a text around 8am from Fernanda, ‘The truffle hunt has been cancelled due to rain and high winds at the site.’ I think to myself, sweet sweet Lord, thank you for this gift so I can sleep longer and just rest. I text Heidi and Jeff, ‘Hey, I didn’t sleep great so would love more time this morning. I still feel groggy with a slight headache. Need more rest.’ Heidi lets me know they slept great and her cold is finally going away. They are resting in front of the fire and that I shouldn’t worry about rushing to get up. She says, ‘Get more rest and text when you are up.’

I was relieved for that pass and told her that after I got more rest we would figure out an adventure for the day. I told them to think about whether they wanted to see Siena (about an hour a way) or Montepulciano (about 20 minutes away). I swallowed once to see if I was getting sick yet. Nope, not yet. No sore throat another morning (usually my first sign of a head cold). I had dodged the bullet another day, even with a less than ideal night of sleep.

I was relieved when they picked Montepulciano as it was so much closer and it would give them an opportunity to see something new and at the same time we wouldn’t be in the car for a few hours today driving around. After we arrived and parked and stepped out of the car, the wind was whipping around and it felt like a biting cold. I was thankful that it wasn’t raining anymore. The cloud formations from the top were beautiful.

• 

Jeff was having a grand old time taking photos, changing lenses, etc. It looked like so much work to me. I was reflecting on my previous trips bringing my big camera and what a relief it has been to just use an iPhone the last few years. It is more than enough for any non-professional photographer. He found a spot on a hill where he really wanted to park and take advantage of all the views. I suggest to Heidi – why don’t we meet up in about an hour so that he can feel freedom to take his time with the photos he wants to take. She said, ‘Sounds great! But I’m coming with you.’ So with that we had a plan and we said we’d text in about an hour.

• 

I was hoping some shops would be open as I still hadn’t done any shopping on this trip. It seemed whenever were where somewhere with shops, they were closed. As was the case in this moment. I wasn’t particularly hungry as I’d eggs and toast right before we left, but Heidi wanted a little bite and thought we could duck into a warm place and grab a glass of wine and chat while we waited for Jeff.

We found a spot that served food, not a full-fledged restaurant – but one with sandwich and soup offerings and coffee and wine. There was a table available and we sat down. We ordered two glasses of Rosso. Heidi ordered a sandwich and I thought a Tuscan soup sounded good. Something light, I didn’t want to spoil my appetite for the big finale Thanksgiving dinner tonight. So our food came, we enjoyed the meal, Jeff even found us and sat down and enjoyed a glass of wine with us.

Once we wrapped up we were ready to head back. As we walked back to car, I could feel the soup expanding in my stomach. Suddenly I felt so full, fuller than I had been the whole trip. Also, I was thirsty. My mouth was immediately so dry – I couldn’t drink enough water to quench my thirst. What is going on with me? I’m still feeling a bit off, groggy and tired from the night before. I’m thinking, gosh, I can’t wait to just get us back to the farm so I can rest before dinner. We get in the car and Heidi asks, ‘What’s your favorite type of music?’ This question feels so overwhelming to me – because it’s not a simple answer – and I’m too caught up with what’s going on with my body and sudden full stomach and parched mouth.

I respond, ‘Um, can I answer that later? I’m not feeling great right now.’ Heidi says, ‘Sure, no problem.’ It must have seemed so odd to her and like a simple question, but when you aren’t feeling well, even the most simple questions seem overwhelming. So I try to offer something, ‘I will say for now, not country music.’ With that, I drove us home and enjoyed just the space to be with my thoughts and try to figure out what was going on with my body. Jeff asked at one point, ‘Where do people go grocery shopping around here?’ I could see Heidi tense up next to me as in oh gosh, she doesn’t want questions right now. But really, his question seemed so easy I answered. ‘At a place called the Co-op. Remember I showed you one in Pienza yesterday?’ He says, ‘Oh yes.’ and we keep driving.

Heidi pipes up, ‘Honey, we aren’t supposed to ask her questions right now.’ I kind of giggled to myself. I say, ‘That’s fine – his question seemed easy for me.’ She laughs, ‘And music is hard for you?’ I say, ‘Yah, right now, because it is complex and I like so many different types of music.’ Jeff says ‘You see Heidi, your questions can be complicated sometimes.’ We all just kind of giggle as we pull back into the long gravel driveway of Cretaiole.

I was so happy to just get back to the farm and have about 2 hours before dinner to try to lay down and rest. I still can’t shake this full feeling or feeling of thirst. I try to lay down and sleep and of course, can’t sleep and as the time to get ready for dinner approaches I need to decide what to do. At this point, I really just want to stay in (it’s raining and cold) and light a fire and watch a movie. That sounds like a perfect evening for me. I can’t imagine putting any food in my mouth. I just don’t feel up to tonight. In some ways it felt like I was needing to go to a business dinner, smile, and make polite conversation and I just wanted to rest. It didn’t really feel like Thanksgiving to me.

I decide to call Carla and explain the situation. She picks the phone right up and helps coach me through it. She totally gets it and says, ‘Look you are worn out from the week. I think you should just do whatever sounds good for you, they will understand. You can find a ride for Heidi and Jeff.’ I am giddy over this thought to get pass for the night and happy to hear the confirmation. I knew I would need to call Teresa (my co-planner) to let her know.

I call Teresa and explain – ‘Hey look, I’m just not feeling up for tonight. I feel like I am fighting something. I would love to just stay back and rest. I really have no appetite. Something I ate at lunch is just sitting like a rock in my stomach.’ Teresa responds with, ‘Oh no, I am so sorry to hear that. But, Lisa, you must go – you have be there. We would be so sad if you weren’t there; you have been the center of this whole week. A photographer is going to be there to get a group shot. Can you just show up for a little bit and then head back?’ Yes. Yes. I guess I could. With that short conversation, I knew I needed to go – even for a little bit. I had 20 minutes to get ready and not a minute to spare.

Carlotta and JonCarlo (the head chef at La Moscadella and also Carlotta’s husband) invited us over for drinks and appetizers on this evening. We had thought we were only going to be able to stay about an hour before we had to head to the planned dinner. But, as it turned out, those plans were able to be cancelled to give everyone a free night and the majority of the group was thrilled to have the opportunity to come visit them in their home. It’s such a personal gift, when you are invited into the home of local for a visit.

• 

The rest of the group had spent the day (after the lunch at the winery) in Montepulciano shopping for copper cookware. Their cooking class in Il Silene the day before with a Michelin chef, had them all inspired to upgrade their cookware. They would be heading to Carlotta’s straight from Montepulciano. Heidi and Jeff decided to stay in by the fire after their massages and have an evening of rest. So, with that, I headed solo from the farm over to Carlotta’s house in Tora di Sienna for a 5:45pm arrival. I had been there a twice before – once with Carla and once with Dana, so it felt familiar to me, including the location of parking out front, if I could find a spot. There was one wide open for me, despite the time of day (Italian rush hour) which made me happy to see.

• 

• 

Everyone arrived around the same time and we entered a cozy little Italian haven complete with welcoming hosts, a wood stove (stove) and a WWII salami slicer in the corner. Everyone needs one of those! Jon Carlo was at the stove whipping us up a little combo appetizer of polenta, sausages and caramelized onions, while simultaneously adding wood to the stove. They had so many fun appetizers – more than we needed even for a full dinner. So this offering along with the different proseccos, wines, and after dinner digestives were just perfect.

We all stayed until about 9pm and really enjoyed this intimate time with the both of them in their home. It was amazing how they were able to fit ten of us into the small dining area and it seemed like more than enough. They said they were both excited to be able to entertain again and host a small gathering. This was a first for them since before COVID.

Being at the farm without Carlotta and Marta as constant guides and support feels different. We are happy they are both in new jobs that give them more of their time to be with their families, but bummed that we don’t get to see them as much during the week. They have been fixtures and part of what has made the experience exceptional for each guest. As I hugged Carlotta goodbye before I left I said, ‘I sure hope we get to see you again.’ She replied, ‘Of course you will, it’s only Wednesday.’ I had hoped that was true!

I was happy to get back to the farm a little earlier this night and get to bed. I was dragging and knew there was a truffle hunt in the morning. My plan was to be in bed by 10pm and get a good night’s rest. After I get washed up and PJs on and in bed, I get a text from downstairs. “Oh Lisa, we’re in the meeting room with your favorite (Luciano) and he’s asking for you!! Come quick!!” I responded, “#notgonnahappen in my PJs in bed.” Then someone asks, “What would Carla do?” I respond, “Carla would be hiding under her covers unless Debbie personally flew here from Mexico to pull her out of bed.” With that I send down a picture of me with puckered lips and ask them to show it to Luciano and tell him I am sending him a kiss goodnight. Buona Notte.

On the way back from the Tornesi Winery tasting, Heidi and Jeff remind me that they have massages scheduled between 4pm – 6pm. Heidi would go first, then Jeff. I had an idea that while Heidi was in her massage, it would be a great opportunity for me to bring Jeff over to Pienza to take some photos. He’s a photographer and was always looking for opportunities to capture new sights on the trip.

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and Pienza was only about 8 minutes away from where we are staying at the farmhouse. As we walked through the different little avenues atop the hill town, echoes of so many previous trips with different friends were whispering to me from many corners. I spied the iconic bench where I took a memorable photo of Amy on my first visit to Pienza in 2015. We passed the Lavender shop where Carla and I couldn’t escape from the shop owner who kept talking to us in 2018. We passed the ristorante where Dana, Tony, Maddie and I sat down to our first meal together in 2017 and formed a still existing bond of obsessed Italy travelers. We passed all the favorite gelato shops – I could almost remember each flavor I had ever sampled. We passed the sandwich shop where Carla and I had ordered the most simple but memorable sandwiches of our lives in 2019. I peered in the window to make sure the same little lady was there who made the best sandwiches. Yes, there she was. I wished I was hungry for a sandwich in that moment.

Yes. Everything was still there and still the same. Nothing had changed. The only thing that was different was that I was on this trip without any of those same friends. And now walking through this town, as Jeff peaked in and out of alcoves and alleys to take pictures, while I kept strolling, I missed each one in different ways. I was discovering that so much of the joy of this trip or any trip is that it an experience to be shared. All the highs and lows of travel are better shared – both during and long after the trip. For each friend that I mentioned in the memories above, we still laugh as we recall so many moments of those trips and in a way it extends the trip forever. It is such a bonding experience to travel internationally and the memories stay with you long after the trip is over.

• 

As melancholy continued to poke at me, my phone started to ping me and I was brought back to present time. It was Fernanda, she was asking me, ‘Where is Heidi? It’s 4:20 and she isn’t in her room and she isn’t in the cabana for the massage.’ I respond with, ‘Well, I dropped her off at 3:45 and she was going straight into her room to get ready for the massage. Are you sure she’s not there?’ Then Jeff tries to call and text Heidi, no answer. Hmmm, that is so odd. Where could she be? It’s getting close to 5pm, the time for Jeff’s massage, so we head back to the car in a bit of a hurry and slightly concerned that they can’t find Heidi. As we get back to the car, I get a new text, ‘Oh never mind, Heidi was already in the Cabana. Niccolo was confused.’ Okay, thanks, glad she is okay.

• 

We get back to the farm just before 5pm, and sure enough there is Heidi, walking back from her massage from the cabana. She had showed up there right on time at 4pm. I asked, ‘Was the masseuse appropriate? No funny business?’ We all laughed. She assured both Jeff and I that he was completely appropriate. In the past, there was a masseuse there that had a reputation of rubbing the family olive oil all over your body from the tip of your head to the tip of your toes and every place in between. I had steered clear of the massage ever since I heard that tidbit in 2018. Any questions? Just ask Debbie.

We woke up to beautiful blue skies again on this day and it feels like we are all walking on the egg shells of weather as we progress through the week. Still no rain, even though it had been forecasted to rain every day. Bad for the crops, but good for visitors trying to hop into a week in late fall without too much rain.

Our wine tasting lunch wasn’t until 12:30pm, but a lot of my morning was spent trying to coordinate around the evening plans. The schedule called for a dinner at a local cheese farm. By now, everyone is ready for a night to do their own thing and at the same time, it isn’t easy to back out of plans to a local small family business that may have hired staff and purchased ingredients for the evening visit. Trying to be sensitive to all parties involved, I did a lot of coordination around pulling us out of the dinner in time to not harm the business and giving the group the freedom to do what they wanted that evening. Even if it was just to relax back in their own rooms.

Around noon, I did the now regular tap on Heidi and Jeff’s door downstairs signaling I was ready and we could head to the car to depart. I really appreciated their enthusiasm and that they were always ready right on time to head to the next event. Heidi was in the later stages of the head cold she picked up from someone earlier in the trip and said she was on the mend. Even so, when she did a fully covered sneeze in the car on the way up to the wine tasting, my reflexes immediately went to roll the window down. “Sorry,” I said, “I’ve spent 2 years watching how sneeze particles travel, I think the fresh air will do us all good.” She laughed and said, “No worries, I agree, Jeff and I have been watching those same YouTube videos.”

With the pace we are all on eating, drinking, the chill in the air, together all the time, passing and sharing food plates, the head cold is being passed around. I’m trying to take all precautions. Almost two years into the pandemic, I forgot what it a head cold was even like. I haven’t had this cocktail of conditions hit my immune system in a long time. Would all of the vitamins I am taking every day, the continual hand sanitizer, the masks – would they really do their thing? Time would tell.

• 

We arrive at Tornesi Winery in Montalcino right on time at 12:30pm. It is a picture perfect day and the setting on a hill is beautiful. Their specialty is Brunello wines, of course, but they also produce Vin Santo and Olive Oil. A family run business, I enjoyed the tour and the reminders that a Brunello is made from 100% sangiovese grape. A Brunello is like a Cabernet in that they are both rich, full-bodied wines. The difference is that a Cabernet is typically blended with Merlot, Cab Franc, Pettit Verdot or Malbec. A Brunello must be in the barrel for 5 years. The lesser wine they make from the same Sangiovese grape is a Rosso. The Rosso is the younger sibling of the Brunello and only needs to age 3 years in the barrel.

• 

The farm this land is on has been in the family since 1865 and the owner, together with his wife and daughters have adopted all organic methods to grow their vineyards and olive groves. All production -related work is done by hand. We were toured through their production room and they are so happy to have the aid of machines now that that help them bottle 1,511 bottles per hour. One full size barrel produces about 12,000 bottles of wine. She also took us into the label and corking room to show us where and how that is done. They produce DOCG (Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin) wines, which are the highest designation of quality among Italian wines. When the wine barrels are tested for this designation, they get 2 opportunities to pass the test. Obviously, with a 5-year wait to production, it’s a big loss if it doesn’t pass. Thankfully, they haven’t had a situation where that has ever happened for them.

• 

• 

Since it is such a nice sunny day, they seat us outside and lead us to a table with a beautiful view. I loved coming to this winery because it was new for me on this trip and it was nice to have a new experience. I sat next to Lynnette, who has a heart of gold and who I adore. She shares with me that she has a head cold now, but that she took lots of meds this morning to hopefully keep it at bay. Still, I can see her little watery eyes and her rosy nose and my heart goes out to her. It is an awful thing to spend all of this money to travel internationally and taste all of these wines and delicious foods when you aren’t 100%.

What followed next, was the the most delicious meal (I do believe) I have ever enjoyed at a ‘wine tasting.’ Each course was so flavorful and made by the grandma in the kitchen. We all enjoyed this lunch so much and each of the wines they were pairing with the courses. It was going to be our last sunny day and moments in the full sunshine. It made me think of the movie Shawshank Redemption. When Andy bought the boys the beers on the roof and they all were having their moment in the sunshine on a break. Of course, I’m not trying to draw any parallels here that being in Italy is similar to being in prison, but perhaps the state of the world the last 2 years has felt like a prison of many sorts – and finally we were having our moment on the rooftop in freedom in Italy.

• 

• 

On this morning the first official thing on the agenda was to leave around noon to head for a lunch I had planned for Heidi and Jeff in Montalcino. After such a full first few days, it was nice to have some down time on this morning. I thought about going for that loop around the property that Carlo took us on, but the weather had shifted and it was cloudy, windy, and cool. Rather than whipping myself around out in the cold on that hike, I decided to build a fire and spend the morning sipping coffee and writing.

• 

There was a restaurant in Montalcino with a view that I wanted to visit this trip, as I had sent other travelers there based on Carlotta’s recommendation. I also had a ‘credit’ on their account for unused funds from the summer when I surprised Dana’s daughter and new son-in-law with a wedding gift ‘meal experience’ at this place. I wanted to do the same for Heidi and Jeff as this was their delayed honeymoon.

We found ourselves in the hill town of Montalcino, and as per usual, looking for decent parking. Much to our surprise we followed ‘P’ signs and it was an actual parking lot with ample parking. Not wanting another ticket, we all walked over to the machine to pay the parking. I pressed every button on that machine and nothing was happening. It didn’t seem to be working. Also, it was cold and the wind was whipping. Thankfully, a young couple with a baby came near us and spoke English, they explained you have to download an app ‘EasyPark’ and handle the transaction on the app. As we needed wifi to be able to do that, I just took a picture of the rear of the car so that I had the information, and we headed up to the restaurant.

It was a steep incline up to the top, using a mixture of steps and pathways, and there were biting headwinds as we walked up to the top. We kept following the walking directions, and then it had us going about the same elevation down a pathway towards the restaurant. ‘Great,’ I was thinking – we will have to do this all in reverse again after lunch – but it’s probably for the best as I’m sure it will be good to move after we eat. Hopefully, the winds will have died down by then.

• 

We finally arrive at Osticcio Ristorante Enoteca and are led through the restaurant with a window view of the valley below. It is truly breathtaking, and the cloud formations on this day make the view even more dramatic. Even if I drove here and did this little hike just to sip wine and look at this view it would have been worth it for me. But, what followed with the menu was a culinary parade that was a treat to see and taste, while you savored each bite. After the waiter picked out a very nice bottle of Brunello for us, I asked him to select 3 appetizers for us to share and then we each picked a main course. That was followed by 2 desserts we sampled, with coffee. So far, this was my favorite meal because it was so very different than anything I had experienced in Italy (since the Four Seasons in Florence surprise from Jay in 2017) and because every dish was an artful masterpiece to the eyes and the tastebuds.

• 

We spent three leisurely hours there enjoying each bite of that meal and good conversation. I was so happy for the app for parking that the waiter helped me with when I arrived. It was so easy to keep adding ‘time’ to the meter from my phone. It even would ping me when I was 15 minutes away from running out of time. I couldn’t even imagine having to interrupt this meal to walk up and down that hill town to pump a meter full of more money for more time.

• 

• 

We finished our meal with desserts and coffee and then enjoyed a leisurely stroll back to the car. Jeff is a photographer so he was enjoying poking in and out of all fo the little nooks and crannies, while Heidi and I kept walking towards the car at a steady pace. Thankfully, the winds had died down at this point.

• 

Once we got back to the farm, we had about an hour before we had to head over to La Moscadella for a lesson in wine-cheese pairing from Antonella (a high-end guide in this part of Tuscany). Thankfully, as everyone in the group was also full from the days activities – many had been at a cooking course of equal gastronomic proportions. By this point in the trip, as you are about to hit mid-week, you wonder how you can keep going at this pace of eating, especially now that the weather is shifting and isn’t great for movement outdoors.

• 

We arrive a La Moscadella and Antonella is there waiting with place settings for all of us in the main dining room. We all are seated and then she shares with us for about an hour. When she was done, it seemed liked 5 minutes as she was so entertaining and at the same time educational as she walked us through the pairing of the cheeses and wines.

We each had a plate of 4 different cheeses in us in Noon, 3pm, 6pm, and 9pm formation. This is how she referred to them as she took us through the tasting. We also had 3 glasses of wine in front of each of us for the pairing. I learned so much in that hour, that I never knew before about cheese. Especially that cheese is a food that you can and should use all 5 senses to enjoy. She would have us smell each cheese first and asked us what we were smelling. Some cheeses she would have us touch first. Then we would taste the cheese and she would walk us through the taste – was it salty, sweet, did it change in your mouth like wine does, what was the aftertaste of the cheese?

I have to say, I have never been this ‘thoughtful’ with eating or tasting cheese. It was interesting to really break it down. The most amazing thing of all is that when the cheeses were paired with the right wine, it COMPLETELY cleansed your palette. It was like everything in your mouth dissolved . When it was the wrong wine paired with the cheese, it felt like paste in your mouth.

She also explained that there are certain cheeses that you can’t really ever truly experience unless you go to the part of the world where it is made fresh daily. The taste will never be the same after 24-hours. You can’t ship it, you can’t take it home, you have to literally go there to experience it. One of those cheeses is the Buffalo Mozzarella cheese from Naples. Due to it’s high moisture content, the true taste only lasts 24 hours.

There was a sweet little family that were with us this week staying at La Moscadella. Dan and Stephanie are both aviators stationed in Naples. They verified this is true about the Mozzarella and they get it off the trucks in the morning and you have to eat it that same day. They had their 5-year-old little boy with them named, Duke. He is in an Italian school in Naples and they said his Italian is already so much better than theirs as they only speak to him in Italian at school. He often corrects their pronunciation. He is an expert at rolling his ‘r’s already.

• 

After the tasting, Isabella announces there are now ‘light’ appetizers prepared for everyone in the other room. I couldn’t even get up to go look. I was happy with my cheese tasting that night and the few sips of wine they were paired with that evening. This wine/cheese class so impressed me and it is something I want to share back home. I know I could never do it justice, so asked if perhaps Antonella would be open and interested in doing a virtual one-hour ‘webinar’ class for me and friends in the future. She said she would definitely consider it in the off season, which is, I want to say, starting about now.

On this morning, I had to get up and drive myself to the San Quirico pharmacy for another ‘tampona’ test. I’m required to test every 2 days for the green pass that allows me to take part in any indoor activities. Fernanda (the new helper at the farm) had made me a 9am appointment. I arrive at the pharmacy 10 minutes before they open, and really, the idea of an ‘appointment’ here seems like a stretch. Again, there are several Italians waiting out front of the pharmacy for the same test and no one is calling out appointment times.

My turn comes up and I’m required to go to a side door that is really like a little closet and sit on an upside down plastic bucket. The door closes, and I’m sitting there in this little enclosed holding area wondering. ‘How many additional germs am I exposing myself to in this moment? How many actual positive tested people have been in here today?’ It doesn’t make sense to me that I have to do this every other day – it seems like more risk to purposefully sit yourself in this environment every 48 hours. An old man that looks similar to Doc from Back to the Future, all decked out in hazmat gear approaches me with the little mascara tip of a swab and motions for me to tip my head back. My eyes water as he twirls it in the first nostril further than I expect, and then when he goes for the 2nd nostril, I instinctively draw my head back to help balance out how deep this test is going. He says, ‘no’ as in push my head back down, and so I do. It’s over in less than a minute, but still – the feeling of it in your nose stays with you long after the test.

• 

I wait for my results and pay my 25 Euros and then I’m given the magic Green Pass that is good for another 2 days. After all this, I decide to treat myself to a cappuccino and a mini-croissant before I head back to the car. I enjoy each sip and each bite and ponder all the tests ahead this week and decide not to think about it too much.

As I walk back to the car, I am sharing the road (in this ancient hill town), with this 85yo man (at least) in a tiny stick shift car that he is revving up and trying to get what seems oriented with – he keeps starting and stopping. He is so close to me, I could reach out and stick my hand in his window. I think, how is he even driving around this place? It seems loaded with hazards. I watch him go through this a few times and then just like that, he gets moving and disappears in his tiny car between an archway, headed who knows where, but he seemed determined to get there. With that, I head back to car and return to the farmhouse.

Our group total is 14 (12 reunion folks and 2 new invitees – Heidi and Jeff). Prior to the week, we all selected our preferences on group activities. Pretty much everyone signed up for everything that was part of the ‘Dolce Vita’ (Sweet Life) package. You pay extra for the cost of this package, so you don’t want to miss any of it. The next activity would be at 11am. A hike, this time with Carlo, in the Val d’Orcia near Cretaiole.

As the time came closer to the hike, folks were opting out one-by-one, needing more rest that morning or wanting to do other things with their day. Heidi texts me, ‘So, would it be horrible if we skipped the hike today? I woke up with a sore throat and Jeff just wants to rest.’ I say, ‘Not horrible! Rest and take care of yourself. It’s your vacation, you should rest if you need rest.’ So they opted for that rest as they still weren’t quite sleeping well and now Heidi seemed to be catching something. I wasn’t surprised, a couple of folks showed up to our trip with head colds on Saturday night and odds were this was sure to be passed around given the lack of sleep, colder weather, and continued exposure to one another. I was hoping this would pass quickly for Heidi – as it does diminish things for you when you aren’t feeling well.

Five out of 14 of us showed up for the hike with Carlo at 11am. Given the full day of activities on Sunday, I wasn’t surprised. The freedom to join or not join the activities of the day is the beauty of a week that is curated for you, but that you can also opt in and out of as you feel you want/need to as the week goes on.

The hike with Carlo took about 2 hours and was on another beautiful day that started out misty and cloudy, even a little windy, but it eventually warmed up and the clouds parted. Carlo’s English isn’t as good as Isabella’s – it’s very limited. Even so, he is able to communicate just enough so you get the important take-aways about his property, adjacent property and his family’s history on the land. You feel a bit like you are walking around with Braveheart of the Val d’Orcia – a man of the earth, who could probably snap a wild boar in half with his bare hands and then proceed skin it, grill it or hand it over to his mother to turn it into a nice ragu for you as a pasta topping.

• 

As we walk, he will pick at wild little plants or small berries and that grow on the plants. He describes these things that he picks, similar to how cave men talk (with the limited English). ‘This good. Small fruit. Skin here. Healing.’ Then he pops it in his mouth and keeps walking as if he expects us to also do the same. We just keep walking. I’m already potentially fighting what is likely a head-cold coming my way soon, I don’t need to add the ‘the backdoor trots’ to the list at this time.

He tells us about how it has been a really bad year with no rain and that much more rain is needed for good crops next year. He then shows us the clay that the wheat grows in explaining, it’s a 3x rotational process for planting because the earth is so thick. He does all of this in the cave-man talk, but somehow we are all tracking with him. He also told me at some point that he worries and wonders about the future of his family business. He has two sons, and hopes one of them will want to carry on the traditions of several centuries of the family farming business.

• 

We make it back to the farm, and they have a little brunch all ready for us with pastries, champagne, orange juice, coffee, fruit salad, quiches, cheeses, meats, focaccia with tomato sauce. I think hmm, wow, nice way for me to completely counteract the benefit of 2 hours of hiking. Still, I find myself picking up a big croissant with a berry filling and some quiche and water. I’m not quite ready to start drinking. Tonight is the 7-course dinner at Andreucci. I did this last time and know it is the eating and drinking event of the week (including Thanksgiving – so THAT is saying something). We’ll be taken over to the winery in vans and leave a sea of wine glasses, like you’ve never seen before in your life, at the end of the night. Time to stick to a light touch on this round.

After the brunch, I went back to the room, built a fire and enjoyed the afternoon in my kitchen/living-area – doing some writing on my book and blogging. That’s one of the hardest parts of the week at the farm, to find time for writing. The schedule is so full, but this Monday afternoon was the perfect time and I know that in the future I will often think of this little cozy nook every time I want to write. There is a book marker that is a gift for the week. It says, ‘Real luxury is to have time, space, and silence.’ So there I sat that afternoon enjoying my time, space, and silence.

It wasn’t long before we were loading into two buses that were going to take us back to Andreucci winery for the 7-course wine/meal tasting. I remember this experience clearly from last time as a highlight of the trip. Not only the exquisite wines, I still can’t get out of my mind the lasagna the grandma made and hoped it would make a return appearance on the menu. Once we got there, they explained to us how the evening would roll out. I felt like we were at champion tournament for wine/food, listening to the rules of play, and we all were eagerly waiting at the starting line to get going. With a few explanations under way, it was time to take your marks, get set, go…..

Out rolled 7 tastings that they prepped on a table in the room. They prepped each wine tasting glass with an actual swirl of the wine to prep the glass. They wanted nothing but the wine to lace all sides of the glass. It was quite a process – like a chemist laboratory – with each tasting that we eagerly awaited in addition to the mini-courses of food that paired with each wine. We feasted on delicate appetizers atop bruschetta, a wonderful little creamy soup with croutons, gnocchi, lasagna (yay!), a small beef course with spinach and heavenly focaccia bread, a little chocolate ball, and finally tiramisu. I don’t have any idea where we all put it, but I’m thankful they were small portions – just a few bite tastings of each, which was perfect.

We headed back to the farm late – happy and with full stomachs. I may or may not also may have ordered a case of wine to send home. Already dreaming of menus now to share with friends as they taste these wines. I find as I get older – it’s experiences that I love to gift to friends vs. things. The experience of Italy is what I am most looking forward to sharing with friends when I return home. And well, that’s going to take some wine, lots of good wine.