by Leonardo Tombelli and Ann Wojtysiak, guest bloggers
A trip to Italy is so much more rewarding when it’s combined with the adventure and delight in discovering the Italian countryside, its agricultural traditions of wine and cheese making, charcuterie, and farm to table dining.
Consequently, we chose a restored farmhouse or “agritourismo” as our home base, located just outside of Florence near the hamlet of Settignano. We enjoyed views of cascading hills of olive groves, the nearby Villa Gamberaia, and the Arno River valley.
Our September trip first began with a more urban start with a walk in the heart of the historic district to see an art exhibition in the Palazzo Antinori Florence. The exhibition dubbed Macchiaioli featured the paintings of a mid-19th century art movement that predates the French impressionists.
Like the impressionists, the art establishment ridiculed and referred to their works as the Macchiaioli, or “scratch-makers”. This show was a great find!
Then our courtyside adventure began with the nearby Tuscan hill town of Panzano in Chianti to dine in Dario Cecchini’s restaurant “Officina della Bistecca”. It specializes in traditional Tuscan recipes including bisteca alla Florentina. This is truly a “dining experience” as you are seated at long communal tables. You leave having made friends with Dario himself and folks from around the world.
We enjoyed a similar dining experience at La Cantinetta di Rignana. This countrysideTuscan Trattoria features beautiful views, a farm to table menu that included hand-made spinach ravioli with truffles in cream sauce and other specialties.
Next was a two-day excursion to Perugia, Umbria. A short drive from Florence, Perugia is a town we have visited before as we had developed several friendships through Grand Rapids Sister Cities exchanges.
Perugia is a delight with its pedestrian friendly city center and views of the rolling hills below. Perugia is home to a National Museum of Art, as well as the underground city Rocca Paolina. The massive substructure walls are all that remains of over a hundred houses, churches, and monasteries that were destroyed during Salt War.
We also visited the ceramics capital of Deruta and the studio of Francesca and Eva Niccacci, VecchiaDeruta Ceramiche . The ceramic shops of Deruta are a wonderful place to find a memento commemorating your trip.
Torgiano is a short drive from Perugia and is home to the Lungarotti vineyards and the Museum of Wine and Olive Oil founded by the Lungarotti family. The museums are a must see to understand the region’s long history of wine and olive oil production from ancient times to present day.
Our last day in Umbria included the hill town of Todi, home to the recently dedicated Beverly Pepper Sculpture Park. Pepper’s monumental rust-colored steel sculptures are an obvious contrast. A closer look reveals a sense of color, form, and detail that addresses the scale and setting of Todi’s stone walls.
Who can resist a cappuccino and rice pudding for a mid morning snack at the Caffe Scudieri?
We look forward to another trip soon that will include more of the Italian countryside, hill towns, and great hospitality.
Ann Wojtysiak is director of mortgage construction administration at Lake Michigan Credit Union and enjoys traveling and cooking.
Leonardo Tombelli is President of Grand Rapids Sister Cities International, grsistercities.org, and is also an Architect currently providing residential design services, with past careers in commercial, educational, and health care design.
