Italian Babymoon 2016: Tuscany

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Tuscany, where to begin.  This was our favorite part of the Italy trip.  Trip Tip: When going to Tuscany rent a car and make sure that it is a manual and that it is somewhat sporty.  It is very hilly area and the "well maintained roads" are very scary, gravel/washboard, one lane, death traps.  I was happy and relieved to have a travel buddy who was confident driving as I would have just curled up and cried.  

We stayed at a quaint Agritourismo near Castellina in Chianti.  This little video is the tour of out private apartment in a rustic Italian Farmhouse.  Click here to see the property on AirBnB ;). 



Something we love about staying in our own apartment is that we can cook ourselves.  We went to a local grocer.  Grabbed some items and made our own breakfasts.  It was perfect.

Porter cooking on the custom kitchen that was built into a large wardrobe.



Breakfast on our patio.

We went to an organic farm that let us sample all of their products.  It was amazing!!!  Tenuta Casanova is the name of the farm.  If you are ever in this area, do yourself a favor and go here.  


The red rooster is the symbol for the Chianti wine that the region is known for.


The gorgeous vineyards. 



This is the balsamic vinegar cellar.  Real balsamic is the best thing ever.  


Our tasting menu.





Balsamic on ice cream?  Yep, the most delicious topping ever.  This balsamic reduction was the same age as me, 30 years old.




The drive back to our agritourismo.  It looks like Happy Valley from Mickey and the Beanstalk.


In Castellina in Chianti there is a covered walkway that is full of little shops and restaurants, it opened up to this little area full of flowers.  One of my favorite parts of Italy was the meandering streets that would open up to little piazzas or a flower oasis like this. 


There was a small keep in the middle of the village.



This little village had delicious food!


Something Porter and I have a hard time doing on vacation is relaxing.  Tuscany is a perfect place to slow down, smell the flowers, and swim in the pool.  Our agritourismo had it's own pool, and once I got over the crisp water, I was in heaven.




I loved my maternity swimsuit.  I actually felt cute, which at 7 months preggo, is a huge feat.


I was a human submarine!!!





Sunset after fantastic dinner out.


We used one of our days to visit a small hilltop fort town of Volterra.  This town was right on top of the hill and you could see everything from the vantage point.  We used the Rick Steve's walking guide to tour the city.  It was really interesting and a fun way to spend the afternoon.









The baby needed gelato, who was I to stand in the way?


There was also an old Roman theatre on the other side of the city. 



Cheers Tuscany, you were our favorite part of Italy.  We will definitely be back for a longer stay. 

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