As the gardening season winds down particularly as we are going into our first cold snap, I am slightly changing the direction of my blog. It is this time of the year I start to think of travelling. One of my favourite places to visit is Tuscany in Italy. I not only travelled there in my younger days but more recently my husband and I experienced the benefits of staying on a working farm through booking with”Agriturismo” (Agriculture Tourism). When I say a working farm, I mean you are immersed in an olive grove or vineyard. I love the concept of this kind of travel as not only do you stay in beautiful surroundings but you truly experience Italian culture and culinary delights plus mingle with visitors from all walks of life. We travelled to Il Paradiso, just outside the town of Forte Dei Marmi, winding up a steep mountain road and eventually arriving at a rustic farmhouse clinging onto the hillside. I wondered at first if I had chosen the right place on-line. After staying though, it was certainly well worth it. The bedroom was simple with pristine white sheets and the bathroom was totally done out in marble. I discovered later that marble is very accessible in this vicinity as there is a large marble mine just outside of Lucca. We had an amazing view of Forte Dei Marmi down by the sea. We subsequently explored this town and I am forever fascinated by Italian architecture and flowers blooming profusely from balconies or on the sides of buildings.
The most memorable part though was the dining experience. Everything that was grown and raised on the land was included in our evening meal. From the antipasto platters to the bold red wine, the flavors were amazing and I loved the sorbets that you had in between courses to help cleanse the palette. We would usually start eating around 8:00 to 9:00 pm and would still be eating around midnight.
In addition to visiting Lucca, a large walled town with numerous streets (like a maze) and piazzas, we visited a lovely little village called Pietrasanta full of interesting boutique style stores and it had a large square (piazza) hosting an antique market. My husband and I spent hours perusing the stalls and there was so much we would have liked to take home, but it was not possible with having luggage limits.
The owners of Il Paradiso, Lido and Adrianna were very hard working. In addition to running the guest house, they grew olive trees and had a large vegetable garden as well as plenty of chickens running around. I would definitely recommend booking your Italian vacation through Argriturismo if you want to experience the true essence of Italy. We have many memories to cherish.
