Finally...
I went to Tuscany with IES sometime before Spring Break Pt. I. It exceeded expectations more than anything else in my 3+ months in Rome, with the exception of the IES teaching staff (more on that later).
The first stop on our way to the Val d'Orcia area of Tuscany was Orvieto. Orvieta was an ancient city-state a long, long time ago, back when each hill was a separate entity. Sort of a cool - and scary - idea to think about; waking up, looking out your window, and seeing several rival cities contemplating how to take you over. There is a rather elaborate system of caves under the city but we didn't have time to see them. I was a little disappointed by this and it made my low expectations for the trip be even lower. It's not that I didn't trust IES to sponsor a good trip, I was just so used to traveling fastly and furiously with action-packed days, that the proposition of having meeting times and points with the inevitable straggler that everyone had to wait on just did not appeal to me. I wish I could say more about Orvieto, but besides the incredibly intricate facade on its church, we did not see much. The view was cool though. And lunch was better than expected, considering I think it was a pretty touristy place (the whole town seemed dependent on tourism).
After the inevitable stragglers straggled their way to the bus, we straggled on to Tuscany. Tuscany is one of Italy's twenty Regioni, for those unaware. Tuscany actually has borders. There is no discernable border though. In fact, just outside of Rome the landscape doesn't look too different than it does in Tuscany. Umbria, Tuscany's neighbor and an increasingly popular tourist destination because of its low prices (low only when compared to Florence) and similar landscape, is still considered by a few of the IES staff to be the hidden gem of Italy. I do not think it is all that hidden, since I had heard of it before coming here. Our too-large-for-Tuscany tour bus entered the town of Trequanda (Three Cups.. or something like that) almost 90 minutes and the majority of the Financial Times later. Our little vineyard, which is probably named Donatella Cinelli Colombini, but in all honesty could have four other titles (I do not understand what each of their names refers too. Maybe it is named Fattoria del Colle? Anyway... ), is one of the many agritourism farms that keeps the Italian agricultural sector strong. The place is gorgeous. It's located at the top of a hill with the most perfect view of the famed Tuscan Sun setting. The Val d'Orcia, where Trequanda, Donatella Cinelli Colombini (or is it Fattoria del Colle?), and countless other identical towns and wineries are located is a UNESCO-recognized, national reserve-protected valley. If you have seen a picture of Tuscany before, there is a fairly good chance it was taken in La Val d'Orcia. It even played a part in starting the Renaissance period, which actually started in Tuscany's capitol of Florence. The most important architectural aspect of the Renaissance, according to my professoressa Barbara Briganti, was the idea of opening up villas to the outdoors and having a beautiful view. After looking at this next picture, which comes from Google, you'll understand why it had such a monumental impact on history.
I went to Tuscany with IES sometime before Spring Break Pt. I. It exceeded expectations more than anything else in my 3+ months in Rome, with the exception of the IES teaching staff (more on that later).
The first stop on our way to the Val d'Orcia area of Tuscany was Orvieto. Orvieta was an ancient city-state a long, long time ago, back when each hill was a separate entity. Sort of a cool - and scary - idea to think about; waking up, looking out your window, and seeing several rival cities contemplating how to take you over. There is a rather elaborate system of caves under the city but we didn't have time to see them. I was a little disappointed by this and it made my low expectations for the trip be even lower. It's not that I didn't trust IES to sponsor a good trip, I was just so used to traveling fastly and furiously with action-packed days, that the proposition of having meeting times and points with the inevitable straggler that everyone had to wait on just did not appeal to me. I wish I could say more about Orvieto, but besides the incredibly intricate facade on its church, we did not see much. The view was cool though. And lunch was better than expected, considering I think it was a pretty touristy place (the whole town seemed dependent on tourism).
After the inevitable stragglers straggled their way to the bus, we straggled on to Tuscany. Tuscany is one of Italy's twenty Regioni, for those unaware. Tuscany actually has borders. There is no discernable border though. In fact, just outside of Rome the landscape doesn't look too different than it does in Tuscany. Umbria, Tuscany's neighbor and an increasingly popular tourist destination because of its low prices (low only when compared to Florence) and similar landscape, is still considered by a few of the IES staff to be the hidden gem of Italy. I do not think it is all that hidden, since I had heard of it before coming here. Our too-large-for-Tuscany tour bus entered the town of Trequanda (Three Cups.. or something like that) almost 90 minutes and the majority of the Financial Times later. Our little vineyard, which is probably named Donatella Cinelli Colombini, but in all honesty could have four other titles (I do not understand what each of their names refers too. Maybe it is named Fattoria del Colle? Anyway... ), is one of the many agritourism farms that keeps the Italian agricultural sector strong. The place is gorgeous. It's located at the top of a hill with the most perfect view of the famed Tuscan Sun setting. The Val d'Orcia, where Trequanda, Donatella Cinelli Colombini (or is it Fattoria del Colle?), and countless other identical towns and wineries are located is a UNESCO-recognized, national reserve-protected valley. If you have seen a picture of Tuscany before, there is a fairly good chance it was taken in La Val d'Orcia. It even played a part in starting the Renaissance period, which actually started in Tuscany's capitol of Florence. The most important architectural aspect of the Renaissance, according to my professoressa Barbara Briganti, was the idea of opening up villas to the outdoors and having a beautiful view. After looking at this next picture, which comes from Google, you'll understand why it had such a monumental impact on history.
Will ya look at that. I'm nearly positive the place I stayed was located about 20 miles directly behind where this picture was taken.
At the winery we had a wine tasting (not before we we taught how to taste wine), a cooking class (I was the guest chef) and were able to walk around the acres and acres of olive trees and vineyards. I was roommates with Alex and John Edwards (not the politician), both of whom I am good friends with. I did not get stuck with any straggler-types, thankfully.
After leaving Trequanda after two glorious nights and the better part of two days, we loaded up the obnoxiously large tour bus and straggled over to Montalcino. Montalcino is one of the more famous small towns in Tuscany and even all of Italy. This is due almost entirely to the wine of the region: Brunello di Montalcino, one of the greatest wines in the world, they say. We had free time to explore the town for two hours before IES provided us with the last of our free meals. All of them were great. Go figure.
After this two hour lunch we left (a few minutes late because of stragglers) for our return to Rome.
This was probably one of the most unique trips I took the entire semester because I was actually in the countryside. When I come back to Europe I will be sure to be in the countryside more than in the cities. Tuscany and the area to the north of Paris and extending all the way to Amsterdam were easily my favorites. I could have stared out over the Tuscan hills all day. One day I think I actually came close.
I'll post pictures here and post about a few other happenings after.
Orvieto
Our winery
Trequanda
The old house, which has been around for centuries. It is most famously known for being the site of a Prince's affair.
Sunset
My room, the only room of the group in the main house (where the affair happened)
Sunrise
I somehow forgot to mention Siena above. Good grief. It was Siena. It was beautiful and quintessentially Italian. It probably has a higher Tourist:Resident ratio than Florence, amazingly.
Site of the Palio
One of the "hoods," distinguished by animals
More from the villa
The bus ride to Montalcino. The best countryside yet.
Italy
Get a haircut
This was a very Italian encounter. They were having a stroll and ended up talking for the whole time we were there... over three hours.
Only 4,800 Euro? I'll take a crate!
Ciao Tuscany
If you didn't get enough pictures of the Tuscan countryside, I have many many more. Uploading on blogger is a pain though.
Today was my Italian Oral Exam, which I'm sure none of you care about - I sure didn't. That means I have an Italian Final tomorrow and then hour eight hours worth of finals next week. On Sunday, five of my closest friends and I are going to the Internazionale d'Italia Championships here in Rome. It is the 5th most important tournament in professional tennis, behind only the four majors. Every current tennis player you have heard of will be competing. I am molto excited. Next week I plan on walking around Rome for the majority of every day, maybe watch the sunset from various hills and parks. I want to make sure I feel like I did Rome as best I could when I get back to America. I don't think that feeling is too far from where I am. One of the main things I want to do is take my host family out to dinner. Not only to thank them for the most enjoyable four months of my life or as a payback for how much water I wasted in this "model community of efficiency" of theirs, but also to get a feel for what it is like to eat dinner completely Italian. When I go out with my friends we cannot help but emit our disgusting American-ness. It's apart of who we are and we bring it out in each other. It will be nice to not have to worry about volume control, something I have become acutely aware of since arriving, and to spend over two hours on a dinner. If you think I'm exaggerating about the two hour part, you are incorrect. I guarantee it will take more. I also want to see how Italians are treated at restaurants and how they order. I have a fairly good idea after living here for three months, but I need reassurance. I will of course have to make the night stroll a couple more times, which starts at St. Peter's, winds around to the Spanish Steps, then the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and ends with the view of the Colosseum through the buildings of the Roman Forum.
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