We just got back from an enchanting few days in the Maremma region of Tuscany. As seems to be happening quite frequently as of late, I fell madly in love with it and decided to move there*. My mom & dad are visiting so the girls stayed home with Gramps & Lolo while Scott and I went up to wine country for grown up vacation.
The first night after dinner, we made my dream for the last several months come true and stopped at Saturnia hot springs. Back in February I saw this picture
and for the first time in my life made a 'bucket list'.**
The next morning brought sunshine and a delightful breakfast buffet. Nearly everything was homemade~ bread, jam, honey, cherry tarts, and yogurt (all from local sources)... soft boiled eggs in a wicker basket... local cheese infused with red pepper... cold cuts... and the ever important espresso.
Bellies full and hearts happy, we headed to Sovana and the Etruscan ruins. These people/ towns are fascinating and deserve/ will get their own blog post later.
From there, we drove to Sorano. First settled by the Etruscans, it was later inhabited and fortified by Romans. The village as it stands now was build sometime in the 1200s.
Walking around Sorano was one of the most magical experiences of my life. As you may know, I've always felt I missed my calling as a medieval princess and this was a chance 5 year old me never could have dreamed of. Turrets... underground passageways... castles... fortified walls...
I think the most incredible thing about Sorano is that it is still inhabited... it has so much history that just hasn't stopped. It isn't ruins or relics, but an ancient place that has never stopped being a part of the world. Kings and queens and dukes and senators walked those same streets. Families have lived in those homes for 30 generations... there is just nothing I had ever seen to compare to the timelessness I felt there. World powers, religions, allegiances, languages, clothing has all changed, yet this is still there, still baking bread, still drying clothes out on balconies, still looking out over the vineyards that have been producing their wine for over a thousand years.
On our way home, we once again stopped at the hot springs. This time it was daylight so we took some pictures. Blows my mind that we were frolicking in the spas where Roman senators used to go to "get away from it all" and rejuvenate.
Inspired by their delicious breakfast, we decided to have dinner at Quercia Rossa as well. At the table next to us was an awesome couple from Amsterdam who spoke impeccable English and told us all about the Netherlands and the many amazing places they've traveled. Everything you've heard about Amsterdam is totally true.***
Another morning, another amazing breakfast, and we headed to Isola del Giglio, a little island off the Maremma coast. All of my daring medieval princess fantasies were dashed when the day showed me what a giant pansy I am. First was this bird:
It followed us the very THE ENTIRE HOUR we were on the boat. Just hovering and swooping about 8 feet from us. You can't tell in the picture but it had red-rimmed eyes and I'm pretty sure was the devil incarnate... After landing on the island we hiked around until we found a remote spot to snorkel. I couldn't get my goggles to properly seal and simultaneously they got a leak and my snorkel tube closed off and I couldn't breathe, and I had a panic attack roughly 15 feet from shore. I am not such stuff as warrior princesses are made of :(
Scott didn't freak out, and managed to see a lot of cute little fish swimming in the azure water.
(and yes, the creepy seagull followed us the entire ferry ride back to shore as well)
The next morning, opted for the sanitized, animal-free pool for our water time
Pitigliano was our last stop. Another 13th century city built on tufa cliffs and owned by the Orsini family.
We heard so many amazing things about these places while we were there... For the similarly curious, I'll post the details/ stories in a shorter blog once I've done some research.
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*That brings the grand total up to a rather astonishing: Naples, Tuscany, Hawaii, California, Germany, Vermont, and Michigan
**it contained one thing: going to these hot springs
***some rather grown up stories that don't go in this blog, but feel free to ask :-)
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| View from our lounge chairs at Quercia Rossa |
The first night after dinner, we made my dream for the last several months come true and stopped at Saturnia hot springs. Back in February I saw this picture
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| Special thanks to www.about-maremma.com apparently. |
and for the first time in my life made a 'bucket list'.**
The next morning brought sunshine and a delightful breakfast buffet. Nearly everything was homemade~ bread, jam, honey, cherry tarts, and yogurt (all from local sources)... soft boiled eggs in a wicker basket... local cheese infused with red pepper... cold cuts... and the ever important espresso.
Bellies full and hearts happy, we headed to Sovana and the Etruscan ruins. These people/ towns are fascinating and deserve/ will get their own blog post later.
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| Ancient demon carved out of volcanic stone that stands watch over one of the tombs. |
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| Pictures are so much easier to take without toddlers in tow :-) |
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| Now I kind of want cave people from thousands of years ago to design our house... |
From there, we drove to Sorano. First settled by the Etruscans, it was later inhabited and fortified by Romans. The village as it stands now was build sometime in the 1200s.
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| A view from the Fortezza Orsini overlooking the town of Sorano. |
Walking around Sorano was one of the most magical experiences of my life. As you may know, I've always felt I missed my calling as a medieval princess and this was a chance 5 year old me never could have dreamed of. Turrets... underground passageways... castles... fortified walls...
 |
| Where the drawbridge used to be. Because apparently enemies were stupid/ brave/ crazy enough to: scale the sheer rock up to the town, scale the town walls, make their way through a hostile village to the very peek where the castle was located, and then to attack a fortress. |
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| Deep in the belly of the castle , these tunnels connected different parts of the fortification to each other underground. |
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| five year old me hadn't considered how difficult it is to hold an armored hand |
I think the most incredible thing about Sorano is that it is still inhabited... it has so much history that just hasn't stopped. It isn't ruins or relics, but an ancient place that has never stopped being a part of the world. Kings and queens and dukes and senators walked those same streets. Families have lived in those homes for 30 generations... there is just nothing I had ever seen to compare to the timelessness I felt there. World powers, religions, allegiances, languages, clothing has all changed, yet this is still there, still baking bread, still drying clothes out on balconies, still looking out over the vineyards that have been producing their wine for over a thousand years.
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| The roads were built for horses/ walking and haven't changed. This itsy bitsy truck does all the deliveries for the town. The guy standing gets out and pushes it up hills when the going gets too steep. |
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| So... real people live in houses up these steps. It's almost enough to make the tiny truck seem respectable :-) |
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| Wanna stay here? |
On our way home, we once again stopped at the hot springs. This time it was daylight so we took some pictures. Blows my mind that we were frolicking in the spas where Roman senators used to go to "get away from it all" and rejuvenate.
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| Obligatory pose under a waterfall. |
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| I can still barely believe a place this perfect exists |
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| View from about halfway up. |
Inspired by their delicious breakfast, we decided to have dinner at Quercia Rossa as well. At the table next to us was an awesome couple from Amsterdam who spoke impeccable English and told us all about the Netherlands and the many amazing places they've traveled. Everything you've heard about Amsterdam is totally true.***
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| An awesome local salad. |
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| It had evil in its soul |
Scott didn't freak out, and managed to see a lot of cute little fish swimming in the azure water.
 |
| There's one... |
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| There's some more! |
(and yes, the creepy seagull followed us the entire ferry ride back to shore as well)
The next morning, opted for the sanitized, animal-free pool for our water time
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| Peroni should use this for an ad campaign a la Corona. |
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| My lack of shave is getting more and more noticeable~ Scott |
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| My shorts-tan is getting similarly noticeable |
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| Orsini's other castle... crazy Orsini stories to follow |
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| Menora window in the Jewish ghetto |
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| Viewing this medieval fortress in all its splendor, all I could think was what a giant suckfest building it must have been... |
We heard so many amazing things about these places while we were there... For the similarly curious, I'll post the details/ stories in a shorter blog once I've done some research.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*That brings the grand total up to a rather astonishing: Naples, Tuscany, Hawaii, California, Germany, Vermont, and Michigan
***some rather grown up stories that don't go in this blog, but feel free to ask :-)
