Italy - November 2024
If you ask the average American which country tops their travel bucket list, I’d wager their answer would be Italy. With quintessential cities such as Rome, Florence, and Venice and some of the best cuisine on Earth - Italy really does have it all. I had such high expectations for Italy that I was almost scared to visit. The idea of being let down, or it not living up to the hype, prevented Yana and I from visiting earlier. Yana and I plan to elope next year and we settled on a venue in the heart of Tuscany; this gave us a solid reason to visit and check it out beforehand. Thankfully, after visiting I believe the tourist experience in Italy lives up to the sky-high reputation.
Yana and I decided to spend our week-long trip entirely in Tuscany. We split our stay mainly between San Gimignano and Lucca with a night in Florence at the backend of the trip. Our first stay was at our future wedding venue, Pancolina, just outside of San Gimignano. This stay is an absolute dream - it’s a small Agroturismo nestled in the in the hills between olive groves and vineyards. It overlooks both Certaldo and San Gimignano and is walking distance to multiple restaurants and wineries. There are ~10 apartments each with their own patio. The common spaces include an outdoor pool, and an outdoor kitchen. Yana and I cannot wait to host our family and a few friends here next year for our elopement ceremony! During our stay at Pancolina we took a few day trips to San Gimignano, Certaldo, and Siena. San Gimignano and Sienna are picturesque Tuscan cities with an old-town that dates back to medieval times. Both cities were pretty touristy, but had quiet side streets where you can ditch the crowds. Certaldo was a bit more authentic, less touristy, and a bit less photogenic compared to the other cities. Overall, if I had to recommend one of the cities over the others I’d recommend Sienna - it was stunning!
Following our San Gimignano visit, we drove to our next stay in Lucca. We stayed at an incredible Airbnb in the center of town. The apartment was spacious with a full kitchen, and charming views of multiple pedestrian streets. We stayed in Lucca for 3 nights and spent the majority of the time there to relax and get to know the city. Like Siena, Lucca has a charming old town with fabulous restaurants and towers with views of the city. Yana and I climbed Guinigi Tower and enjoyed great views of the city and surrounding mountains. Our favorite part of Lucca was walking the city walls; they wrap around the entire city. It took about 2 hours to walk around the city and it was definitely worth it. During our stay in Lucca, we took a brief day trip to Pisa - it was only about 25 minutes by car, so we had to see the Leaning Tower! Pisa was a forgettable town, but the tower itself was impressive in person. I wouldn’t recommend spending much time in Pisa, but if you’re in the area the tower is worth checking out.
We spent the last day of our trip in Florence. We didn’t spend a lot of time there, so admittedly we missed out on many of the city’s highlights. We did get to walk around the outside of the Duomo and it’s absolutely breathtaking. The church is immense, but the intricate artistic detail is what makes it so impressive. Ponte Vecchio provides a great view of the city and is worth the visit as well. Florence is well known as a culinary hotspot in Italy and we did get to try a few staple foods of the city. We had Affogatos at Vivoli - the espresso mixed with ice cream made for an excellent sweet treat. For lunch, we had Florentine Sandwiches at Pino’s and they were incredible. The sun-dried tomatoes, prosciutto, and foccacia were a great base for an incredible sandwich. Yana and I get a lot of our restaurant recommendations from TopJaw on YouTube and they always deliver. Their guide to Florence is a good place to shortlist potential restaurants to visit.
Dining in Italy is a dream. Even though our trip was short, we had many memorable meals and experiences exploring what the culinary scene of Italy has to offer. Il Rustico next door to Pancolina had fantastic Tuscan food at reasonable prices. The restaurant is quaint with just a few tables and a patio that overlooks the countryside. Here we had an exquisite Tuscan boar ragu paired with local cheeses. Perucà in San Gimignano offered the best dish of the trip - a garlic truffle pasta topped with breadcrumbs. Osteria Da Rolsalo delivered the most memorable meal - every dish we had was incredible and the service was lovely. The dish that stood above the rest was the mint gnocchi - it was the best gnocchi I’ve ever had.
Italy is the 4th most popular country for tourists, and after visiting I can see why. Yana and I were only able to explore a small section of Tuscany and we left feeling an urgent desire to return and explore more. We found Italians warm and hospitable, the cuisine incredible, and the cities easy to navigate. If rolling hills, wine, pasta, and cheese are up your alley, Tuscany will not disappoint. I am incredibly excited to return to Italy next year along with some family and friends for my elopement with Yana.
-DB
