Indulging in Italy: Part 2 (Venice, Florence, Montalcino & Rome)

Finally getting around to posting about the rest of our time in Italy....  

Coming up with a title for our two blogs about Italy took approximately 10 seconds...a record, I think .  Indulging in Italy...yes, that's exactly what we did.  So glad we saved the best for last!   

Since we flew into Rome, we decided to spend one night there to rest up before heading to Cinque Terre.  When the hotel/apartment website said they were five minutes walking distance from the Colosseum, they weren't joking.  The door to our Rome apartment was just up the street from this magnificent sight.  Can't get much better than that!  

First meal in Italy - a Napoli-style pizza (with anchovies) and a bottle of Chianti.  Yum!

From Rome, we headed to Cinque Terre, then travelled to Venice.  What a lovely, romantic city...that is, if you can handle the crowds crammed into little tiny streets separated by waterways (which act as their roads).  

Gondoliers

We should've kept track of how many pizzas we ate in Italy; I think it was our risk-free, go-to meal that was always bound to please.  

Seeing all those masks made me want to throw a Venetian-style mask party when I got home!   Or, at least attend the opera while we were there.  

Never did take a gondola ride.  Talk about being too touristy and overpriced!  

When we ordered our shakes in this little Venetian cafe, we never thought they'd be so big (much to my disappointment, of course...)!  ;) 

Last night in Venice.  Glad we got to visit!  From Venice, we jumped on the train to Florence where we were going to meet up with our friends from New Brunswick, Stacy and Steven, for the remainder of our trip. 

 A replica of Michelangelo's "David" which is in a gallery in Florence.  Seriously one of the most magnificent pieces of art I've ever seen.  Pictures just don't do it justice...

Stopping for a few pictures on Ponte Vecchio, a bridge in the heart of Florence that dates back to the 1300s.  In the beginning, the little shops on the bridge were occupied by butchers, but shortly after, they were reoccupied by jewellers.  Still to this day, jewellery shops line the bridge. 

We rented a fantastic apartment that was only a two minute walk to Ponte Vecchio. We were lucky to have a few terraces (where we may or may not have had a few "happy hours"), one which provided an amazing view of the city.  It seriously couldn't have been any better...  

One of our views from the rooftop terrace.

There were some great outdoor markets selling anything from Italian leather jackets and scarves to food.  Lots of fun to walk around!

A trip to Italy isn't complete without visits to a few museums.   Love all the old history in Europe!  

Visiting the Santa Croce Church in Florence.  Very beautiful (and, like everything else in Italy, very old)!!!

Out for supper at Frescobaldi Restaurant in Florence with Stacy and Steven.  It turned out to be our best meal during our whole time in Italy.  What a perfect evening for foodies and winos.  SOO fun!!! 

After three nights in Florence, we were on our way to Montalcino, in the heart of Tuscan wine country.  We changed from train to bus in Sienna, and had just enough time for lunch in the heart of Sienna, the Piazza del Campo.  

Once again, we lucked out with another great apartment in Montalcino (aside from a little problem with ants in the downstairs bedroom).  This picture is a view of our backyard.  So lovely.  Have I mentioned that we had absolutely perfect weather the whole time we were in Italy?!  

Out for a stroll in the small little village of Montalcino.  So very quaint and "Italian."  Sure would love to stay here  for more than two nights (how about permanently living here?).  :)

One of the fun parts about staying in apartments vs. hotels while the four of us travelled together was that we got to cook!  How could we travel to Italy and NOT take advantage of the amazing food right at the tips of our fingers?! Above: a great little butcher shop in Montalcino.  

Did I mention that our apartment in Montalcino had a pool?!  There's nothing quite like cooling off our feet while sipping Proseco and eating fresh watermelon poolside.    

Snacks during "Happy Hour" at our Montalcino apartment.  Prosciutto, salami, bread, fresh caprese salad,  olives, asparagus....and, of course, wine.  Yummo!!!  

The little village of Montalcino is known worldwide for its Brunello wines.  Each year, thousands of people visit this area in Tuscany just for the Brunellos.  One of the top highlights of our whole Italian trip was our day-long wine tour.  We were lucky enough to have a private sommelier and driver all to ourselves.  Above: grape vines.  Come September, the grapes will be all ready to be harvested.  

Our first winery - Constanti.  

It was so neat to try all the different Rosso (younger) and Brunello (older) wines.  Guillaume and I are not experts by any means, but our palates definitely started to develop during the trip.  We gained a whole new appreciation for wine and the whole process of winemaking.    

Winery #2: San Carlo.  A much smaller, but equally special, winery.  I loved this place!  It was started by the grandfather in 1965, then passed down to his son who, recently, passed it on to his daughter (the granddaughter).  Gemma, the daughter/granddaughter, taught us a lot about the land and the type of farming they practice - biodynamic.  Biodynamic farming is a holistic approach on organic farming....very, very interesting.  

Lunch during our wine tour.  Such delicious food.  We each had a plate like this...and it was just our appetizer!  Good thing we don't eat like this every day!  

Enjoying a great cappuccino post-lunch, another staple in our daily diet.   

Visiting the last winery of the day - Valdicava.  Another true gem among Brunellos in Montalcino.  

While visiting this winery, we learned about how different wines can taste when produced from vines of different ages.  Above: vines on the right are 50 year old vines and the ones of the left are 10 year old vines.  The difference in the taste of wines produced the same year, but from the different age vines, is extraordinary.  Who would've thought?!  

The microclimate in the Montalcino region varies drastically; for example, wine produced from grapes grown on one side of a mountain vs. the other can change the taste a lot.  This particular winery is more affected by the coastal climate.  

Valdicava pastes on the labels of their Brunello wines by hand, a very arduous task when you have thousands to do.  As you can imagine, their Brunello wines are very special ones... 

Probably the most fascinating part of the tour was tasting wines directly out of the barrels!  We tasted numerous Valdicava wines  made from different grapes and vines at different times, from various stages of the aging process, oak and steel barrels, etc.  A truly unique experience...

Stacy, Steven, Guillaume and I with our driver and sommelier at the end of the day.  We would HIGHLY RECOMMEND our sommelier, Giulia, and our driver, to anyone that's travelling to Italy and would like to learn more about wine.  Another wine tour is definitely on our activity list for our next trip to Italy.   

Our time in Montalcino just kept getting better and better.  The night before (our first of two nights in Montalcino), we enjoyed drinks and dancing in the town square.  I think we were the only tourists there which made it even better!  Our second night (after our wine tour), we enjoyed a BBQ that was organized by the managers of our apartment.  We had a fun time meeting the guests of the other two apartments (Canadians and Americans), along with a few extra people.   

Bistecca Fiorentina - the largest steak I've ever seen....a true delicacy in Italy that comes from only one breed of Italian cow.  The trick to cooking this large cut of meat is to grill it for only a total of 10-15 min.  As you can imagine, its super rare, but very tender; it slices just like soft butter.  

Yes, another picture of food.  My favourite Italian breakfast - a cappuccino and chocolate croissant.  

Sad to be leaving Montalcino after only two nights, but excited for the last leg of our trip - Rome!  

A trip to Rome isn't complete without a visit to the Vatican.  

Unless you've visited the Vatican, you can't imagine the size and magnitude of the place.  And, how overwhelming it is!  The history and art is amazing, but when you think about how the Vatican came to obtain such an extensive collection of art and why they still have it is very disconcerting.  Is the extravagance really necessary....?!  

The famous spiral staircase in the Vatican.  

St. Peter's Square

Can you pick out which window the Pope appears out of?  

One of the famous Swiss guards that watches over the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica.  

Another shot of St. Peter's Square

Another highlight of our Italian trip was the food tour we took on our last day.  Above: visiting a market (fish stall above) in one of the last, real Roman neighbourhoods remaining in the city.  In true Italian fashion, rivalry is at its best, especially in the market!  The two owners of the fish stalls (the one above and the one that's right next to it) haven't spoken more than a few words to one another in the 70+ years that they've both been there.  Competition is fierce when it comes to Italians and their food!   

I can't remember the exact number, but the tomato stall above sells 50+ varieties of tomatoes (I think the number is closer to 80 or 90!).  We were able to taste nine different types on our tour.  Oh my goodness, what amazingly delicious tomatoes that tasted SO different from one another!  You haven't tasted tomatoes until you've tasted fresh, Italian tomatoes!  Wow, have I been missing out!

Volpetti's, a food delicacy shop we visited on our food tour, is a real food lover's dream.... so sad I couldn't spend more time here (or, even better, work here full time)!!!  

Mmm...stopping for some pastries on the food tour.  Maybe if I can't work at Volpetti, I could work here?!  Or, even better, maybe I could work at both places!!!  Now we're talkin'....

Enjoying the traditional and most famous Italian dessert, tiramisu, out of a little chocolate cup.    

Sure hope you're not sick of food pictures yet!  More than anything, this blog is our way of journalling our trip.  And, I certainly don't want to forget all the delicious food we ate in Italy!  The above picture: three of the most famous Italian pasta dishes, all with homemade noodles and sauces.... Is there really any other way?!  

Of course, a Roman food tour wouldn't be complete without gelato at the end.  I can't believe this is my first picture of gelato in this post!  Above: enjoying it Roman style...with homemade whipped cream on top.  What more can I say...?!  

We sure had a busy last day in Rome...had to try to fit everything in before going home!   We certainly couldn't visit Rome for three nights and not see the Pantheon.  We also enjoyed a visit to the Colosseum during our first full day in the city.  

Throwing a coin in for good luck at Trevi Fountain.  Hoping we'll return to Italy sooner rather than later...  :)  

Out for an evening stroll near our apartment in Rome.  Enjoying every last minute of our Italian trip...!

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.  After nearly three weeks in Italy, overnight stays in five cities, and countless bottles of wine, our Italian trip of a lifetime finally came to an end.  We were so very lucky to spend half of our time in the beautiful country with our dear New Brunswick friends, Stacy and Steven.  I have a feeling this trip was the first of many for the four of us.  :)  The food, the wine, the adventures...were all out of this world.  It truly was the perfect end to the perfect year of travels.  

We are so blessed and so fortunate.... 

Stay tuned for one last blog post to wrap up "CanAm Globetrotters' Adventures Around the World."  :)