Tuscany...cook eat discover tour.

I was going to publish a post about our visit to The Vatican 

but when I looked over my photos I realized that there were only a couple.

I was in awe of the place and paid full attention to what we were seeing...

BTW there are NO photos permitted in The Sistine Chapel.

We took an early morning tour with a small group of about 20 people to avoid the crowds that gather during regular visiting hours.

We stopped for a coffee in the cafe across the street from the Vatican and made the mistake of sitting while we drank it...

Let's just say it was the most expensive cup of coffee I have ever had.

(8 Euros)

And now on to Tuscany...

We arrived in the Maremma area of Tuscany by train and were met at the station.

We were driven to a hilltop medieval village called Roccatederighi.

Emily a guest from the UK and Ollie the chef and owner of Cook Eat Discover.

We got settled into our rooms and then were picked up for a welcome dinner.

My view from the terrace to the pool and valley beyond.

The week long tour includes daily excursions as well as cooking instruction.

Lush groves and cypress trees.

Quiet except for the cacophony of birdsong.

We met Martin the owner of Valdonica Vineyards in the village of Sassofortino.

He is a former doctor who fell in love with the area and purchased several hectares of forested land.

He cleared some of the land and planted grapevines.

Martin grows his vines using organic healthy practises.

 We tasted a variety of his wine...

as well as some of the olive oil that he produces.

His rose wine won a 98 point award a few years ago.

Martin runs a rural "hotel" which is attached to the property.

Martin loves the colour orange...

It features prominently in his tasting room and patio.

Another lovely pool!

Beautiful orange sunset...

Tom McGovern was a guest on the tour.

He's a professional and very talented food photographer 

you can follow him on Instagram "Food Photographer."

Tom is the nicest fellow you could ever meet.

It turns out that he took the photos for Jane Green's cookbook "Good Taste."

(I have the book!)

Water Buffalo

we visited a farm where they make buffalo mozzarella and other assorted cheeses.

We then drove to an Organic Tuscan Rice Farm

Tenuta San Carlo

 where we purchased the risotto for our cooking lesson.

Agritourismo is an important part of farming life in Italy.

Visitors can stay on the farms and participate in farm related activities.

These guests help to subsidize the farmer's income.

We explored the picturesque lanes in the village of Roccatederighi.

Loved the pots and charm of this stone home and garden.

The Village "community kitchen" 

we made our risotto here.

Flo served us bubbly and appetizers atop the rocky outcropping 

in the setting sunlight before we ate the risotto.

In the next post I will share some of the pastas that we made.

~ Be well and Be Kind ~

Rome Italy...part 3

The Villa Borghese Gardens are situated high up above the squares of Rome.
The gardens cover about 80 hectares and are situated above Piazza Del Popolo.

The gardens were developed in 1606 by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who wanted to turn his former vineyard into the most extensive gardens built in Rome.

You can best see the gardens by renting a scooter, bike or by riding the tram.

We opted to ride the tram which was about 4 Euros and took about 30 minutes.

Next stop is Vatican City.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Rome Italy....part 2

We decided to go to the Collosseum... as did many others!
It is a popular place to visit when visiting Rome...

We stood in line for quite some time before realizing that we should have purchased tickets online to skip the line up...

As it was hot and sunny we should have packed a water bottle each...
the local entrepreneurs would not have benefitted as they sold us very expensive bottles of water!

If you go, remember these tips!

It may save you oodles of time standing around chatting with strangers!

Allow yourself plenty of time to explore this amazing site.

We walked around for about an hour or so...

there is a very nice gift shop to peruse on your way out of the venue.

Next stop Villa Borghese Garden.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Rome Italy...(part 1)

My husband picked me up at the airport yesterday afternoon and I felt very emotional seeing him after three weeks away...
we are rarely apart more than a few days.

When we got home the cats greeted me warmly...
Pepper with a few high pitched chirrups and Chester with purring and rubbing up against me.

Sleep came easily about 9 pm our time... 4am Paris time!
I was woken at 4 am by fireworks going off on the street and fell back into a deep sleep until 6 am when I got up to feed the cats and make the coffee.

The carry on is unpacked, laundry is done, we went out for lunch, got groceries, went for a walk along the sunny waterfront and here I am already typing...
keen to write a blog post.

Will start off in Italy with a few snapshots of the B&B.
We stayed in the Monti area of Rome. A fabulous place to be situated for ease of walking to the Colosseum and other sites...also we loved the view!

The view from the upper terrace.

You can see the Colosseum at the top in the middle of the photo.

Several popular restaurants are on the street below the B&B.

The covered terrace...

a wonderful spot for morning coffee or a nightcap.

One evening we ate cheese, crackers and sliced meat with our wine.

The weather was hotter than I had expected...

I was glad that I packed sleeveless tops and a straw sunhat.

There are ruins dotting the streets everywhere in Rome.

Considering the vast scale of these original structures 

it would have been quite a feat to build them without modern machinery.

The Altare Della Patria monument in Rome.

I fell in love with the umbrella pine trees...just love their brilliant green foliage.

Sunset 

with the Altare Della Patria monument and statues

taken from the upper terrace at the B&B.

We visited the monument early one morning before it got too crowded.

We took the elevator up to the very top where we had a birds eye view of Rome.

We discovered a bird's nest under an over hang.

Two gulls were very comfortable with all of the photos being snapped!

They must get used to all the visitors!

I've got more photos on Rome.

The Colosseum, Borzoi Gardens and The Vatican.

Will post these

as soon as the fog of Jet Lag Lifts!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~