Wineries and Weddings | Napa Valley
Hall Winery 401 ST HELENA HWY S On this day, my friend had invited me to a wine tasting at one of her favorite wineries. As a member of their wine club, she is allowed to treat us to a free tasting once a year. …
Tag: Wine
Wente Vineyards & Mitchell Katz Winery | Livermore, CA
I said in a previous post that I was going to start writing more travel posts about places that are near me in California. This is me finally delivering on that promise. As you probably guessed, I am avoiding any long distance travel due to …
The Best Day Trips From Florence
Florence is one of the most amazing cities in the world. It’s hard to believe for it’s size, but it is incredibly rich in history and art. That’s why millions of people visit from all over the world every year. If you find yourself in this beautiful city, I hope you stay long enough to enjoy it and visit some of the amazing places nearby.
Some of these places are right outside Florence, while others are a little further, however, all of them are lovely and can be visited in a single day by bus or train. If you’re interested in reading a bit more on the cities, click the title of each one.
Siena
Let’s start off by mentioning the beautiful city of Siena. A place of medieval brick building and a famous square, Piazza del Campo, that hosts many events throughout the year. Try going from Florence on a day when they have one of their events and you won’t be disappointed. I was lucky enough to go during the Chocolate Festival! Also, make sure to visit the Cathedrals while you are there.
Getting There: You can take a bus for less than two hours or a train from the Firenze S.M.N.
Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre is actually five cities, but they are all small and close together making them easy-ish to visit in a single day. It’s such a beautiful place and perfect if you’re in the mood for something very different from Florence. Plan on leaving early in the morning from the train station so you have enough time to visit them all before the last train leaves in Cinque Terre.
Getting There: Take a train from Firenze to the La Spezia station. From there, get a one-day Cinque Terre Card which allows you to ride the trains from La Spezia to Levanto and stop in between the five different towns.
Fiesole is the closest to Florence as well as the easiest and cheapest to get to. It’s a good town to visit for amazing views and to see something a bit different. The coolest things to visit here, in my opinion, are the Fiesole Archaeological Area and Medici Villa. There are plenty of other things to visit in and around Fiesole depending on your interests.
Getting There: You can take a Florence city bus (Number 7) to Fiesole.
Pisa
How could we ever forget Pisa? Pisa and Florence seem to go together like tomatoes and mozzarella. If you’re looking up tours to go on in Italy, you’ll see quite a few that combine Florence with Pisa. Some will even visit both in a single day. I personally wouldn’t recommend a tour like this unless you are limited on time and enjoy bus/walking tours. Make sure to read my post on Pisa for more details and lots of photos!
Getting There: You can either take a single train from SMN Florence to Pisa Centrale and walk around once you get there or find a tour bus that will take you (most likely) to Miracle Square and back to Florence after a few hours. If you need help finding tours, I would recommend GetYourGuide which has this exact tour I’m mentioning here.
Tuscan Winery
While in Tuscany, make sure to visit one of the wineries outside of Florence. Even if you are not much of a wine drinker, it is still an excuse to see the beautiful Tuscan Countryside that can be missed when in the city center.
Getting There: Florence has many wineries nearby that you could get to using a bus tour or taxi. You can look through some visitors brochures or ask the staff at your hotel to find one you can go to.
There are other day trips you COULD take from Florence. However, these are my favorites and easiest! Rome is a city you can go to in one day, but one day really isn’t enough. Rome should be at least a weekend. Are there any other day trips you would recommend from Florence? Let us know in the comments!
-Ayla♥
Affiliate links have been used in this post
Afternoon Tea |The Rotunda
Due to my love of tea, I have always enjoyed the idea of having an afternoon tea in a fine dining setting. That is why for my 21st birthday I decided a few close friends and myself should celebrate by having an Afternoon Tea. And what better place than going to one of the finest restaurants in San Francisco located on the top floor of Neiman Marcus.
Castello di Amorosa |Napa Valley, California
Castello di Amorosa, or Castle of Love, was chosen as one of the 10 most beautiful wineries in Napa Valley by NapaValley.com. It’s an authentic take on the 13th century Tuscan-style castles but was built from 1994 until its completion in 2007. You may remember a …
Winery in Tuscany: Castello Del Trebbio
During my few months in Italy, I had the opportunity to go to a wine tasting at a castle in Tuscany. Even writing that sentence feels like something from an Italian dream. Better yet, a scene in some romantic film about self-discovery and falling back in love with life. Although I didn’t experience self-discovery and falling back in love with life, I discovered the heart of Tuscany and fell in love with it.
Tuscany’s capital, Florence, is a 30 minute drive from the beautiful Castello del Trebbio. This location offers wine tastings, olive oil tastings, cooking classes, and wedding hosting. Near the castle are restaurants and hotels accommodations. It’s the perfect place to have a wedding or a short retreat if you wish to do so.
At the start of our tour, they walked us down to the land where they grow their grapes and olive trees. It was a wonderful experience to be hearing about the production of their wine and olive oil while standing in a field surround by endless Tuscan hills.
After touring the property surrounding Castello del Trebbio, we had a history lesson inside the courtyard before going into the cellars. It was difficult to get good photos since the cellars are ancient as well as underground. Most of the rooms were small (low ceilings) and dimly lit.
When it came time to actually tasting the wine, we went into a room with a snack buffet and dining tables. I’m not a wine drinker but I loved the snacks and dessert wine. I forgot to take photos of my wine, but we sampled about four different wines.
Italy + Wine
I’ve included some wine facts I learned while taking an Italian Culture class & living in Italy.
Wine is ingrained in the Italian culture, and this became obvious after spending time with locals.
Different wines are consumed with certain meals, and are seen as nourishment rather than a way to get sloppy and drunk.
Most Italians have some knowledge about the wine grown in their region, but not about wine from foreign regions.
Italians drink wine with lunch, dinner, or snacks like olives, nuts, potato chips, or small pizzas.
Translations:
Classico. Wine from a limited, historic core within a DOC* zone.
Riserva. Wine that is aged longer in the cask.
Superiore. Wine that is aged longer and/or has a higher alcohol content than DOC standard.
Spumante. Sparkling.
Frizzante. Semi-sparkling.
Passito. Wine made from dried grapes. Tuscany’s honey colored Vinsanto (or holy wine) is the most famous.
*DOC. Denominazione di origine controllata. This is wine that has a set of production standards and should only come from the region, town or vineyard that is on the label.
Wine Tours in Tuscany
A trip to Tuscany is not complete without a wine tasting tour. I have listed some tours for you at a variety of locations throughout this gorgeous region of Italy. Click the name to learn more about the tour description, activities, meeting points, and price.
Castello del Trebbio (near Florence)
Tenuta Torciano Winery (San Gimignano)
Greve and Castellina in Chianti (near Florence)
Montepulciano (near Siena)
Chianti Countryside (from Florence)
-Ayla♥