Rolling hills and deep breaths.

While I fully realize the world did not, in fact, stop spinning while I was in Italy, it’s still hard to wrap my brain around this fact. It seems as though everything should have halted while we were gone because, ITALY.

Alas, I am in the midst of a crazy week trying to play catch up on all.the.things. If you would, indulge me while I take a break from the hectic pace of my current week to share a few more photos from our time away.

After leaving picturesque Vernazza, we found ourselves inside of a dream. The rolling hills and bright green hues in every direction could only mean one thing: we had arrived in Tuscany.

Cue: deep exhales. This place forces you to breathe deeply and praise our very generous and extravagant Creator.

Dave is an early riser and was quite proud of himself for trekking to the market in the early morning hours in order to serve up a perfect Tuscan breakfast for our crew. Bless him.

You guys: this (below) was our picture-perfect straight-out-of-a-movie villa for the week… (!!)

Perfection. Really and truly. You should have heard us gushing and “ooh’ing” and “awe’ing” as we drove up the driveway for the first time. We ran inside like kids in a candy store. Each room and living space fitting into the perfect Tuscan villa mold I have created in my dream world.

On day two of our time in Tuscany, we crossed over into Umbria and explored the quaint hill town of Assisi – the birthplace of St. Francis of Assisi. Dave and I have been to Tuscany twice before and have never made it to Assisi. I’m so glad we did this time – it is the quintessential hill town and I basically wanted to squeeze the narrow cobblestone alleyways and sweeping views, along with gelato {that is most definitely served in Heaven}, into my carry-on.

The cathedral built in honor of the town’s patron saint was pretty much the opposite of what he stood for – seeing that he took a vow of poverty and all. But, oh my. It is breathtakingly beautiful and absolutely worth a visit.

I mean. There were monks. Actual monks. {Dave was so embarrassed as I excitedly took this photo}.

See???!!! If only this would have fit in my carry-on. I must go back. And, move into one of the little nooks off an ancient stone alleyway.

Did I mention the wine?? Ohmygosh.

We went on a wine tour with my most favorite wine aficionado ever, ever: Rebecca. {I’m not exaggerating one iota when I say you must book a tour with Rebecca if you ever find yourself in Tuscany. Really. She is the best}. We toured the region producing Sangiovese grapes for the powerhouse, Brunello di Montalcino. Otherwise known as, the best wine made on planet earth. 

And, if the tour of three small wineries wasn’t good enough, we were served a four course lunch with wine pairings by our hosts at Fanti winery. My tastebuds were on the verge of bursting from the robust flavors of the wine paired with the homemade pastas and fresh, grilled meats. The meal lasted for hours and was pretty much the antithesis of most rushed lunches I have at home. The room was full of tantalizing aromas and continuous laughter. That meal, shared with some of my favorite people, went down as a highlight of the trip for me.

Official Winemaker Rule #1: Every Tuscan vineyard needs an adorable wine dog. {Even the dogs are smiling … because, Tuscany}.

Official Winemaker Rule #2: Every Tuscan winery needs a tasting room with THIS view. 

Hmm? More pretty pictures to print off as postcards of a place that is too perfect to actually be real? Yes, yes… here we are…

 

Oh, yes. I definitely got caught taking this photo of an adorable Italian grandma looking out of her window. She stared right at me. But, you guys. She’s an adorable Italian grandma looking out of her window! The photo had to be taken.

Our friend, Mike, had requested his pilgrimage for the trip: Assisi. In order to visit the birthplace of one of the most venerated religious figures in history.

My request? Bramasole. The restored home of one of my favorite writers, Frances Mayes. Mostly because she moved to Tuscany and restored a villa in.real.life. She basically lived out my wildest dream and then wrote a book about it {and then Hollywood made a movie very loosely based on that book…if you’ve only seen the movie, read the book}. It was better in real life that I had imagined and I’m so glad we made the 30 minute trek uphill to find it.

To end our time in Tuscany, we enjoyed a homemade meal by our new Italian friend, Elisa. She prepared a five course meal for us at our home for the week. It was the most perfect way to spend our last evening here.

I couldn’t possibly recommend L’Olivo Villa enough. If you are planning a visit to Tuscany, you should try to make this your pretend home for the week too. Sorry for the onslaught of photos, I couldn’t help myself. 🙂

Happy Thursday, friends!