A long weekend in Tuscany

8th June 2019By AddyPosted in Europe, Italy

My stay at Salvadonica

If you dream of a place with lush green views overlooking rolling Tuscan hills and breath-taking sunsets, you need to come to Salvadonica! On first appearances it looked like I had booked a humble agritourism stay but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The pictures on the website don’t do it justice!

Salvadonica is a farm located on a hilltop in the Chianti region of Tuscany, about 40 minutes from Florence airport. It’s essentially a 23 acre farm with vineyards, olive oil plantations and an outdoor pool. From several viewpoints you can appreciate the beauty of the rolling hills of Chianti and its vineyards.

I wish I’d come in peak summer so that I could use the pool here to appreciate the gorgeous surroundings.

The grounds around the pool are covered with white, yellow and pink everlasting flowers (Rhodhante Chlorocephala) which added great colour and vibrance to the setting.

The yellow, white and pink add a striking contrast to the green Tuscan landscape and clear blue sky.

My time in Costa Rica this Easter really made me appreciate dawn, which I feel is the most beautiful time of the day. I woke up early on my first day in Tuscany as I wanted to experience the serenity of the area and the chirping of birds whilst everyone else was still asleep. Guess what? I even caught a glimpse of a beautiful deer. Although it disappeared from sight all too soon, I still heard it bleating!

I thoroughly enjoyed dining at the on-site restaurant La Volpenera. The breakfast spread is top notch and includes seasonal fruits, locally sourced jams and honey, bruschetta and delicious cakes. The views of the surrounding hills from the restaurant were an added treat.

Some of the delicious breakfast spread!

My favourite dish was the Guinea fowl with truffle! I also tried “Zuccotto Fiorentino” which is a local Tuscan speciality. It’s a semi frozen chilled dessert made with cake and cream.

Zucotto Fiorentino is my new favourite dessert!
Sunset view from Salvadonica – probably the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen.

Activities

There are numerous activities which the front desk can arrange for you, such as olive oil and wine tasting, cycling and yoga in the garden. There’s also a beautiful walking trail in the estate if you fancy a stroll in the woods.

My water painting class

The front desk also arranged a water painting class for me for which I really enjoyed. It was the first time I’d tried it for almost 20 years. My teacher made me paint the Tuscan landscape and, happily, I wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected to be! I didn’t realise how effective a stress buster painting can be…

I doubt there is any other tree other than the Cypress tree which defines the Tuscan landscape so well.

Time to visit – The best time to visit Tuscany is generally between June and September. I visited in the first weekend of May which wasn’t the ideal time as it was wet and cold (not that it prevented me from having a good time as the clouds hovering over the hills made the whole scene look mystical).

Montefioralle

Wandering through the narrow alleys of Montefioralle was like a journey into Europe’s medieval past.

This historical medieval town was my favourite of the four towns I visited in Tuscany today (the other three being Greve, Castellina and Panzano). Montefioralle is a hilltop town with spectacular views overlooking the rolling hills of Chianti. A walk through its narrow winding lanes is like a glimpse into a time long passed. You can also see the house of the great Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci after whom America’s continent is named. Vespucci’s house – Number 21 – is located on the circular Main Street of the town. It is widely believed to be the birth house of Vespucci.