Tuscany, Italy

What we did:
- Got up early for 9am tour of the Tuscan countryside! Ran through Florence to find our tour company and bus and met our very friendly guide, Leo! We were in a group of about 25, many of who struggled to get to the tour on time due to the public transit strikes happening all over Italy. Took a while to get out to the countryside because of all the cars on the road, far more than normal since a lot of trains and busses weren’t running. No worries though, Leo had lots of great history and personal anecdotes to keep us entertained!
- After a very scenic drive through the countryside we arrived at our first winery, San Michele A Torr. We had a tour of the grounds, the cellar, and the winemaking process before starting our tasting of olive oil and Chianti wines! Delicious! We met some nice people from Omaha, and figured out that one of them had actually worked with Doc! Leo ended our visit here with a few songs on the guitar.
- After more beautiful sites of the rolling Tuscan hills, we made a pit stop in the small town of Greve. We walked around the square and had just enough time to get a couple of cappuccinos and delicious prosciutto that came highly recommended from Leo. Back on the bus for our second winery stop!
- Next winery was Casa Emma! They hosted us in a separate event room high up on one of the hills for our wine tasting and lunch. We sat with two Aussies, two young Americans from Ann Arbor, and two Americans from North Carolina! All very friendly people who had been traveling in similar areas to us, so we were able to get some good takes/recommendations for our next few cities! Although a little toasty, lunch was delicious and wine was great - well on our way to a healthy wine buzz!
- The scenery just seems to keep getting better! Vineyards everywhere with beautiful cypress trees lining the roads and driveways. We arrived at our final winery Chateau Poggio Torselli. The grounds here were absolutely stunning! The most picturesque Italian estate straight out of a movie. We were given a tour of the estate and the opportunity to try 4 wines. This was the favorite of all three wineries, mainly due to the beautiful setting!
- We were dropped back at the train station in Florence and tried to figure out what to do with our night. We walked near the river and got gelato at one of Jennas favorite places. We then made our way up to Abbazia di San Miniato Al Monte for a better and less crowded view of the city for sunset! This is where Nick Dolce proposed to Ang a few weeks prior. What a great spot!! Our sunset viewing ended early when we got a message from Amy (the coordinator at Gordon Lodge) letting us know she had time to talk to us in 45 minutes. We rushed home and prepped our questions for Amy. After chatting with the Moms, we decided to move forward with the wedding venue! Woohoo!
- Headed out to Quattro Leoni for a celebratory dinner. After finishing our late dinner we headed home to get some sleep.
- Brunch that morning at Rooster Cafe before hopping on the train to Venice!

What we ate:
- Croissants and coffees from a coffee shop.
- Michele a Tor: 3 different red wines. A Chianti, and Chianti Classico Riserva. We also tried some DOP Olive Oil with some classic unsalted Florentine bread!
- Antica Macelleria Falorni in Greve: Dare I say Trents favorite “sciutto ” of the whole trip?
- Casa Emma: Tasting of 3 chiantis with charcuterie and pasta with red sauce for lunch.
- Poggio Torselli; Tasting of 3 chiantis, with the option to try the Blue label Chianti Riserva and the rose.
- Gelato on the Arno River from Gelateria Santa Trinita.
- The famous Florentine Pear pasta at Quattro Leoni and a cheesecake to top it all off!
- Rooster Cafe: Coffees and a skillet for Trent and chicken and waffles for Steph. Nice to find a place with American brunch!

Fun facts:
- The Chianti Classico is the most refined variety of the Chianti region. In order to identify if the wine you are drinking is in fact a “Chianti Classico” it must say “Chianti Classico” on the label and also have a black rooster on the neck of the wine label.
- A lot of the wineries hosted civilians and soldiers in the wine cellars during the Second World War.
- For Chiantis, if the label includes “Riserva” it means that the bottle was aged at least one additional year in the bottle before being sold.Read more