Favourite Experiences:
- The stunning views from the top of Cortona at Chiesa Santa Margherita
- Eating the best ragu I’ve had in my life in Montepulciano
- Dinner at Villa La Palagina, a beautiful hotel in the middle of Chianti that we found by accident
- Watching my mom try to drive a mini-van for the first time on the A1, where the average speed is 140km/hour
In June 2014, my mom took our family on a ten day Tuscan vacation. She had always wanted to do a more in-depth exploration of Tuscany and lucky for us, she wanted us come along with her.
We flew into Rome to explore the city and take a tour of the Vatican before heading out to Tuscany for the duration of the trip. Our home base in Tuscany was a small village called Figline Valdarno. We rented a mini-van and each day we drove through beautiful vineyards and countryside to explore a handful of Tuscan towns. During our trip, we visited Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino, Cortona, Siena, San Gimignano and Orvieto. Most of these villages are perched on hilltops and offer stunning views of the Tuscan Hills as well as great restaurants, beautiful churches and plenty of shopping. As a group, we all agreed that our favourite village was Cortona because it felt the most authentic and had the best views. We also took the train into Florence one day for some sightseeing and shopping.
This was such a fantastic trip with the most beautiful scenery I have encountered in Europe. Below are my favourite photos from my trip to Tuscany:
The Altare della Patria (Wedding Cake) in Rome
Inside the Colosseum in Rome
Hotel de Russie, Rome
Looking Up Inside the Vatican
Castel Sant Angelo, Over Tiber River in Rome
The Town of Figline Valdarno
Villa Casagrande in Figline Valdarno
Palazzo Comunale in Montepulciano
Views of Montepulciano from the Bell Tower
Palazzo Comunale from the Bell Tower in Montepulciano
The Cathedral in Pienza
Watching the Storm Roll in from the walls of Pienza
The Famous (& Smelly) Pecorino Cheese from Pienza
Tasting Brunellos in Montalcino
Driving into Cortona
Views of Lago Trasimeno from Cortona
Piazza della Republica in Cortona
Hiking Up to Chiesa Santa Margherita in Cortona
Inside Chiesa Santa Margherita in Cortona
Via Santa Margherita in Cortona
Villa la Palagina, Such a beautiful hotel! Check it out at: http://palagina.it
Villa la Palagina
Villa la Palagina
Florence
Ponte Vecchio in Florence
The River Arno in Florence
Views of Florence from the Terrace at Hotel degli Orafi
Chianti Region
Driving through the Chianti Region
San Gimignano from the Bell Tower
Rooftops of San Gimignano
Pubblico Palace in Siena
Duomo in Siena
Orvieto
Orvieto
Orvieto
–Katie
Katie Everywhere 
I’ve been there this summer and that’s an amazing place ! Have you been to the Cinque Tere ? (The colorful villages on the sea shore)
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No! But Cinque Terre is on my list for sure. Have you been? What did you think?
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Yes ! This is really beautiful ! We could reach them by the sea. The only thing is that the villages are very small but crowded…
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Beautiful pictures. I have many more to recommend 🙂
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Thank you!
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