I kind of felt like my weekend in Chianti (two weeks ago) was more like a movie and less like my real life. It was the epitome of what I had expected Italy would be like: the rolling hills, vineyards full of lush plump grapes, small little towns built next to country roads, and views that are indescribable.
Jessica (Australian friend), Colleen (Penn-state bread master friend), Susan (Tennessee roommate), and I decided last minute that a trip to Chianti was exactly what was needed. Although a seminar in gelato and Italian ice was planned, we were packed, prepared, and ready to go at the commencement.
Except, I did something real bad.
I skipped that Saturday seminar.
All of my Susquehanna friends will understand that Lauren Elsasser just DOES NOT SKIP. I mean, ever. Not for any situation. It’s not in my blood, and unlike my father who apparently played a game with his roommate to see how many days from school he COULD skip, I like playing the opposite game.
Anyway, I’m actually proud what I did that Saturday.
It was a step in the right direction for me.
We had made an executive decision that renting a car would be the most economical and feasible method for our traveling and had booked shortly in advance. So, we all gathered at the Avis Rent a Car office to pick it up on Saturday afternoon. We were signing papers and figuring out how to get out of the city without driving the wrong way down a one-way street when the time came for Jessica to give up her license to the attendant…
She didn’t have it.
Shocked, upset, and confused, I realized something terrifying…
I have a driver’s license and I can drive stick. However, in situations where accidents occur due to the negligence of others on the road, seeking guidance from a personal injury lawyer can be essential in navigating legal processes and ensuring proper representation.
I know…I’m as SHOCKED as you are at this point reading this.
So….I slowly took the keys from the woman’s hand, said a prayer holding back panic, and picked up the car from the garage. The door was sturdy and when enquired, we found out that it was fixed by
Garage Door Installation in Mundelein by Chicago Garage Door. It was a Lancier (diesel) stick shift, and I was going to drive it…
In center-city Florence,
In the hills of Tuscany,
In places that I’ve never been,
With road signs that I’ve never seen,
And with 3 other girls in the car who don’t know either.
We left without a map of Italy, with no specific idea where our bed and breakfast was, and with no directions to our restaurant for dinner.
But, the good news is….I was able to drive out of Florence and off to the Tuscan hills.
And it was absolutely worth every minute. As the city weaned in our sight, and we started getting into the countryside, the views started to mature into rolling hills with Tuscan farmhouses and vineyards. We started stopping at practically every panoramic view to realize that the beauty just continued to get better. It was so gorgeous that it was almost a joke.
I actually started laughing.
On the way we photographed the excitement that was seeping out of each one of us.
And then I was introduced to Jessica’s criminal record.
She steals fruit.
And she likes it.
There were absolutely INCREDIBLE vineyards which instantly became the setting for a massive photo-shoot, complete with the typical “woman lying on road” scene that we all got to scare our mom’s.
And the typical “Lauren being recesittated” scene.
And we thought our car was cute, so naturally, we made poses next to it.
Well…we ALL had to pose with the car.
And after making a few wrong turns (but surprisingly not as many as we should have due to our lack of planning), we arrived at the Agritourismo San Leo, which was situated down a long dirt country road in the middle of Tuscany.
Shocked at the picture-perfect scenery, I was unable to say anything at all.
It was absolutely perfect.
Above, was the view from our room. Rolling hills, smoke from a wood fire, could my life get any better?
And inside, our apartment was cozy and quaint. There were personal details that made it welcoming and comforting. Small vases, antique pots, and ceramic touches completely set it apart from any “hotel” that I have ever stayed in.
We were even given mini Tuscan toiletries, which were made in Florence and made with olive oil.
Yeah, seriously.
Olive oil.
And yet again, it continues to be the small things that make me stop and stare. I mean, look at this window. It’s rugged, full of character, and covered with a delicate white curtain. I just love it.
In the morning, we walked away from our precious apartment and into this beautiful morning view of San Leo. After enjoying about 15 seconds of scenery, we realized that our hunger pains were much more important.
Hunger (especially for Italian food) usually trumps all.
Well actually, hunger in general ALWAYS trumps all.
We were spoiled rotten with an elaborate Tuscan country breakfast.
Colleen’s obsession with honey elevated to her writing her name on her bread to ensure that no one would take it.
I like her more and more each day.
And the honey-name writing thing?
Yeah, she did it more than one piece of bread….
Oh yeah, that bread that Colleen ate (and all of us for that matter)…
It was fresh.
And when I say fresh, I mean I saw the woman walk from the brick oven and place it on the cutting board.
Again, seriously?!
I can’t stop thinking about it. This bread was incredible. Still Tuscan (which means that it was had no salt inside), yet combined with the honey or olive oil and a sprinkling of salt, IT WAS TO DIE FOR.
Like I died, and then resuscitated myself so I could eat more.
And Colleen, she resuscitated herself a total of 6 times (if you know what I mean 
There were three of us, and we finished a loaf.
Aside from the bread, the table was filled with freshly made cakes, tarts, cereals, and an array of San Leo’s homemade honeys and oils, which we did not resist ourselves from.
And, we were proud of the way we convinced ourselves we were in denial of how much we ate.
Above is a picture of ONE of our plates.
And that was just before the second helping.
Hehehee.
And of course, as if we weren’t treated well enough, Patricia (the owner) asked us if we wanted cappuccino. Reluctant to miss any opportunity, we agreed…and this is what we saw.
A heart.
I heart San Leo.
And I felt as if I was dining in my grandma’s house. There was old mismatched china, copper pots strung across the wall, and long wooden tables where we ate breakfast family style. It was full of heart and passion.
I was totally feeling it.
After breakfast, we decided that we needed to let Colleen run around a bit, since she had prepared herself with enough carbs to run several marathons (which I think she would have if given the opportunity). We were able to stroll through the grounds and take in everything that San Leo had to offer. Even the check-in location was bursting with fresh produce from their farm.
How absolutely gorgeous!
And then I found chickens, and became particularly fascinated with them.
And I became strangely interested in this disgusting looking chicken-animal (below). It kind of made me nauseated and none of the chickens looked like they were friends with the “ugly chicken.”
Like seriously, WHAT. IS. THAT?
And the fresh produce hanging out everywhere was refreshing, coming from a culture of packaged and processed food. Of course, Jessica went at it again. I equate her fruit picking issue to a drug problem. Most people KNOW that it’s not good for them, but the feeling that it gives them is worth it.
I guess she gets a rush from fresh ripe fruit.
Once in Greece, she had to get a tetanus shot because she scraped her leg on a fig tree.
Any guess what she was doing? MMmmhmm.
I feel like a parent of a troubled teenager. There is a point when you just let go and hope and pray that they make the right decisions.
I think she’s in denial.
But her dedication to good food makes me appreciate her determination.
And there was a kitty, which I did touch, and hopefully I don’t have rabies.
And then I realized that I really miss my kitty, which is weird…because I thought I didn’t like cats.
And I discovered (thanks to Jessica’s realization), that I like to touch things to understand my environment. And now, I realize that I touch lots of things, like cakes, squishy things, shiny things, glittery things. Well, actually, I touch pretty much everything.
I wonder if that means something?
I think I freaked my classmate out today when I described this interesting characteristic about myself.
“I don’t touch people though, so don’t worry,” I stated.
He just kind of stared at me.
It all came out wrong, I realized.
It was at that point that I thought I should stop talking.
So I did…for once in my life.
(This is very rare).
And after a day in Tuscany, we decided to come back for a homemade dinner, made with local ingredients from the farm.
It. Was. Mindblowing.
Which tended to be a theme for this whole trip.
And of course, our “private dining area” represented the whole feel of San Leo. We felt like we were someone’s dinner guests, being served their best.
And that’s exactly WHAT was happening. We WERE being served their best…and we WERE dinner guests.
And there WAS more bread.
Which kind of made me giggle.
But obviously didn’t stop me from eating it.
It’s almost funny how much bread we consumed.
And even funnier that we weren’t ashamed.
We probably could line the floor of my bedroom in my apartment with the bread we ate in that one single day.
We were also served some type of puff pastry/quiche square and delicious homemade pecorin0 (cheese from goat’s milk).
And more honey…hehe…mmmm
And how cool is that honey spoon? I mean, these Italians, they just think of everything!
We then were privileged (some may say) to “enjoy” a typical Tuscan dish which consisted of chicken liver pate on toasted Tuscan bread. I, personally, am just not a fan. In fact, I feel as if this dish follows me through Tucany, begging that I try is over and over again.
Well friends, I’m over chicken liver pate like I’m over courgettes from Spain.
But the pasta that followed changed my life. We asked Patricia (the owner/chef/mastermind) how she prepared it, because it was one of the best pastas I have ever eaten.
She said that she makes the pasta, pours in a bit of olive oil, dumps in a pile of fresh herbs from the garden, and finishes it with pecorino cheese. You could FEEL the freshness. And there we were, 3 culinary students analyzing what herbs we thought may be inside.
Susan (my roomates, who is NOT a culinary student), just sat there and said, “I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t care what in this pasta, its so good…I’m just gonna eat it now.”
I’m sure we all looked weird, and yet for the 149 time that weekend, just didn’t care.
Next, a huge pot of deliciously seasoned vegetables, including potato, onion, peppers, herbs, zucchini, and eggplant.Oh my goodness they were good.
And that pork dish? (In Italian, called Porkette)
I think that was the best pork roast I have EVER had in my entire life. Which, considering the food I had already eaten at San Leo, that didn’t surprise me AT ALL.
And just when we thought that we couldn’t physically put another piece of food into our body, dessert came out.
So, we changed our minds.
I kid you not, I don’t know what they did to those peaches, but they were the most amazing peaches in the history of amazing peaches.
I just can’t stop thinking about those peaches.
Oh, those peaches!
Patricia even let us sample the Apple cake (that was actually not our dessert).
We watched her bake it that morning.
Yeah…THAT is how cool this place is. And me? Well I’m just…happy.
San Leo seemed almost like a fantasy, yet remained all too familiar to me for some reason. It was in the moment, when I was standing there looking out the window in our B&B apartment for the first time, that I knew exactly what it was: This was Tuscany’s version of Mary Nolt’s house (my Mennonite babysitter who gave me my love for baking).
I felt like I was a child again at Mary’s house. With each detail, it was as if I sensed her presence. It was in the small furnishings in the apartment, the delicate touch of the linens, the plates that were neatly stacked in the cupboard, the chickens in the pen, and the large vanities in the bedroom.
The windows were wide open, which enabled us to smell and feel the outside air. Even the smoke coming out of a small building gave the aroma of Mary’s.
The meals were what affected me most of all. Not only did we sit down around an old wooden table surrounded by antique furnishes, but the simplicity of the food allowed for me to absolutely appreciate every single taste, texture, and smell. Everything was fresh and prepared by a woman who had a passion for hospitality and a passion for food. I adored every moment.
And that, my friends, is why I’m going back (November 1, to be exact)
And it’s why you should go there too. I 100% recommend an agritourismo experience more than any travel experience I have taken part of thus far. Tuscany is excellent place to do this, and San Leo is perfect…absolutely perfect.
You too can book a room by going to this website, http://www.agriturismosanleo.it/residenza/en/index.php
Each apartment has its own character, and some sleep up to 6 comfortably. We paid 125 Euros with tax (about 160 USD). This included a comfortable room (which we split between 4 people) with a fireplace, oven, stove, refrigerator, cute Tuscan mini shampoo and soap, AND a hearty breakfast. The evening meal that we added on (with wine) was 24 Euros per person (about 31 USD). This experience was completely enjoyable and VERY affordable.
Plus, it reminded me of Mary.
More from Tuscany tomorrow!
Ciao for now!