I am currently in Cortona, Italia...a small hillside town perched above the farms and fields on the border of Umbria and Tuscany...its about an hour and a half south of Firenze (Florence) and the same distance north from Roma...I just started exploring Cortona today (9-12), so let me first tell you about Firenze...My 3 days in Firezne included: walking all over the city, eating lotsa gelato, drinking lots of vino (wine) and absorbing the scultpures dotting the landscape...the highlight for me in Firenze was hooking onto a day long wine tasting, olive oil tasting and cooking class through Accidental Tourist...it cost 85 euro for the day and I would have paid 2x as much knowing what I know now...dont get me wrong, seeing Michelangelos "David" in the Accademia Museum was something I will never forget...it was 18 feet of polished marble sculpted to perfection...however, not being the refined type, I prefer to have experiences that go off the beaten path and out of the hustle and bustle of urban tourism...thats where Accidental Tourist (http://www.accidentaltourist.com/) came in...there were about 11 people on the tour, plus 2 tour guides (Enzl and Alexander)...we started our tour by visiting an estate in the Chianti District where they make their own olive oil (thats EVOO for you Rachel Ray fans!) and Chianti (which is a very popular wine....remember if it doesnt have at least 75% Sangiovese grapes, then its NOT Chianti) Video (not so good lighting) - in the winery where Chianti is being aged in big Oak barrels - Enzl explaing a part of the wine making process (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSwcjbw-Fc8). After learning about the EVOO making and wine making processes, we had a tasting of each...yummo! We floated over to a renovated farmhouse to learn the fine art of making ravioli, tortellini and fettucini from scratch...(Video: the landscape around the farmhouse where we cooked and ate our amazing Tuscan meal - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOMNDc2v-ZE). I highly recommend this experience for anyone interested in a non-traditional tour where you meet great people, have amazing food and create lasting memories! Pictured here: Donna, a fellow accidental tourist, and I enjoy some red wine while the fettucini we just made dries on the racks to the left).
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Accidental Tourist - Enjoying the finer things in life...
I am currently in Cortona, Italia...a small hillside town perched above the farms and fields on the border of Umbria and Tuscany...its about an hour and a half south of Firenze (Florence) and the same distance north from Roma...I just started exploring Cortona today (9-12), so let me first tell you about Firenze...My 3 days in Firezne included: walking all over the city, eating lotsa gelato, drinking lots of vino (wine) and absorbing the scultpures dotting the landscape...the highlight for me in Firenze was hooking onto a day long wine tasting, olive oil tasting and cooking class through Accidental Tourist...it cost 85 euro for the day and I would have paid 2x as much knowing what I know now...dont get me wrong, seeing Michelangelos "David" in the Accademia Museum was something I will never forget...it was 18 feet of polished marble sculpted to perfection...however, not being the refined type, I prefer to have experiences that go off the beaten path and out of the hustle and bustle of urban tourism...thats where Accidental Tourist (http://www.accidentaltourist.com/) came in...there were about 11 people on the tour, plus 2 tour guides (Enzl and Alexander)...we started our tour by visiting an estate in the Chianti District where they make their own olive oil (thats EVOO for you Rachel Ray fans!) and Chianti (which is a very popular wine....remember if it doesnt have at least 75% Sangiovese grapes, then its NOT Chianti) Video (not so good lighting) - in the winery where Chianti is being aged in big Oak barrels - Enzl explaing a part of the wine making process (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSwcjbw-Fc8). After learning about the EVOO making and wine making processes, we had a tasting of each...yummo! We floated over to a renovated farmhouse to learn the fine art of making ravioli, tortellini and fettucini from scratch...(Video: the landscape around the farmhouse where we cooked and ate our amazing Tuscan meal - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOMNDc2v-ZE). I highly recommend this experience for anyone interested in a non-traditional tour where you meet great people, have amazing food and create lasting memories! Pictured here: Donna, a fellow accidental tourist, and I enjoy some red wine while the fettucini we just made dries on the racks to the left).
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2 comments:
Really enjoying these updates, Steve, especially the panoramic video views. Keep em coming!
Nice coverage. I agree with the "accidental" travel theory: take the time to do things as they come up, even if it means dropping something on the planned agenda.
Have a blast (as if you are not already) and let's plan an October hike on the mountain.
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