When spring comes, I'll send you… no, you've seen those tulips from Amsterdam. It is better to change the text to:when spring comes, I will send you… to an Agriturismo in Italy Tuscany, to sit by the pool with a local cheese and wine with a view of the bright green rolling hills and the golden wheat fields . Rhythmically, that sentence does not fit in the well-known song by Herman Emmink. But it's a good idea.
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Now Italy is already one of the most popular holiday countries and Tuscany especially very busy, you would think. But that's not true. There are indeed tourist attractions:Florence, San Gimignano and Volterra. But it is not the case in those cities that you have to make your way among the tourists like in Venice. Certainly not if you travel there in spring or autumn and do not visit all the calibrated places. And if you do, drive to one of those towns in the evening, when the tourists are back in their houses.
Tuscany is the same size as the Netherlands and has a long coastline with a beautiful interior. The beach is flanked by dark green forests, behind which lie the hills. It is wonderfully relaxing there in Italy. The colors light and dark green and golden yellow alternate beautifully, as if someone has put together a patchwork quilt in a tasteful way. Everywhere you see the stately cypresses popping up. You almost forget that the patchwork has a function:that of agriculture.
Let that agriculture in Italy be an important part of your holiday. Because there are thousands of beautiful farms where you can spend your holiday. Usually they have a swimming pool, air-conditioning and a nice garden with a view of the already idyllic surroundings. The word agriturismo is a combination of tourism and agriculture. They are available in all price ranges, and often they provide a delicious meal and drinks too!
You tend to go directly to the familiar places, and that's understandable. That tower of Pisa has to be photographed, the Ponte Vecchio in Florence is something you want to see and the majestic Piazza del Campo in Siena should not be missed either. The small Etruscan towns such as Volterra, Montepulciano or Cortona are also a feast for the eyes. But if you consider that in almost every town in Tuscany they do everything they can to present things nicely (fare bella figura!), do you know that even the smallest dot on the map like Sansepolcro, Castiglion Fiorentino or Grosseto is just as beautiful! Enjoy a holiday in Tuscany.
Cities like Arezzo and Livorno are rarely mentioned, but that doesn't make them any less interesting. They look a bit industrial from the outside, but in the center it is wonderful to stroll around, shop, visit, taste, in short, enjoy! Livorno is a coastal town where the fish is always fresh daily and you are overwhelmed in the large market hall. In Arezzo, partly built on a hill, the access via an escalator is already a special experience, after which you will be amazed in the old Etruscan center on the Piazza Grande. Then you descend the Corso Italia, a long and pleasant shopping street with remarkably few tourists.
All those cities are pleasant, but you also feel the warmth of the people in the countryside. At your agriturismo in Italy, the vegetables on your bruschetta come straight from the vegetable garden and the wines almost straight from the barrel. Every villager knows a cantina where you can fill a three-liter jug of local wine for little money. So staying in the agriturismo for a day is by no means a punishment. As mentioned there is a swimming pool. And walk a bit, to the nearest village for example.
In every village you will find one or more bars, Italians don't drink a thimble of espresso at home. They always go out for that. An espresso rarely costs more than a euro and please note:after 11 a.m. drinking cappuccino is out of the question! Well, they do serve it, but they stare at you questioningly. On the other hand, nobody will be surprised if you get hungry for a glass of wine or beer at half past eleven à la Martien Meiland. They like to take an Aperol Spritz around noon.
Italy is a country of traditions and customs, which often stem from a strong bond with nature. That is why you can also go to Italy for an agriturismo. The digital developments have not yet really been implemented in Italy. If you have lost your phone or camera and want to report it to the police, prepare yourself for a huge paperwork:forms, stamps, labels, paper clips, staples, the still paper bureaucracy is as famous as it is infamous. But funny to watch!
Tuscany only has beautiful places, but the Val d'Orcia, just south of Siena, is a breathtaking place. You really don't want to leave here. So did the director of the film Gladiator, who was looking for a dreamy, fairytale-like location where protagonist Russell Crowe could walk through the swaying grain. If you type Tuscany into Google, you will always see photos of this valley at the top. Or the world famous winding road at La Foce and Radicofani. Strangely enough, these places are rarely crowded! So are you going on holiday to Italy and settle in an agriturismo in Tuscany? Then definitely visit these places!
We could go on for pages about this beautiful region. But as we announced in the intro:we just send you that way to experience, taste and feel it all for yourself. The sourpuss that Tuscany "doesn't like" has yet to be born. No, this region has everything:nature, entertainment, art, culture, good weather, delicious cuisine and lovely, relaxed people. Book (as soon as the weather is allowed) a flight to Italy, a rental car and an agriturismo and keep in mind:Chi si accontenta gode – who is satisfied, enjoy.
