Kleins in Italy

It was too easy to get behind on my blog with the slower pace in Tuscany. I got lazy and couldn’t quite bring myself to post as often. We’re home safe and sound now, but here’s the recap of our last few lovely days in Italy.

Wed 4/6

The hotel has a great gym (not that I would know) and David got a workout in this morning before we left for Volterra. We had a pretty drive through the countryside even though it’s overcast and cool today. Volterra is another high fortress city and is known for its beautiful alabaster which is quarried nearby. The town was nearly devoid of tourists and we wandered around the deserted piazza. We climbed the bell tower of the Palazzo dei Priori, only half as high as the tower in San Gimi but with very nice views. Back down in the piazza we picked out a restaurant for lunch and had a very good meal of a ricotta and truffle stuffed crepe, pesto spaghetti and lasagna paired with local wines. It was hearty fare for a blustery day and we just beat the rain after scoring some fun alabaster and olive wood souvenirs on the way out of town. We drove back toward the hotel and stopped through another town we had seen on the way, Colle di Val D’ Elsa. We were about to pull into an enoteca for a glass of wine but thought better of it. Our cozy room back at the hotel with its amazing views sounded even better and we headed home. We enjoyed a drink at the Taverna in the hotel, visiting with an American family we met the previous evening. We ordered room service and holed up to watch 1883 for the rest of the rainy night.

Thur 4/7

Our last day in Tuscany dawned with more cool temps and light rain but we had another lovely breakfast in the Pavilion. Despite the drizzle, we took a long walk around this incredible property with its acres of vineyards and olive groves before settling in to spend the rest of the day at the spa. Massages and time relaxing in the hot tub were a wonderful way to wind down our time here at Castello del Nero. In keeping with our “on-property” day, we stopped into the Taverna for a pre-dinner drink before walking across the hall to the formal dining room and Michelin-star restaurant, Torre. Maybe it was just too late in the evening, but this meal was a disappointment from start to finish. No hard feelings, though. We’ve had such amazing food experiences here in Italy, that one off night is hardly a disaster.

Fri 4/8

After another round of packing and one last look out across the rolling Tuscan hills, we drove two hours south to Orvieto. David has a colleague with a home here who insisted we visit this charming place. As it was right on our way back to Rome, luckily we were able to do so. Orvieto has an important Duomo (cathedral) with a beautiful facade and interior frescoes which influenced Michelangelo’s work on the Sistine Chapel. We took a stroll through the cathedral then lunched at Capitano Del Popolo. This is a favorite of David’s colleague and he knows the chef/owner, Valentina very well. He had told her we were coming and we got the royal treatment. We shared a delicious beetroot flan with beet sprouts and parmigiana fondue then some sort of eggplant “meatballs ” arrived out of nowhere. This was followed by fennel with parmigiana and pepper (finnochio cacio e pepi) and spaghettino carbonara for me and a panzanello salad and cacio e pepi for David. All this, of course, accompanied by a lovely vino bianchi. We politely declined dessert and mercifully, none appeared.

The rest of the hour drive to Rome was uneventful and we found the car rental return at the train terminal without incident. We were pretty proud of ourselves for how smoothly all the driving went and have both said we would never visit here again without a car. It’s such a game changer to come and go as you please. We checked back into the St. Regis after stopping at a farmacia for the obligatory Covid tests and we passed the time waiting for our results with a lovely aperitivo at Hotel Naiad just across the way. We got the all-clear and tried to decide if that was good news or bad news. Maybe ten more days in Italy wouldn’t be so bad? Later that evening, we dined at a delightful local pizzeria and cucina, Emma, which had come highly recommended. We shared two pizzas, one with artichokes and artichoke cream and another one loaded with Serrano ham that the owner said was the best. I’m inclined to agree. A nice Barbaresco rounded out the meal and our time here in Rome.

Sat 4/9

We were up and out to the airport for our big international travel day (Rome-Paris-London-LA). In Paris, we very nearly missed our flight due to idiotic immigration lines that looked like a ride at Disneyland. Only three officers were working and the line dragged along. After many nervous minutes, we made the command decision to cut through to the front of the line (lots of other people had figured this out, too) and we scurried up to our gate just as they were making the final boarding call. (Oy, I hate Charles de Gaulle airport!) The stop in London was far more civilized and we had a couple hours to relax and get a bite to eat before our last eleven hour leg home to LA (thankfully, in first class where flying is an absolute joy!)

Our incredible trip has come to an end, but we’re already thinking about all the places we want to see when we go again. Until next time, Italy. Arrivederci!

P.S. This trip has been been brought to you by Hoka, the only tennis shoe on the planet that could have kept my poor old feet walking mile after happy mile. I’m a believer!