Relax in Tuscany for a weekend, from Siena with its beautiful historic center to the villages just outside the city. Here is the itinerary for a relaxing weekend.
First a warning: this is not a vegetarian post. On the other hand the Tuscany. and it's not famous for grilled tofu.
Le Sienese hills they are ideal for relaxing and "escaping the city", even in sweet company. Before leaving we booked two nights in a farmhouse ad Asciano (30 km from Siena): a renovated farmhouse completely immersed in the countryside. Upon arrival, Friday evening, we are welcomed by two very nice dogs, 40 centimeters high, which have two very suitable names: Rambo and Rocky (pronounced "RoHi" by the owner).
We leave our bags and go to eat in Asciano. As it is the end of February, unfortunately many trattorias are on vacation, so we choose the only restaurant open (a bit expensive but it was worth it). From the cutting board of Cinta Senese cured meats and aged cheeses, from marinated sirloin with cabbage, to cantuccini with vinsanto, we never stopped smiling. A dinner with all the trimmings, made even more pleasant by the sympathy of the waitresses.
Saturday is dedicated to Siena, whose historic center has been declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The places to visit are well known: the Cathedral, the Baptistery, the Municipality, Piazza del Campo. Beautiful, but Siena is also an important university city. I therefore recommend a fundamental experience to understand the atmosphere: buying a Colonnata lard sandwich in the only sandwich shop in Piazza del Campo, have it warmed up and then eat it sitting on the ground, in the square, under the sun. Fantastic.
Then you can continue the visit, calmly. Maybe getting lost in the alleys and ending up buying a 40s cap in a shop (normally I wouldn't have, but at the time it seemed indispensable). For dinner we moved to buonconvento, “One of the most beautiful villages in Italy”. There, too, all the restaurants were closed for holidays, so we chose the only one that was open, at the end of the main course. In this restaurant we tried another specialty of the area: i pici with meat sauce. Pici are a type of long pasta made by hand with water, flour and sometimes a little egg. Very good, like the chestnut fillet and the dessert: one cheese-cake with yogurt and raspberries, served with a little chantilly cream.
Sunday is dedicated to nature: theAbbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore; Pienza; the village of Castello Banfi. A sacred place, a “profane” and a fairytale one. The Abbey, founded in the early 300s, is surrounded by greenery and has an almost supernatural atmosphere. Pienza is a village where, after having walked around an hour to find two places in a restaurant (this time they were open and all full), we had a lot of fun walking along the wall passing through the "Love way”, Where a man started singing“ Where are you going, if you don't have a banana? ”. Very romantic. Borgo Banfi, on the other hand, was bought entirely by a family and put back in place: today it is a fairytale place for ceremonies, wine tasting and relaxation.
In short, highly recommended places for a weekend and more. The only flaw? Without a car they would be impossible to visit.
