Italy Part 1 - Orbetello, Tuscany countryside, & Greve in Chianti

We just returned from 10 days in Italy.  I love Italy!  If I could afford to buy (and more importantly, renovate) an old farmhouse in Tuscany & retire there, I would in a second!

We flew into Rome, rented a car, and drove up the western coast of Italy.  We were surprised how easy the drive actually was.  The roads are in very good shape, and everything was well marked.  Our 1st stop was a seaside town called Orbetello.  It's an old port city, which came under Roman power in 300 BC.  There were still remnants of the old etruscan walls.  In the 16th century, it came under control of the Spanish, which was very apparent in the architectural styles throughout the town

This windmill in the Orbetello Lagoon is the only one remaining of 9 original windmills built by the Spanish to grind grain for the town

Pat & I always have to find & stop at a local market.  Orbetello had a small one on Saturday morning, with a great fish, cheese, and meat stand



Slicing up porchetta, which is a specialty in central Italy (basically a whole roast pig stuffed with garlic & spices, served on great bread).




Caught that morning

 After an afternoon in Orbetello, we headed to our hotel in a town called Buonconvento, located in southern Tuscany.  We stayed at Villa Armena, which was up in the hills.  Beautiful & I highly recommend it if you're ever wanting to travel around the southern part of Tuscany

Of course, they had a cat.  And a beautiful English bulldog named Franco, who's picture I didn't get :(

The Tuscan hills..... It was so nice to just drive around here all day, stopping in small villages or on the side of the road.  So peaceful & so green

One day, we took a LONG drive to Greve in Chianti.  Greve is just south of Florence.  Technically, only a 60 km drive.  But on the winding Italian roads, it took almost 3 hours.

I had to stop at this church on the way to take a picture. 

Greve is very popular, with day-trippers from Florence.  They have a great square in the city, with lots of  shops.  There was a flower market on the day we were there.

Greve also has a great meat market.  If it was later in our trip, I definitely would have bought some







What else do you need?




Greve kitty

Finally, a infamous statue in Greve's square.  I'm sure every female tourist takes a picture. 

More Tuscany towns to come................................................