Slow Travel in Tuscany

The complete itinerary is shaping up. I polled all the guests this trip and everyone agreed it would be better to take the train to Venice from Florence. It is only a 2 hour train ride as compared to the 4 hour motor coach excursion. It will be a growing experience for all the guests, allowing them to live like a local.  Plus it gives Riponi a day off!!!! He will certainly enjoy that! Plus it gives us an extra 4 hours in the city to do all those wonderful tourist thngs: gondola ride, check, Murano Island, check, run through the square making the pigeons fly, check!

The first time I was in Venice was with Fiamma, we were having dinner at this little restautant, (note to self, re-read diary to get the name) when we suddenly realized there was a group of 15 Texans behind us what a hoot, so much fun.

After they left, we struck up a conversation with this older couple who were speaking Italian, French, German and English, well that certainly made us curious. After introductions we discovered he was the publisher of a magazine called e'space bleu, a rag that was dedicated to the wine industry. She was Swiss and had lived in NYC for a large part of her life and was now livinig St. Jean Cap Ferrat.

Anyway, after sharing a few glasses of wine the gentlemen introduced us to the owner/chef of the restaurant, what an experience of a lifetime. More on this later.
The first full day in Tuscany is going to be a short hop to Arezzo and Cortona only about 30 minutes from our beautiful villa. Our friends at To Tuscany found this beautiful villa that accommodates 20+ people with 12 bedrooms and baths. For heavens sake it is a small hotel and filled with Tuscan charm. The pool area has several separate areas to lounge as well as a huge farm house table to enjoy lite meals overlooking the pool.
The more I think of it looking at my pool, I need to get that landscaper busy creating my own oasis here in Dallas.

The first Monday we are in Tuscany we travel about 2 hours to Pisa. There is not really much in Pisa besides the tower but our farm experience awaits us in the morning along with a cooking school in the late afternoon. Arianna updated the menu as follows:
Panzanella (typical bread salad with tomatoes and cucumbers)

-Tagliatelle with zucchini flowers and zucchini sauce

-Beef in red wine sauce and cheese 

-Traditional tiramisu

We are baking the bread for the salad as well as making the Tagliatelle but only after we make the Tiramisu first (it needs time to chill).  That kitchen is going to be a mess as this is hands on, unlike some tours that only allow you to see a demonstration before you have your meal. This will be a very interesting experience because everyone on the trip is a terrific cook.

Well, I cannot divulge everything so it's time to go for the day!
Ciao