Italy: road trip through Tuscany (part 1)

It's a once in a lifetime must-see and once you're there, you never want to leave again. Tuscany is home to 'la dolce vita' (the good life): amazing food, delicious wine, beautifully romantic scenery, sun-drenched vineyards and a unique way of life that makes it one of those special places you'll close in your heart. It's a love that will endure.

Why Tuscany?

I can't think of one reason to not visit. There are just so many reasons why you should visit Tuscany. However, the fact that a road trip is the perfect way to experience and explore this beautiful part of Italy is the biggest reason why every traveler should consider to book a flight, rent a car and start their adventure in this amazing region!

We woke up with a 180° view over the Chianti hills every morning. Our stay at Oleandro was simply amazing! We've been hosted by a lovely and proud Italian family. The B&B is located in Barberino Val d'Elsa, a medieval village in the heart of Tuscany. A perfect starting point for discovering all the beauty that Tuscany has to offer.

We started our trip in the south of the Netherlands, where we originally come from, together with my parents. We decided to stay one night in Switzerland near the Italian border. It's a 16 hour drive, which we drove on our way back home, in one go (not recommended!). After a warm-hearted welcome, we did some exploring in Barberino Val d'Elsa where we would stay for the next 11 nights. Welcome to our trip!

Picturesque Italian villages

Believe us when we say that we saw A LOT of small, picturesque villages during our trip. It was hard to choose between all those beautiful little places but these two left us speechless:

Colle di Val d'Elsa
This charming village, which is located on a hill, makes a good day trip from Siena or stop-over between Florence and Siena. Colle di Val d’Elsa is mostly known for its crystal glass production, but it also offers great views of the Tuscan hills and countryside, a medieval atmosphere with beautiful old and authentic Italian houses, some good restaurants and a beautiful Duomo. We loved walking around the old city walls and enjoying the amazing views from everywhere we looked. If you want to avoid the masses, this is your place to be!

San Gimignano
You can call San Gimignano 'Italy’s Medieval Manhattan' with its skyline of fourteen stone towers rising dramatically from the Tuscan countryside. The entrance is quite impressive: from the parking lot we walked up the hill and you will be immediately rewarded for the climb with a magnificent view. On top (at least we thought so), we only saw a city wall with a tower which wasn't quite impressive at all but as soon as we walked under the arch we found these amazing little (and again medieval) souvenir shops, authentic delicacy shops and I remember being stunned by the whole atmosphere. We walked our way further up the hill and found a square with the world's best ice cream parlor from Sergio Dondoli named 'Gelateria Dondoli'. So far Tuscany was treating us very well!

Right before ending up on the square, quite a decent climb!

Me and my mom, enjoying the view and the sun

City day trip to Florence

Although we saw a lot of villages and little towns, we also did two city day trips to Florence and Siena. Today we want to point out Florence. It was our second time and we loved it even more! The city, located in the Tuscan hills, has a certain vibrance that is unique to the rest of the world. In our eyes, Florence has it all: rich (art) history and culture, monumental and architectual buildings (the overwhelming Duomo!), a waterside (we always love cities with water), friendly people. It's a great city for shopping and to just wander around and let everything sink in, feeling the vibe that locals breath everyday!

This photo is taken from the Piazzale Michelangelo. We highly recommend you to go up there for the most breathtaking views of florence and the Ponte Vecchio

The incredible renaissance Duomo built of Gothic structure: the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

This was part 1 of our road trip through Tuscany. If you like this post, please feel free to upvote and/or resteem! We hope to see you on part 2 as well! For now, we'll leave you with this last shot of the Tuscan scenery during sunset:

All pictures are made by Rachèl from @madeforseaside