Tuscany
Tuscany. Hardly any other region in Italy is as synonymous with culture, the enjoyment of good wine and food, and the mild Mediterranean climate as this one. Avenues of cypress trees stretch seemingly endlessly through the landscape, leading to inconspicuous country villas. Tables set in the midday sun, laden with carafes of red wine and olive oil, pasta, and freshly baked bread. Charming little towns, framed by rolling hills and vineyards. Add to that a language that flows onomatopoeically through narrow streets, accompanied by lively music.
And indeed, it quickly becomes apparent that many of these clichéd images are not so far from reality. Pleasure, craftsmanship, and history come together here in Tuscany in a unique way.
Idyllic country roads winding through the green hills of Tuscany alternate with potholed main roads that pass old industrial ruins and gas stations. Because that’s also what you find here: completely normal towns, like you find everywhere else. Industrial parks, concrete parking lots, discount stores, and plastic bags blown away by the wind. We follow the navigation system and suddenly find ourselves in front of a washed-out dirt road. There’s no way through with our big Toyota Hilux. Later, we’ll drive up a beautiful forest road through a pine forest to a small mountain and camp on a quiet side road. But now we turn around and follow the official road to the town of San Gimignano.
The tranquil small town of towers, San Gimignano, lies just north of Siena. Surrounded by vineyards and olive groves in soft shades of gray and brown, it almost seems as if nature itself created this little town. In fact, the wealthiest merchants of the city competed with each other in the Middle Ages to build the tallest tower. Although the towers were rather impractical (their rooms were actually too small to live or work in), the merchant families vied for the highest and most imposing tower. Today, these stone relics still dominate the townscape.
So we push our way through the narrow streets in the shadow of the low morning sun and the golden autumn light – along with hundreds of other tourists. Two ice cream parlors opposite each other on Piazza Della Cisterna tempt us with what is said to be the best ice cream in the world. Souvenir shops line the streets. A pizza maker shouts her lunch specials through the streets. And yet, San Gimignano has charm.
After tasting what is claimed to be the best ice cream in the world, we set off through Tuscany. We search for a quiet place to spend the night along small country roads and dirt tracks. Last night, we parked undisturbed in a mixed forest, not far from a cliff with a fantastic view of San Gimignano. Today, we quickly find a spot on the edge of a wooded mountain. Pine trees above us provide shelter. A gravel road runs close to our parking spot, but we will only have a few visitors: a group of children and two hikers. Now, at the end of September, the forests of Tuscany are the scene of hunting parties. Warning signs are posted everywhere, pointing out the danger. In the early hours of the morning, however, small Fiat cars will rock their way up the washed-out tracks, past our parking spot. Mushroom hunters taking advantage of the first light of day.
We take an evening walk through this wonderful landscape. Wild lilacs. Colorful flowers we don’t recognize line the path. The air is fragrant. For dinner, we have pasta and a glass of wine before the moon and stars shine down on us alone.
The morning light falls golden on our roof tent. Although the air is still cool, the day will bring temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius. As northern Hessians, we can hardly believe that autumn can feel so warm and sunny. While fog and early dusk are setting in at home, here a day begins that feels more like late summer.
Countless villages and towns in Tuscany are still waiting to be explored by us. Siena, Florence, Volterra, Grosseto… Each of these names stands for centuries of history, art, architecture, and cuisine. As is so often the case when traveling, it quickly becomes clear that with so many beautiful places to visit, it’s hard to know where to start. But you have to start somewhere – and sometimes a first, fleeting glance is enough to make you want to return.
This first glimpse into what is perhaps the most beautiful part of Italy was definitely worthwhile for us: a gentle introduction to a region that demands time, but leaves a deep impression even on first encounter.
