In January 2010 Chula, Drew (Chula's Dad) & I travelled to Quercegrossa for 10 days leaving behind Edinburgh & the coldest UK winter in 30 years. We were hoping to find milder weather when we arrived...... Boy were we mistaken!
Whilst very picturesque, the typical Tuscan stone home is often not very well equipped to accommodate harsh European winters. Unless, of course, you have a constantly crackling open fire.
On this fleeting visit - the last before our planned trip back 'Down Under' - we stayed with our good friends, the Redditi family at their family owned & operated Agriturismo, Casalgallo (www.casalgallo.it). I have stayed here on many occasions, with Signiore & Signo
ra Redditi and their adult children Giulia & Jacomo always making me feel one of the family. Many friends & extended family have experienced this when they too have stayed.
Being Drew's first trip to Europe we wanted to show him the sights and sounds of what we love. However, we are not your typical tourists with Lonely Planet guides and hotel brochures, so he missed out on a whistle-stop tour of Roma, Pisa, Venice and the Cinque Terre..... Instead, a blissful week was spent driving to our favourite haunts in Tuscany, eating and drinking our way around Chianti, the Crete Senese and down to the Tuscan coast to the Maremma. The local people are very proud of their traditions and eating locally sourced and produced food and wine, in season, was a delight for the three of us.
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