Our first stop in Italy was Pisa as we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the Leaning Tower with our own eyes. It was a brief stop but boy did it impress us! The sheer fact that it is still standing is a masterpiece in itself. The surrounding gardens within the walls of the park were well maintained and it was entertaining to see the tourists posing for strange photos and falling over the barriers losing their balance – we laughed for a while and then joined in and took our own silly snaps.
We left Pisa for a small wine and olive farm called ‘Azienda Agricola‘ to meet our New Zealand friends the Ogden’s. Agri-tourism as they call it, is quite popular in Tuscany and we were allowed to park up on the farm overnight for free with the option of buying their produce or eating dinner with them (for a cost). The Ogden’s are travelling abroad for a year and quite used to the camping lifestyle in their Land Rover Defender – so we did the natural thing and pulled out some red wine for the afternoon. The afternoon turned into the evening and after 11 bottles, some blurry photos (and memories) we called it a night.
The following day Big Karl got his first taste of off-roading when we were stuck with a fierce thunderstorm and a significant amount of rain which lasted most of the day. We managed to get out of the vines and into a carpark before the worst of it hit…phew!
Our next destination was Florence, I had been excited about this city for some time and booked a handmade pasta cooking class in advance! We went to a morning class at Tuscan Bites and we were lucky enough to be the only two facing the dough at 9am. Max (the owner and chef) was the perfect teacher, offering us coffee to get us started and then letting us do all the work. We made pappardelle, ravioli (filled with pear and pecorino cheese) and gnocchi along with homemade tomato and pistachio sauces. Throughout the morning we snacked on bruschetta and managed a bottle of red wine between us as we moulded, rolled and cut our three different types of pasta.
The 3.5 hour class was perfectly finished when we were able to sit in the window of the restaurant and taste our handy work. We are already planning when we can put our skills to the test when we are back home in New Zealand! Afterwards we waddled around Florence in the heat, taking in the sights of the town, which was heaving with tourists by the afternoon, before heading to a secluded camper van stop on top of a hill overlooking the country. A great way to end a very busy but fulfilling few days under the Tuscan sun.
Roma here we come..
C x
Damien + Caitlin 