EAT, STRAY, LOVE: Italy, Tuscany, and the Maremma

Posted on August 11, 2010

With the release of another popular film set in Italy, people worldwide know of the country’s most luscious region: Tuscany. But few realize the Mediterranean Sea skims along the classic wine and olive region, and combines sensational flavors with unforgettable views.

Overlooking the Mediterranean, from Italy's Maremma region, in Tuscany

Here, find three ways to enhance the Italian culinary adventure and traveler’s delight, in the unforgettable Maremma region, nestled into the southern coastline of renowned Tuscany.

EAT

In Italy, it is impossible to miss the food and drink. Even the least-interested traveler can find a meal to please. But for the food-lover, Tuscany’s southwestern Maremma region borders the Mediterranean Sea and offers wine and olives with an additional alluring treat: fresh seafood.

Read the rest of the post by clicking here: LINK TO JENNIFER’S ARTICLE on AOL’s Gadling.com.


And, a big thank you to Gina at RedRoom.com for linking me to the AOL folks. Click here to read the article on Prague they featured last week: WHAT TO DO IN PRAGUE, EUROPE’s MOST AUTHENTIC CAPITAL.

Again, I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with some great editors, and to put a few articles out into a large audience and many readers’ screens. I hope you enjoy them! -JK
Starting the conversation: Have you visited Italy? If so, what was your favorite part?

Italy: Tuscany and Rome, a photojournal

Our October vacation in Tuscany, in the Maremma region in sight of the Argentario peninsula, was spectacularly refreshing. Not only was the beach completely deserted, but we were so far out of civilization we were without television or internet during our stay.

The silence felt deafening, at first. But soon, the hum of modern noise faded away, and all that remained was the gentle Tuscan landscape and the four other people I love most on this earth. We spent our timeless days gathering seashells, listening to the lulling song of the Mediterranean Sea, feeling the breeze whisper its way through the olive groves, smelling the light scent of sunbaked earth under the Tuscan sun, and experiencing the cleansing serenity.

The time was beyond all description ... and thus begun my love for Italy.

 On a couple days, we ventured to nearby hill towns...

Capalbio, an charming town built around a castle, set on top of a hill

1. 

The view through Capalbio's walls

An unsurpassed view of rural Tuscany, from Capalbio

From the terrazzo of a recommended Tuscan restaurant, set in the countryside beside a castle.

We rode to Rome on the local train (1 hour). The sights there in Rome were beyond our expectations.

My favorite Rome sight: the Pantheon

Inside the Pantheon, an incredible architectural feat for its time (31 BC). The dome, the oculus, and architecture as a whole--wow!

the Vatican

Trinita dei Monti, the Cathedral at the top of the Spanish Steps

a sculpture inside, by Michelangelo's pupil, Daniele da Volterra

the streets of Rome

And back to the sun-kissed Maremma

Thank you for sharing in our adventure to Italy. My final post of our Italian trip will be of our drive home to Prague, including Cinque Terre and Switzerland.

-Jennifer

Eight Days under the Tuscan Sun

When I saw the movie Under the Tuscan Sun years ago, Tuscany became a place I yearned to visit. The cinematography in the movie was beautiful, and the lure of a slower pace of life combined with the elements of great Italian foods and wines only accented the gentle beauty of the Tuscan land.

We’ve always been a driving family—we enjoy absorbing the roll and beauty of a country as we pass through it. Since we now live in Prague, Czech Republic, we thought we would enjoy the journey to Italy for our kids’ October break from school. And so began our family vacation to Italy. Every hour of the drive was breathtaking (I’ll have to blog about it for another post).

A region in middle Italy known for its abundant and fine olives and wines, Tuscany is rural, just north of Rome, and is sweetly seasoned with generous people, prolific sunshine, and fascinating history. Italy, and Tuscany, was a wonderful place to visit, especially in the low tourist time of October.

We stayed the week in a beautiful tiny villa on the Mediterranean Sea in the Maremma region of Tuscany in Italy. (http://www.trustandtravel.com/) Since the villa sits on an estate of olive groves and sheep pastures, we found the beach to be completely deserted, with no other villas or residences for miles around. Wow! It was just gorgeous, passing the days playing in the sand, collecting colorful shells, taking long walks, cooking and eating delicious food, and spending quiet time together to absorb the vast recent changes in our lives. The serenity was deeply fulfilling. And for our three boys, ages seven, eight, and ten, they relished the sand and sun, discoveries of washed-up coins, lizards and snakeskins, and encounters with the local fox (including when she stole a shoe left out for the night).

We saw and experienced so many other things while away—Firenze (Florence), Siena, ancient hill towns, Rome, Pisa, the NW Italian coast, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, and Austria—it seems I have endless stories to share and thousands of photographs to sift through.

Our family vacation in Italy was quite a dream come true, far exceeding all hopes. The velvet blue sky and lush rolling landscape will linger in our minds for quite some time, I think.

Tuscany and Italy have captured my heart …

Planning to share a photo journal of our trip in the next post—Ciao! -JK