My wife and I arrived in Florence by Bullet Train from Rome on Sunday, March 23rd. A well appointed king suite on the 5th floor of the luxurious Hotel Berchielli would be HOME for the next 4 days. Hard to beat that view of the picturesque River Arno ! We had a couple of day tours planned while in Florence and had engaged the services of our fav limo tour driver Martin who knew the ropes around here better than most. And more than that Martin had become our good friend since we first used his services 18 months before when he drove us from Florence to Bologna via the scenic route. On Monday Martin picked us up out front to begin our road tour of Tuscany.
AMAZING SCENERY EVERYWHERE ! We stopped at Piazza del Campo for a look around . . . Siena Cathedral was beautiful ! In the distance I could see a large structure that looked like a castle. I said to Martin that I had never seen a castle . . then we will go there Michael was his reply. Martin let us out at the front entrance while he parked the limo…and then he joined us within a few minutes. WOW ! What we could see out front sure looked majestic.
NOTE ! San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. Known as the Town of Five Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, unique in the preservation of about a dozen of its tower houses which with its hilltop setting and encircling walls, form “an unforgettable skyline”. In the 3rd century BC a small Etruscan village stood on the site of San Gimignano. Shortly after we entered through the front gate my wife bought a beautiful Italian wide brimmed straw hat. We walked along the pristine paved paths looking at the wide variety of small businesses designed to please the hordes of tourists who visit here.
At around 1pm we decided it was time to have some lunch and Martin knew the perfect spot . . La Biscondola. We found a level table on the sloping outdoor patio and a smiling server named Giusy brought us menus. FIRST UP ! I ordered a bottle of Vale Blonde Ale to come out with our glasses of iced waters. I also asked Guisy to bring me a tall stem glass. FOOD ! I wasn’t really sure what I wanted so I thought ordering a Bruschetta would be a good start. My wife and Martin both went with serves of Zuppa Toscana di Farro ( Tuscan spelled soup ). My ice cold blonde ale in a tall stem glass tasted very good. FAST SERVICE ! Before we knew it our server Giusy brought everything out to our table.
My wife and our friend Martin commented how satisfying their soups tasted . . it was a chilly day. OMG ! When I ordered my bruschetta I figured it would be a small serve and then I would order something else. BIGGEST BRUSCHETTA EVER ! But I tell you what . . it was totally delicious. DESSERT ! When I was checking out inside a bit earlier I saw this interesting looking cake on the bar counter. Giusy told me it was called Panforte Fichi e Noci ( figs, nuts, honey ). Soon after Giusy brought out 6 thin slices on a platter . . it tasted dense, rich and very flavorsome. We loved it. I had a lovely chat with Stefania the owner before we headed off on our merry way. A VERY ENJOYABLE LUNCH !
