We are billeted amidst Tuscan vineyards and olivo orchards at Savernano, our most familiar and comfortable farm house inn.
Last year I wrote, “There are more expensive retreats, perhaps some with more elegant food or designer accommodations, but nothing in our experience compares to David and Eva’s hilltop refuge in the heart of Tuscany.
We have tried to analyze specifically what we find so relaxing and appealing (we have been here for the last 3 years, around the same dates), and it seems to come down to the soul of this family and the way they work, live, and radiate the heart of rural Italy.
David (Daveed) is a relentless and skilled builder; he is constantly bringing value to his land, his property, his family, and his virtual Ark of all stripe – peacocks, exotic pheasants, chickens (who yield the most fabulous eggs that David scrambles each morning into creamy golden folds), ducks, swans, carp, turtles, canaries, songbirds, pony (1), donkeys (“cafe e latte”), sheep, goats (2 kids that are 3 weeks old), wild boar (for Christmas dinner) and prosciutto, and rolling hills of Chianti grapes and trees bearing fruity olive oil.
David and his father restored an old farm and built the guest rooms, grounds, and winery. Each season, improvements to the circuitous road, vineyards, and orchards, the house and facilities are unceasing. Eva, with a quiet guiding hand, lovingly looks after the family and turns out comforting home-style fare and beautiful cakes and pastries for the morning side-board. Grandmother seems to have responsibility for many of the flowers.
378 readers of TripAdvisor have given Agriturismo Savernano a very deserving 5 stars – citing the obvious comforts and amenities. However what goes unstated is the feeling of enrichment, of life being fully lived, which is the real stellar quality of this unassuming 21st century sanctuary”… so in this post I will focus on the considerable pleasures of Florence, which is a 25 min. commute by train.
Firenze condenses the elegance and beauty of Roma, scaled in a few square kilometers. The architecture, colors, design elements, art, commercial buzz, and vibrant street life of locals and tourists framed our experience for 2 days this week.
Firenze is energetic and just fun to leisurely stroll, sample gelato, or bargain in the street markets. The city revealed its charms without the oppression of weather or crowds, which were both blessedly moderate for our relaxed meanderings.
The center of our delight was Ristorante Paoli, located in an ancient setting that conveys a noble character and delivers classic Florentine fare served by Hollywood-cast waiters in classic black and white livery. The entire experience, sheltered from the frenzy of the narrow “fragrant” street outside has brought us back every time we are in the ‘hood.
Watching the waiters swoop by balancing steaming plates, or in verbal skirmishes with the chef – swearing, slamming pots, and denouncing them as “ungrateful” in course Tuscan oaths, is the perfect counterpoint to the simple elegance of fresh, fatto a mano, specialità della casa.
Buon appetito!
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