Leaving Italy, my heaven on earth 🍝
Letter #73: Spending 10 days in Pari, then a couple more farm stays in Tuscany.
12/22/23
This one will be written from memory.
I had planned to stay with Julie only 5 days in Pari before flying to London and heading north for my first dog-sitting experience through Trusted Housesitters. I knew my time in the EU and UK would only get increasingly more expensive, so having another resource for free accommodations was my MO. The benefit is that you can stay for free in homes around the world (although I found most opportunities are based in the UK, Australia, and North America), but you’ll be pet-sitting while you’re there. The owners would be traveling themselves. Transportation and food are not covered—just accommodation.
The first sit I had booked canceled a mere 4 days before I was to head there. My flights and trains were already booked. He and his family were moving from the UK to Chicago for work, and decided to give away their dog before they left. I was having a hard time not judging their decision, but I also never met them in person so did not know the whole story. Even still—how could you give away a golden retriever that had been in your family for 6 years?! 🥺
Instead of taking that Friday flight to London, I felt this was a gift of time to remain in Italy. I had another 2 weeks or so before I had to be in the UK for a different dog-sit, so I jumped online to see what I could cancel, what could be rescheduled, and where I could stay next. I booked my rental car for another 5 days. When Julie returned from work, I let her know I would be staying in Italy longer. She was gracious enough to invite me to stay a few days more, so our time together ended up being 10 days total. 10 days for me to bond with her and Pixie even further. ❤️
We booked another wine tasting at Begnardi Vineyards—Jenna and Julie had never been, and Daniela was reaching the end of her visit, so this would be a great sendoff.
It had been pouring rain that entire day, so we waffled back and forth on whether we should cancel or not. Ultimately, we decided to still go, and I wound through those 20 minutes of backwoods roads to reach the vineyard. Only a half hour or so into our visit, the rain let up and a fantastic sunset made its way into the sky. Pixie ran free through the land, chasing cats and getting into trouble.
All of us had a blast—there’s just nothing quite like experiencing the quiet, sweeping beauty of the Tuscan countryside, with an incredibly hospitable family serving you their own wine.
We were amped to witness the Blue Moon/supermoon that evening—and it did NOT disappoint. Michele led us up to a hill overlooking the river, where the Blue Moon loomed huge and bright over the water. It was breathtaking. I can’t recall a moment I’ve witnessed the moon like that before in my life. I hadn’t brought my phone with me, so I couldn’t take a photo, but I was glad I couldn’t. No iPhone could’ve done that moon justice, and I was forced to focus only on the moon in front of me, and the quiet presence of my friends around me.
When we wrapped up our tasting, we bought a couple bottles to bring home, and headed back to Pari. I thanked Michele again, promising I’d return another day in the future.
When we got back to the apartments, we gathered in the garden to honor the Blue Moon and reflect on that time in our lives. To say I was feeling grateful would be an understatement. I am in constant awe of how beautiful my time this year has been, of how easily things fell into place, of all that I was experiencing both alone and with friends.
My following week in Pari was super laid back. Julie and I would drive down to the hotel near the hot springs (La Locanda di Petriolo) and work on our computers out on their patio. Pixie and I had our daily exercise together. I headed to the Mediterranean Sea, spending a day at the beach in Rochette. I took an afternoon to swim in the river and the hot springs.
The river was so shallow and calm, barely moving, that you could submerge yourself and float just above the rocks, taking turns sitting in the hot springs and then cooling down back in the river. But, to be honest, the horse files in that part of Tuscany can be so unbearable, I thought I might lose my mind. I couldn’t stay there too long, I was not strong enough to ignore their constant buzzing and biting. They kept at it even when I took Pixie on runs in Belagaio—the next time I visited Market da Roberto, I committed to buying the heaviest, most chemical-laden bug spray I could find so I could enjoy my final weeks in Italy.
On Saturday, Jenna, Julie and myself decided to have dinner at the other restaurant in Pari (there’s another restaurant?! Who knew?!). It’s an old school, bed and breakfast type place, family run for many years. I was in the mood for steak, and had yet to have the Fiorentina steak since being in Italy, so we made a pact to order it together. The B&B owner brought out a cut of meat for us to see—it was huge. He had it garnished with peppercorns, garlic cloves, sea salt, and rosemary sprigs. My mouth was watering.
We ordered their house pasta (a dish of which both Julie and Jenna raved about), split the steak, and a carafe of wine. We were STUFFED. I was over the moon with that meal, and we nearly finished the entire steak.
The remainder of my days were pretty routine. I exercised with Pixie, cooked for me and Julie. We joined the conference-goers for a sunset toast on the road leading into Pari, over-looking our beloved medieval village. I soaked in my time there, having a final meal at Barbara e Sandra’s with Julie and Jenna, finishing off the night with a group of us singing classics from the 70’s out in the piazza while Gary played the guitar. My heart already hurt knowing I had to leave, but I was also ready to have some alone time and gather my thoughts about the coming months.
I left Pari that Monday, September 4th. I had booked a few days at a hotel in the south of Tuscany, near Catabbio and the Saturnia thermal baths. I planned to spend my time at the pool catching up on my writing and taking the time to digest my experiences in Italy. My hotel/AirBnB was just so-so. I wouldn’t recommend it. But it was still a great place to lounge around for a few days before heading to the east of Tuscany.
I took one day to head to another medieval village—Sovana—where I could explore some Etruscan ruins nearby. Parco Archeologico Città del Tufo features a necropolis of tombs from the Etruscan civilization, the behemoth structures dating back as far as 700 BC. I was overwhelmed by the feeling of walking in such an ancient place, witnessing the structures of a long-gone civilization that we would never see when exploring the U.S.
After I left Catabbio, I dropped my car back in Florence, and hopped on the train south towards Arezzo. I had booked a final farm stay in Bibbiena, and the AirBnB owner was kind enough to pick me up from the train station—she even took my to the grocery store so I could stock up on food for the next 5 days. I planned to spend all my time at the farm, heading into town only once for a meal.
Her farm was HEAVEN. It was the type of estate I was hoping to stay on during my entire time in Italy, like something out of Call Me By Your Name. The long driveway was flanked by towering cypress trees. We passed the main house, with double stone staircases leading up to the front door. There sat a chapel over to our right, and then building after building of housing for the workers, farm equipment, and animals. Her family had owned this property as early as the 1300’s. While only she, her husband, and his brother and wife now live on and run the farm, this place used to house an entire community that lived and worked together.
And my room. It was PERFECT. I had a covered terrace where I could lounge with a book or eat my meals. There was a large, combined living room and kitchen, with a huge hearth across from the dining table. It felt like a castle. The bedroom was large, furnished with antiques, and a view overlooking the pool and the surrounding farmland. The bathroom had a clawfoot tub. I could not believe my fortune in finding such a perfect Tuscan gem—and at only $90 a night, perfectly reasonable for a single traveler.
I ran along a country trail for my morning workouts, and spent the afternoons reading and writing by the pool. I cooked lunch and dinner for myself every day, savoring my final meals of eating fresh Italian fruits, veggies, olive oil, and pastas. I’d have my first glass of wine around 4:30 while I read on the terrace, and was in bed by 8pm every night. I could’ve stayed there a month—I was living my ideal lifestyle.
I met a friend at the pool one afternoon who was also staying on the farm. She invited me over for a glass of wine after dinner with her husband and his friend. She and I sat out at their table under the stars swapping travel stories, woes of being in your late 30’s and hating your career, and the desire to give it all up to go live somewhere exotic.
You know how you see films or shows where the Italian family sits at a regular dining table but outside, in the middle of the lawn, and eats all their meals there? That’s EXACTLY what it’s like in real life. Except for the heat in the dead of summer, it is absolutely pleasant to eat outside, in the middle of the grass, all the time.
Her husband came out after a while, put on some music, and we all sat around chatting and laughing. They were a fun group to hang with, and I went to bed WAY too late—after 2am. It was the perfect send off for my incredible time in Italy—I knew I’d be back and for longer next time. I know in my heart, Italy is meant to be part of my future.
I had to be up at 5:30am in preparation for one of the longest travel days for such a short distance. I had a 7:15am train from Bibbiena to Arezzo, Arezzo to Florence, Florence up to Milan, and Milan to Bergamo where I’d then fly into Manchester, England. It took me about 7 hours just to get to Bergamo. My flight was delayed when I arrived, so once I landed in Manchester, it was already after 10pm and I had missed the final trains that would take me into Todmorden—the cute little Yorkshire village of my now first Trusted Housesitters stay.
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You make me LOVE Italy even though I’ve never been there!!! I forgot about that fantastic Airbnb in Bibbiena…What a blessing that was!🙌🏼🙌🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼