October 29, 2010 Friday train to Italy

Italy here we come, but first a long train ride all day Friday. The sun was shining and we were excited to add Italy to our list of visits. We had the most wonderful, scenic train ride through the Alsace region of France, and then all through Switzerland into Italy.  The fall colors on the hills, with the Swiss Chalets sprinkled throughout, and the snow covered Alps for a backdrop was amazing. So hard to describe how this scene would draw you in. The awesome scenery and blue sky made for a fabulous day of travel on Friday.

The sky was turning dark as we changed trains in Milan to arrive at our destination of Florence. Once in Florence it was dark and we had a difficult time finding the bus to get us to our B&B, Fattoria Settemerli. We were able to get some help finding the bus and the next hurdle was to find the B&B. We had read that it is very hard to find so we went with very specific directions and maps in hand. This was all fine and good except that we were on a packed bus in the dark heading for the Tuscan countryside, looking for a small alley that lead to the 14th century farmhouse on a hill.

Lucky for us there was a woman watching Eric look at the maps and look out into the dark streets. She spoke English and asked him if he had any idea where he was going, guess he looked a little panicked. She just happened to be a tour guide and lived somewhere near Galluzzo, the little village near our B&B. She told us when to get off the bus.  So there we were in the dark without a clue which direction to walk. We headed down the dark street looking for a sign and discovered we were headed the wrong way (of course, we did this often). Anyway, we did find the little alley and headed up the long, gravel hill with our luggage in tow and the moon lighting the way. I was so happy to have a darling English speaking gal meet us at the gate. We must have appeared road weary because she quickly showed us to our room and before we could open our suitcases, she was back at our door with glasses of local made Chianti and little tarts. It was close to 9:00 pm now and we were quite hungry, so Eric and I made our way back down the hill into the little village of Galluzzo and found a wonderful little pizzeria named Pepe Rosa. It was noisy and busy and we had the most delicious pizza we have every had. This is what we came to Italy for! We shared a bottle of the house red, which had no label just a little tag around the neck that said "vinci tosces ole tovole".  Seriously smooth red wine, and the pizza Eric described as magical. I think that is the perfect description. Even though we ate a whole pizza each, with our choice of toppings, we ordered a chocolate dessert. It was like a chocolate volcano cake. I was having a good time in Italy! I was happy for the hike back to the B&B. It felt good to walk in the cool air, under the starry night sky with my sweetie, and a very satisfied tummy.