My aunt’s Tuscan retreat

The Tuscan house of my aunt Christina is one of the most beautiful vacation destinations I’ve ever been. It’s located close to the beautiful village of Castagneto Carducci in the region of Maremma, and only about 15 bicycle minutes away from the beach. I had the chance to spend my summer holidays in this little paradise for over ten years – and still have vivid and fabulous memories from these days. These holidays were always a fest for all senses… the very special Tuscan light… the mist in the hills…. the stunning sunsets… Christina’s pizza oven… her own vineyard with the yummy organic red wine…. all the vegetable and fruits from her own garden… her homemade, really tasty, but dangerous “nocino” (a liquor made of green walnuts)… the long nights with family and friends chatting on the patio… the complete darkness at night in the middle of wheat and corn fields… the sound of the cicadas…

Well, I could go on for hours. I miss all this. The plan was to revisit this wonderful place and also meet my aunt in Tuscany when we will fly to Italy in about two weeks. But I just learned that she is still recuperating from a back surgery and is not allowed to travel abroad. What a pity! But I will call and ask her if we still could have a glimpse of her peaceful Tuscan retreat. In addition, the Maremma region is worth a visit either way. There are not only the cutest villages nearby, but also great beaches and fabulous restaurants I would like to rediscover.

For whoever is interested, here are a couple of pictures from the good old days at my aunt’s “Casa Nespola”.

Vacation Blogging

What can I say. Web geeks use all kind of reasons (pretexts) to set up a blog. So I thought maybe this even a better tool than the shared website on Backpack (accessible only by family members) in order to share news, thoughts and ideas for our upcoming trip to Tuscany in October – and for keeping the memories alive afterwards.

On a personal note: I think that Tuscany is one of the most beautiful places on earth – after California (with its own version of Tuscany, the Napa Valley). For about 15 years in a row I used to go on vacation to my aunt Christina’s house near a wonderful village called Castagneto Carducci (more later), located in the beautiful Tuscan Maremma region. I spent there some of the most relaxed and happiest moments in my life. Needless to say that I loved everything about my annual holidays just 2 miles away from the mediterranean sea… the beach life (of course), the Italian mentality, the wine, the food, the women, the beautiful landscapes, and – as pretentious as it may sound – the Italian music, poetry and literature.

That’s why I am more than excited that I was ‘allowed’ to join the infamous Patsons siblings to their trip to Paradise. With the ideal location of our fabulous looking rental house in Cortona, I am sure that we are going to have a once in a lifetime experience together!