Today we say goodbye to lovely Barolo and head to Tuscany.

Packing up is definitely a little easier in a hotel room than in an entire apartment. I guess that’s one thing going for hotels. We have breakfast one last time and say goodbye to this charming hotel in the middle of paradise. Lillian rides with grandma and grandpa today, but she insists that they follow right behind us. Of course, we forget that and drive off without allowing them to follow. Oops. Our GPS takes us a different way than their Google Maps, but we will meet up for lunch somewhere along the coast.

The road from Barolo down to the water is winding for over an hour. After the initial 15 minutes, it’s really unpleasant. I’m just thankful Oly doesn’t seem to have any carsickness. I use my guidebook to select a spot for lunch in Rapallo, just east of Genoa. When we get near, we check in with my parents. They made two wrong turns putting them over an hour behind schedule. I feel awful for them.

//Grandpa notes> Okay the real story.  We agreed that Lillian would ride with me and Debbie and that we would follow Stefan and Kimberly for the drive to Pisa.  We packed up, Kimberly and Stefan took off and before I got out of the parking lot they were gone and we never saw them again until four hours later in Pisa. The drive was rugged.  The twisting roads, traffic, tunnels, tolls, wrong turns, and 50 minute delay for a traffic accident made it pretty miserable.

//Stefan Notes: me and oly

Stefan, Oly and I are on our own for lunch. We park near the beach, which has been largely privatized. It looks very popular, but the crowds reinforce our decision to not spend time in beach towns here. We walk along the water for a couple minutes and then find our destination on a back side street. It seems full of locals and has a 10 euro set lunch menu. Awesome. The food isn’t exceptional, but it is a nice cheap lunch break from the drive.

//Grandpa notes> They are on their own for lunch because they don’t know how to let someone follow them.

We drive on to Pisa—a place we don’t really want to spend much time but we feel we must stop for the picture.

//Grandpa notes> Since I was a kid I have wanted to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and it did not disappoint.  But once I got my obligatory pictures of us holding up the tower I was ready to go.

And we get some pictures! I knew the tower of Pisa was leaning, but I am still surprised to turn the corner and see the tall building leaning so significantly next to the beautiful church next door. We walk around the square a little bit. It’s hot, so we don’t linger very long.

//Grandpa notes> Now when Lillian wants to crack me up she poses like she is holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The drive to Tuscany is winding. I can’t believe how tough the driving has been today, especially on my stomach. Once off the freeway and near the town of Poggibonsi, where we think the house is, we turn up a narrow road. The road winds up the hill for at least 15 minutes before we turn off onto a small side road. It seems to be more of a driveway. Then it becomes a dirt road. We drive for several minutes before turning at the sign “Casale Querciola”. The driveway winds around until we see the beautiful large house before us. 

Grandpa notes> We navigate using google map coordinates because there is no address.  The drive from Pisa was again brutal with twist, turns, tolls, bridges, tunnels and one mistake on my part.  I did not like the driving once we left the Barolo area.

The views from the expansive lawn are incredible! The sweetest 12 year old, Clara, greets us with her mother and uncle. This is her grandmother’s house, and they use it as a holiday home. She loves practicing her English with us, and I pretty much want to keep her. The house is old, but very well kept and nicely decorated. I immediately love it. 

//Grandpa notes> Really a unique place, along with Kimberly’s selections for Airbnbs in Lyon and Turin.  It’s old farm buildings from the 1500s-1600s and sits in a beautiful location overlooking olive and grape orchards.  The internet is practically nonexistent and the shower is so small that I hardly fit, but everything else is amazing.

We are starving, so we ask for the best pizza places nearby. We gives us one 30 minutes away and another 45 minutes away. Not the best sign. We really are out in the countryside here.

We drive to the closer pizza place, Il Fondaccio Dai Dottori, and sit on the lovely patio. We then discover the antipasti table. The server says help yourself, and we certainly do. I don’t even think I want anything, but it’s all so very good. There’s fresh melon, grilled vegetables, stuffed tomatoes and mini-quiche-type things. Yummy. Then we get pizzas. They’re wood-fired and delicious. All the ingredients here are simple and fresh. It’s a lovely introduction to Tuscan food.

//Grandpa notes> We sit on a covered patio that is just gorgeous, and seeing the grandkids hit the antipasti table was a treat.  Kimberly and Stefan over order, as usual, and we take pizza home for breakfast.