Tuscan farm tour

Today we had booked a Tuscan farm tour through Airbnb. Our last pre-booked tour before we head into the second half of our trip without the Hines.

We arrived at the farm and were greeted with a water/tea reception. We met a family from Canada on a three-week trip with their three kids (20, 18, 18). The hosts gave us a tour of the garden and vineyard (Cristina was loving it with her Seek app) culminating with a chance to feed Bacco, their pig. 

Next, we went to their wine cellar and watched a short video made by the brothers who own the farm and winery. Then the wine tasting began. We sampled five of their wines, 1 white and 4 red. Then a spell in their gift shop. We bought some olive oil and seasoned salt as gifts.

Next, we gathered in the kitchen where the chef, Luca, guided us through making pasta from scratch. We made the dough with egg and flour, then made ricotta ravioli. He also showed us how to make tortellini, as well as use a gadget to turn the leftover strips into ribbons.

The final step of the tour was eating what we made. At some terrace tables, the ravioli was served with wine and tea. The ravioli had a butter and sage sauce. Delicious. For dessert, chocolate salami, which was amazing. We sat at a table with the Canadian family, and it was fun to chat with them about high schools and college, and the differences in Canada and the US.

After the tour, we filled up the tank, stopped at a Coop (grocery store) for a few items, and found an ATM. Taking care of errands before we headed up the mountain.

We had dinner a short drive down the hill at Ristorante Rina. It had sprinkled on and off all day, and the rain and thunder came heavier during dinner. Most of us got pizza. I got one with artichokes, olives, sausage, and eggs on it. During dinner, Nancy explained that they were going to leave in the morning instead of Thursday like us, so that they'd have enough time to do the Lamborghini and Ferrari tours. So this would be our last European dinner with the Hines. It'll be weird not having them with us!

It wasn't far to the restaurant, so we took one car. On the way back, Bella and Jacoby sat in the trunk. This was a better European trunk experience for Bella. No screaming involved.

Back at home, the Hines packed up. We all sat in Nancy and Jeremy's room eating popsicles (Jeremy said the mint one tasted like toothpaste) and chatting about our trip. We decided that Cristina and I would sleep in, and Bella would go with the Hines to see the leaning tower of Pisa. Then we would join them at the beach for lunch.

We had told Lucia that it was pretty hot without a fan, so during the day, she purchased another one and left it in the house. So even though the weather was cooler because of the rain, it was nice to have a fan. A much more comfortable night of sleep.