When I started planning this trip I originally looked to focus on Southern Italy, but after much discussion with my travel agent, Fran Wilder, we decided to start north of Rome in the Tuscany wine region, and include Florence, which I missed out on visiting during out 2007 cruise. We have been using Fran for assistance with travels for awhile now, and I have to say of all the travel agents we have run across she has been by FAR the best, getting us countless discount on cruises and hotels! If you are in need of an agent then by all means contact her. There are no hidden fees or charges, just pure satisfaction. She works for All Cruise Travel and can be reached at Fran@insidersview.com
Fran put me in touch with Filippo Magnani, who is an expert in Italian wine with an emphasis on Tuscany. His company set up our week long Tuscany tour that we are currently on.
Our flight from SFO to Rome was likely the most uneventful flight we have ever taken, from the nearly empty SFO airport to the nearly flawless arrival and departure experiences. After waking up over France, I was able to get a shot out the window of 15,772′ high Mont Blanc among the French Alps.
If you ever take an Italian cruise and it mentions they stop in “Rome”, this is where they actually stop, Civitavecchia, an industrial harbor an hours train ride from Rome.
Upon completing Customs we found our driver Max was waiting for us just outside the exit, as were William and Myra! He loaded us up into his van and we headed nearly 2 hours north to a small hotel, Villa Acquaviva Wine Resort, in the Maremma wine region of Tuscany. A beautiful spot just outside of the hilltop town of Manciano.
We were able to get Fabrizio, one of the owners, to pour us a bunch of his wines for our first tasting of the trip.
As it neared sunset we walked around the property with a glass to take in the views.
There were several very friendly cats on the grounds!
The cats were fighting for our attention!
The resorts pool looked inviting, but it was way too cold this time of year.
Here is the view of Manciano over the vineyard as the sun was setting.
I think Fabrizio opened a lot more wines than he expected to!
Up next we travel further north to another winery in the Maremma region, Fattoria Le Pupille, for what has to be the longest wine tasting we have ever experienced!