Trying to write about a week in Tuscany is like trying to give someone advice about what to do with an hour in the Victoria and Albert Museum – where do you start?

When I look over my notes from a September sojourn to Italy, a myriad of images and ideas flow. Finding the words is another matter. It is like that silly faraway look people get when they talk about Tuscany – "Oh, you’ll love it," they gush, but fail to tell you anything substantial.

So, why will you love Tuscany and, more importantly, how can you afford it? The second half of that sentence turns out to be pretty easy to answer. You can afford Tuscany by not staying in Florence, just visiting the Renaissance capital of the world for day trips, returning each evening to your much less expensive (and probably much nicer) accommodation in the incredibly beautiful and serene countryside.

The concept of Italian agritourism is a simple one. Winery owners (and other agricultural enterprises, but hey, we’re in Tuscany, remember?) rent both rooms and fully equipped apartments, generally by the week. Depending on the size and degree of luxury, you can pay a little or a lot. Aside from the joy of waking up in a castle in a vineyard and enjoying your first cappuccino of the day by the pool, there are lots of other benefits and activities, including horseback riding, visiting local producers of olive oil, honey, pottery, and just wandering through the hills. If you can corral a few friends, consider renting a villa, an option that can make the cost of accommodation even more attractive.

By renting a place in the country for a week or two, you avoid the unnecessary hassles of moving from one hotel to the next, always wondering if the plumbing will work, spending your precious vacation time trying to figure out how many dollars some massive number of lire represents. Tuscany has so much to offer that it is easy to pick a single location and settle in – unpack your bags and make a short list of the wineries to visit. Your hosts will have ideas and will help you phone to book appointments. Do not plan to do the Napa thing of visiting seven or eight wineries in a day – two or possibly three will more than suffice. There is nothing worse than having to rush away from one winery to find yourself late for the next appointment – far too much stress for a holiday.

For proximity to Florence, the Chianti Rùfina region offers wineries, relaxation and as much activity as you want. The towns of Rùfina and Pontassieve are a half an hour away from Florence by train; local buses are another easy option. Driving in the region is quite manageable, although you will want a good road map and a strong constitution. Tuscan drivers are aggressive (passing on curves is a particular favorite), but nothing compared to the Romans (who are insane – do NOT drive in Rome!). Driving to and from Florence is not all that difficult if you avoid rush hours, but finding parking is another matter. Since you are on holiday, why add a needless worry?

A great unsung advantage of Tuscany is the ease of communication – while you may want to try out your Italian, a lot of people speak very good English, and many of the older people also speak French. It is possible to speak bad but very understandable Italian with a bit of work – invest in a couple of tapes before you go and you won’t be sorry. For ordering food, most of the basic things are easy (cappuccino, pasta primavera, vino rosso), but remember that words like green beans and liver in another language can be perilously similar (fagiolini and fegato). If there are any foods you really don’t want to find on your plate, learn those particular words, and take a chance with everything else.

For your days in Florence, there are a couple of very important things to remember. Unless you pace yourself, you are bound to suffer from artistic and architectural overload. If you have always dreamed of seeing Michelangelo’s David, get to the Galleria dell’Accademia early and be prepared to wait in line. If you are not fussy, you can appreciate the very good replica, situated outside the Palazzo Vecchio, a short walk from the Duomo. There are great museums (the Uffizi houses the world’s greatest collection of Italian art), with equally impressive line-ups. While the museum itself advises on their web site that they do NOT sell tickets over the Internet, there are other services that appear reputable offering this convenient way to avoid the lines. I have friends currently traipsing through Tuscany who tried this method – I’ll await their report.

Invest in a guidebook and decide what you absolutely must see, and then identify what you would like to see. You will probably be planning your next visit to Florence within a day and a half (I certainly was), then opt to spend this trip walking and looking rather than waiting in line-ups. Like all great European cities, visits to Florentine churches and museums are best appreciated when broken up by good meals, great coffee and some of the best gelato (ice cream) I have ever tasted.

Aside from the mandatory climb up the tower beside the Duomo (you could take the elevator in the church itself, but then you wouldn’t get the view of the dome or feel entitled to that extra scoop of ice cream), spend as much time as you can walking around and looking at the architecture. Try to stop in to Santa Croce, a 13th century church with an impressive marble façade. The church is lovely, and there are tombs all along the walls, including Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. The walk over the Ponte Vecchio is worth it if you have any affinity whatsoever for gold and jewelry – the view from the other side of the river is magical at sunset.

Breaking up your trips to Florence will also make things seem less overwhelming. After a day or two of renaissance civilization, spend some time in the country. Rùfina is an ideal spot for several reasons. It is still considered by the wine pundits as a somehow lesser part of Chianti. This translates (as it often does in wine regions) into nice people, better wine prices and a notable absence of attitude. The winemakers come from countless generations of winemakers, but they are young and excited about their wines. They are a new breed, out to prove that their wines are not only every bit as good as the rest of Chianti, but also on par with other wine regions of the world. Some wineries are open to the public Monday through Saturday during business hours (closed from 12 to 2, like everything else); making an appointment will increase your chance of having an English explanation of things.

At a terrific seven winery tasting hosted by Selvapiana, I was able to taste some of the best red wines of the region. The vast majority of Rùfina’s production is red, primarily Sangiovese grape. Aside from the delight at being able to taste and compare wines from a very small region, where the difference in winemaker and winery style could be assessed and appreciated, a big part of the tasting was watching the interaction between the producers. These people are friends and it shows – they were genuinely interested in what I thought of all the wines (humoring me as I searched for the Italian words for currants and blackberries and wild strawberries). These are well-educated people from winery families who are very aware that their wines must compete with offerings from all over the world. They aren’t competing on a varietal level, but on the basis of price point and quality – for them, it is a matter of getting people to try the wines and associate quality with the name Rùfina. To that end, they are united, operating more as friends than competitors.

The wineries in Rùfina are located on large parcels of land – some of them upwards of 700 hectares, but a relatively small proportion of the land is given over to vines. The rest is wooded and planted in olive trees. At dinner (you know, the meal where you eat all kinds of wonderful appetizers and soups, followed by a large pasta dish, then realize that the main course has not yet arrived), the proprietor of Villa Bossi, Marchese Gondi, explained that olive oil is just something that has always been there. They needed the olive oil for cooking, so the olive groves are part of the farm. Some "farm" – a 320-hectare property, only 16.5 of which are planted to vines, the rest in olive groves, cereal crops and forests. Of course, the winery has been around for more than 400 years, so they must have figured out the economics of the operation.

Olive oil is as revered in Tuscany as wine, and tastings are a part of the process. The providence of the fruit, the various percentages of each olive variety (Frantoio, Moraiolo, Leccino, Pendolino and who knows how many others), timing of the harvest, speed of moving olives from the tree to the press (the faster they are pressed, the lower the acidity of the final product) – these are all critical factors in the final product. And the comments coming from an olive oil tasting would rival a wine tasting. The Basciano Extra Virgin Olive Oil is described as "yellow-gold colour, with clear green reflections. Intense and very fruity perfume (as just picked olive). At the taste intense and very well structured, it is slightly aggressive in its youth, but gains grace and softness after a few months." Sign me up for the next olive oil tasting course!

Let’s not forget one of the biggest players not only in Rùfina, but also in all of Tuscany, the Frescobaldi family. Although they have nine estates scattered around Tuscany, family members readily confess their affinity for Rùfina. It is close to home and has the history of Nippozzano, a fortress which celebrated its millennium anniversary last year. The Frescobaldi family traces its Tuscan roots back to 1000AD, but it has only been making wine for about 700 years, about 30 generations. The Nippozzano brand hasn’t been around Canadian liquor stores quite that long, but it is certainly the best known of the Rùfina wines currently available.

Another Frescobaldi family treasure is the Pomino estate, with its original vines hailing from Burgundy in the middle of the last century. An Italian exile learned winemaking in Burgundy, returning to Rùfina with an eye for terroir and an understanding of the role altitude plays in wine – Pomino is perfect Pinot Noir and Chardonnay country. Driving up to the estate, you are suddenly in a forest that feels more like Washington state than the heart of Tuscany – the cool air makes for good wines and, on a more practical note, a good place to escape the heat of the city in the summer.

So, back to the original question – why will you love Tuscany? Well, if you answer yes to one or more of the following questions, you will understand.

Do you love good food?
Do you love good wine?
Do you love to travel where people are nice to you and welcome your visit?
Do you love a sense of history and community in the places you visit?
Do you love sunshine?
Do you like to raise your voice and wave your arms when you try to speak a foreign language?
Do you like to laugh at yourself?

I suspect you understand.

Sidebar: A Few Wines from Rùfina

Selvapiana
I have tasted several vintages of both the regular release and the Riserva (the single vineyard Bucerchiale). The 1995 Riserva hit me with wild strawberries (fragole di bosco) and tannins – a wine I am going to cellar for a few years. Of course, if an occasion warrants it, I’ll simply make sure to open it early and let it breathe in a decanter. The 1995 Riserva is a bargain when compared to other Tuscan riservas, and a downright steal when compared to California wines.

Frescobaldi
Although it is best known for its reds (Nippozzano, Montesodi and Mormoreto), the pleasant surprises for me were the whites. The Pomino Bianco, Chardonnay with a bit of Pinot bianco, was wonderful, with enough structure to stand up to a plate of antipasti that included prosciutto and salami. The real winner, though, is the single vineyard barrel fermented Chardonnay, Pomino Benfizio. Again, it shines when compared to similarly priced Chardonnays from other regions. It has lots of fruit, along with the added advantage of a good balance between acidity and that fruit. Packaging is great and the romantic story of a return from exile in Burgundy is fully appreciated when you visit the commune.

The Frescobaldi Vinsanto, makes a nice change from your average dessert wine – it is sweet, but not very. A perfect accompaniment to biscotti, but also excellent with a hard cheese (try a chunk of Parmeggiano Reggiano or Grana Padano).

Travignoli
The Travignoli and Basciano Chianti Rùfina both boast ripe open fruit and lots of substance and structure. A perfect cold weather wine, ideal with big slabs of red meat.


When You Go:

For more details on Chianti Rùfina and a list of wineries offering agritourism, contact the Rùfina and Pomino Wine Road:
Strada dei Vini Chianti Rùfina e Pomino,
Lungarno Corsini, 4,
50123 Firenze, Italy
Tel/fax: 011 39 55 268 204

Renting a car: Although you can arrange a car once you get there, it is much cheaper to book from North America. Be sure to check out several different rental agencies and confirm whether your gold credit card will cover additional insurance in Europe (not all of them do).

Buses and trains are cheap and efficient (I only encountered one late train, and it made up for most of the delay en route). English is widely spoken – attempts at Italian are welcomed and treated with friendly enthusiasm (in sharp contrast to some other countries I could mention). A rail pass may be useful if you are planning trips to Rome, Venice or further afield. Check out the railway website:

To learn a bit of basic Italian before you go, try this website:
For a starting point for Florence and Tuscany, this website has a lot of information – in English.
For a wonderful dinner, try La Casellina, between Rùfina and Pontassieve – map and full details at their website:
In Florence, for a quick lunch only a couple of blocks from the Duomo, with outstanding wines by the glass (splurge on one of the Riservas – you won’t be sorry), visit Cantinetta del Verrazzano, via dei Tavolini 18-20r. Tel. 268590