Last of the Summer Sun: Tuscany, Italy

Last week, I was lucky enough to go on holiday with four of my favourite people. We'd chosen to go somewhere where we could chill in the sunshine but also pop off for the occasional day trip, all whilst eating good food. So, perhaps it wasn't all that surprising when we settled on a little villa just out side the Tuscan village of Sieci.

Our villa was situated on top of one of the rolling hills Tuscany is famed for. Since we hadn't the foresight to hire a car, we had an entertaining (frustrating) time dragging our cases up the long country road to our home for the week. Thankfully, the trip was worth it!

For the most part, our days passed blissfully by the pool, catching up on all the reading we'd failed to do throughout the rest of the year and floating around on the must-have accessories of 2017...

Occasionally, we'd potter down to the nearby village (eyes out for the wild boar!) to stock up on essentials such as wine, cheese and parma ham.

Demi took the role of resident chef, cooking us up spectacular meals each evening while we drank wine and bickered over whose turn it was to do the washing up.

Since Florence was only a short train ride away, we ventured into the city to explore the beautiful streets and visit some old favourite spots.

Of course, stopping by the spectacular Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

and the Ponte Vecchio bridge.

One particularly good discovery was the rooftop bar at the Westin Excelsior which gave us unrivalled  views over the city and tasty cocktails. We enjoyed our first visit so much, we returned a couple of days later for round two! Just look how far we could see over the rooftops of Florence!

Whilst in Florence, we took an afternoon course to learn how to make pizza and gelato. We learned about the different flours Italians use in their cooking, how to stretch our pizza dough properly and the exact differences between gelato and ice cream. The course was really fun and interactive, made all the better by the tasting session held at the end where we got to eat our hand made pizzas and sample the gelato, all washed down with a generous glass of wine.

On our last day, we escaped the city's heat by looking around the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence's town hall. Famed for once having been the seat of Medici power in Florence and later, the home of the provisional government, each room of the building is decadently decorated with elaborate paintings, likening the residents to various old Roman gods and goddesses.

Tuscany is a magical area of Italy. The countryside, with its vineyards and olive groves, is simply beautiful and Florence is a spectacular city. I already can't wait to return.