By GAIL LOWE
Had I not known the two men walking arm in arm 20 feet ahead of me, I might have thought they were a gay couple. But we were in Cecina, Italy, and one of the men was my husband. The other was the husband of a cousin he had not seen in more than 30 years.
The scene ahead of me was sweet and typical of European culture. I now wish I had captured the scene on film, but I was too busy talking to the cousin's wife Graziella as we, too, walked along arm in arm.
We reserved Sunday, March 29, to visit Darwin and Graziella at their condo in Cecina. Tears flooded Graziella's face at the sight of my husband. Over the years, she and Darwin had visited the U.S. just as Tony had visited them, and they knew this might be the last time they would ever see each other.
They honored our visit the best way Italians know how — with a feast that included champagne and Chianti wine.
We had been looking forward to a week in Tuscany — including the visit with Darwin and Graziella — for the past year after booking a Fly and Drive trip to Tuscany offered by friendlyplanet.com.
We had first heard about friendlyplanet, an online travel site, from a couple who booked a trip to China with them. Their trip included airfare, hotel, breakfast daily, tour guide and all tips, surcharges and taxes. All of this for well under $2,000 for both of them, or less than $1,000 per person to walk the Great Wall of China and tour Shanghai and Beijing.
When we saw the Tuscany trip for $1,099 per person, which also included airfare, hotel, rental car, breakfast and other charges, we booked right away. But because we decided to go the last week in March when the weather would be a little warmer, the cost was bumped to $1,199. Still, it was a bargain.
Our flight was from JFK in New York to Milan, so we opted to leave our car in a long-term parking lot only a mile from the airport. (The only issue was that our return flight landed at 9:45 p.m., which meant a five-hour drive home to Massachusetts.)
We flew to and from with Emirates, and I must say this airline has it all over the major U.S. airlines, except maybe Jet Blue. Flight attendants were classy, flyers were given hot, wet towels to wash hands and face and two meals were served in-flight. Every seat featured individual screens for movie and TV viewing or for listening to music. Flights to and from Italy were without incident, and we slept as much as possible so we wouldn't be worn out for the drive to our hotel in San Gimignano.
We arrived on time, picked up our Fiat 500 and took the long route along the Italian coast that eventually brought us to Cecina. From there, we turned northeast to get to Hotel Sovestro in San Gimignano. We arrived about an hour later, exhausted and hungry. Fortunately for us, the family-run hotel has its own restaurant, and we feasted on wild boar, an exquisite thick bean soup and wonderful fresh spring spring greens salad.
There are unlimited photo ops in charming San Gimignano. Some lanes lead to the greatest heights where you can view all of Tuscany — acres upon acres of green land sectioned off into vineyards and olive groves. The sun that day was hot, and only then did I understood the significance of Frances Mayes' book title "Under the Tuscan Sun."
We also encountered strolling musicians, including an accordionist who thrilled us with favorite Italian songs.
We made good use of our week, and that included taking the public bus to Florence from Pongibossi, a little town only 20 minutes east of San Gimignano. This proved to be the best option, since parking in Florence is next to impossible. The buses run right on schedule, and the ride was about an hour each way. No sooner did we get off the bus and begin wandering than we found ourselves at the edge of the leather market. It was there that we found a few bargains — spring leather gloves, a leather purse for a family member's birthday and, of course, scarves. We later discovered the purse we bought is similar to a Michael Kors design that sells in the U.S. for $350.
Back at the hotel later in the day, we noticed a sign at the front desk announcing a performance of favorite opera arias, so we bought tickets for about $25 U.S. for Saturday night. The drive to and from Siena was under an hour, and parking was a breeze. The performance featured soprano Chiara Panacci and pianist Iliara Posarelli with arias that included those from Turandot, La Boheme, Gianni Schicchi and Madame Butterfly, among others. What could be better than an encore featuring O Sole Mio and Come Back to Sorrento. That's what we got. The venue, Santo Stefano alla Lizza, was an old church whose space was intimate and acoustics good for this wonderful concert. A restaurant called Guido, practically around the corner from the church, was a great place to dine on squash stuffed ravioli and steak.
Our final day was reserved for a long drive through the Chianti region of Tuscany. Again, we encountered those serpentine roads and small villages throughout where you could shop for olive oil, regional art, sticks of salami and, of course, Chianti wine.
Friendlyplanet.com is currently offering Italy by Rail ($1,649 per person) and Italy Fly and Drive ($1,449). There's also a $3,449 package called Incredible Italy.
If you want to go, sign up soon. Trips close out fast.
