George

A bus, two planes and a rental car took us from Portland to Greve, Italy, in less than 12 hours. Most surprising, the trip went without a single hitch, everything on time, no problems at all. The flight was an overnighter and we even managed a few hours of sleep on the planes.

Upon arrival at Il Santo in Greve we spent an hour with Allessandro, a member of the three-generation family that owns this winery and agriturismo, before settling into our apartment set on a hillside above Greve, a small market town. Allessandro speaks excellent English and works hard to make sure his guests have a wonderful time. He’s happy to recommend restaurants, shops, day trips and more. He even makes our restaurant reservations.

Il Santo offers several apartments of different sizes, including the one we now think of as “ours,” in a beautiful old stone structure that was once a farm building. Prices are low for the quality of these accommodations, and that’s the reason we stayed here the first time. For our first two visits to Greve, we’d rented a more expensive apartment in the village square. It was very nice, for sure, but once we discovered Il Santo, while taking a walk one morning on hill, we fell in love. This is our fifth visit to Tuscany and we’ve visited Greve every time. We really feel at home here.

A typical day for us does not involve rushing all over Tuscany. OK, we used to do that. Now we linger, languish, laugh, enjoy leisurely walks and, of course, eat and drink like kings. Even the least expensive bottles of wine are extraordinary and every restaurant meal here is a multi-course feast. I am hooked on pappardelle pasta with wild boar sauce and ordered it for seven meals this trip. One night, I thought I was dreaming about it but it turned out that two wild boars with eight youngsters were foraging right outside our apartment!

We love to explore the area in our car, and there are many gravel side roads offering those opportunities. One day we tried a very rough and narrow road that descended into a gorgeous valley where we discovered a beautiful winery, Villa Cafaggio. Now, Cafaggio is one of our favorite wines.

On previous visits, we have toured many of the ancient walled towns and stayed in several of them. This trip we did one day trip to Monteriggioni, where you can luxuriate in history — and even walk the walls. And for our last three days, we visited eastern Tuscany. We’ll tell you about that later!

Linda

It’s a seamless transition for us, and we are very relaxed here almost immediately upon arrival. Some would think we’re doing nothing all day, but the Italians have a saying, “Il dolce far niente,” which means “the sweetness of doing nothing.”

“Nothing” to us can be daily walks. We find an area we haven’t explored and take a short drive to get started. These are the most pleasant walks imaginable, because we get a small glimpse of daily life here. And the scenery always takes my breath away. It is worth every step up a steep road, even in the heat of late June.

Food is a major part of our Italian experience. We enjoy a simple breakfast of yogurt and fruit. I buy fruit from the grocery COOP, from shops selling only fruit and vegetables, and from the farmers market held on Saturday. Every piece of fruit we ate was extraordinary — strawberries, watermelon, apricots, melon and cherries.

We usually choose one restaurant each day for lunch or dinner, then eat the other meal at our apartment — something simple like fresh bread, cheese, tomatoes and olives, or pasta and sauce from the “Pasta Man” in the village square. You order the pasta and he goes into the back room and cuts it for you. Now that’s fresh!

Part of the adventure of dining out is driving up, down and around the hills (often on rough gravel roads) to amazing restaurants tucked out of the way on remote hillsides. Memorable antipasti this trip were: grilled eggplant with mint; fresh tomato bruschetta; and a chicory and pecorino salad. Simple ingredients artfully prepared can deliver extraordinary flavors.

I love the ragu sauce on tagliatelle, but ravioli topped with a variety of sauces is a close second. To get through each meal, we share courses. My favorite secondi dishe was chicken, while George loved the sausage and beans. If we pace ourselves carefully, we are able to share a dessert, usually a light panna cotta topped with fresh fruit. If we are stuffed, we’ll grab a gelato later in the village square. The different types of pasta are extraordinary, each with its own texture: pici, pappardelle, tagliatelle, gnocchi and ravioli.

And suddenly, the sun is setting. Where did the day go? We find ourselves drinking in the beauty of the surroundings for long stretches of time. We look across rolling hills planted with grapes and olives. Stone houses are remotely scattered across the hillsides. Our simple evening meal with a delicious wine, enjoyed at our table on the deck, reminds us that simple pleasures are the best, whether you are in Maine or Italy. Il dolce far niente.

Visit George’s website — georgesmithmaine.com — for book reviews, outdoor news and all Travelin’ Maine(rs) columns, found listed in the “Best of Maine” section.

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