Ciao amici,
How are you? I’ve just returned from a week long tour we ran in beautiful Tuscany and am bursting at the seams with things to tell you.
Tuscany is one of my absolute favorite regions and I’ve seen it in all seasons, except for Spring somehow! Well, I think Spring might just be my favorite time to visit, so I wanted to encourage you to plan a future trip to the region at this time of year too.
Why visit Tuscany in Spring?
Blooming Flowers
I’d never seen Tuscany in the Springtime before which meant I’d been seriously missing out on how lush and green the region is. The fields are full of wild poppies and wisteria is in wonderful full bloom. Most importantly though, you have the chance to see irises blooming which are an incredibly important flower for the region (in fact it’s the symbol of Florence) and were once used heavily in their cosmetics thanks to their wonderful hydrating properties.
Less crowds
Of course Florence is busy just about year-round now. However, the countryside is blissfully calm and tranquil and relatively free from crowds (if you know where to go). Weekends will always be a little busier as Italians hit the road too, so if you can plan your trip to visit cities and towns during the week, you’ll find them wonderfully quiet and ready to explore.
Wonderful temperatures for sightseeing and eating
Unless you’re planning on having a beach holiday in Italy, you really don’t want high temperatures during your travels here. Whilst you might be used to temperatures of 30°C/86°F back home, in Italy it actually feels so much warmer thanks to the concrete and cobblestoned streets that retain all that heat. During our tour we had a few warm sunny days, and a few days with clouds or light showers which was perfect for snuggling up to the fireplace and enjoying the cuisine.
Enjoy delicious seasonal vegetables
One of my favorite things about Italy is the commitment to eating in-seasonal, local ingredients. Springtime in Tuscany means you will enjoy fresh asparagus, tender artichokes and tasty fava beans. Later in the month, Tuscany’s famous aglione (kind of a big, sweet garlic) is in-season as well as strawberries.
Longer days means more time for sightseeing
Whilst Fall/Autumn is one of my favorite times in Italy ever, its downfall is that the sun sets early. One of the best parts of traveling in Spring means you have longer days and more time to stay out and about sightseeing!
Visit Tuscany with me in 2024
If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen some of the highlights of our 8 day trip. There was visits to magical hilltop towns, pecorino cheese making, pasta making, olive oil grove visits, so many wine tastings at organic family-run wineries, artisan visits, and of course delicious food at every stop.
One of the most enjoyable parts of our trip however, was the opportunity to connect with locals and it was what our guests said they most enjoyed, as they never would have been able to do so alone.
We met so many wonderful people on our trip and I wanted to share a few highlights with you. Take bright blue-eyed Malo (who we affectionally named ‘the Good Witch’) who lives up in the hills surrounded by blooming irises where she makes organic skincare products with her plants and weaves traditional Tuscan baskets. We were welcomed into her stunning farmhouse with open arms and an incredible home-cooked lunch.
Tobias was another wonderful local we met (alongside his parents, wife and two adorable little kids). He makes extra virgin olive oil with his father and has a very tiny production of organic wines. We were invited to lunch prepared by his mother in the family’s living room and our guests couldn’t stop talking about it.
Or what about our amazing dinner at a Tuscan villa with young 28 year old winemaker Maddalena and her fantastic parents? This is where I want to live when I ‘grow up’ seated around the fireplace and preferably have her mum Elena on hand to teach me all of her family recipes like the duck liver pate and Tuscan ragu (plus Nonna’s wonderful Limoncello).
And who could forget Luigi and his cheeky truffle dog Rospo (which means toad in Italian!) There relationship was just beautiful to observe and it’s a family-run affair as his son Luca translates for his father on the hunt and then pours us his own wines at lunchtime.
There were so many other inspiring people we met throughout our week-long journey and it is their stories, passion and connection to their land that will stay with our guests forever. If this sounds like the kind of experience you too would love to have, take a look at our 2024 adventures to Tuscany now.
That’s it for now! This weekend, we are off to our beloved Umbria and visiting our friends at the agriturismo I worked at back in 2019. We have some fun adventures planned, so stay tuned to hear more. At the end of the month, I’m heading south to Puglia where we will kick of our first Puglia tour for 2023.
Buona settimana,
Liv xo