I first went to Tuscany when I was in my late teens and was immediately struck by the picture postcard rolling hills, the relaxed nature of the culture and of course the food and wine. A friend of mine’s family had rented a rustic farmhouse that was a kilometre down a dirt track and the views from the villa were incredible.

Follow up:

The villa itself was in the southern part of the famous Chianti wine region, so all we looked out over from the swimming pool were hectares and hectares of vineyards.

The family I was staying with were very serious wine buffs and as it was also their first time in Italy we spent a lot of time on the road exploring the huge range of wineries on offer throughout Chianti. When you spend time in Tuscany you quickly learn that even the shortest of distances on the map, invariably end up taking a fairly long time as you ascend and descend one lane mountain roads trying to stay out of the way of the mad Italian drivers to go two inches on the map.

What you also cannot fail to notice is just how stunning this experience is. When you are looking over the dramatic hills and rolling countryside of Tuscany with vineyards, hilltop towns, farmhouses and Cypress trees dotted across the landscape, you don’t mind how long you spend in the car.

As a rural man, I have always appreciated the countryside. But whilst I still find different areas of the Cotswolds, Yorkshire and the Lake District etc astounding, I am rarely driving round them in hot weather. Additionally, although forestry, slate roofed farm buildings and ancient stone walls are beautiful, experiencing a completely different countryside outlook in a foreign country is so special.

Since I first experienced wine tasting in Italy with my friends family I try and do it as often as possible. You get such a varied experience depending on the kind of vineyard you go to. When you visit a major producer such as Riecine in Gaiole, you get given grand tours of their cellars and taste their different vintages from the last decade.

One tasting I’ll never forget was a little family run vineyard where we knocked on their farmhouse door and did the tasting in the family kitchen. They had a very professional set up with the wine but as soon as we entered the auntie and uncle scuttled off to their home a short walk away only to return 20 minutes later with homemade pizza for us all! It was easily the best pizza I had tasted.

I now go back to Italy as often as I can as you’ll never tire of the variety of cities and areas to explore. From the vast Chianti region to the historic towns such as Siena and San Gimignano, not to forget the world famous cities of Florence and Pisa, there is always a wealth of sightseeing opportunities. Of course if you’re in a villa with a pool, relaxing in the sun whilst overlooking the countryside is always a nice way to spend your holiday!

Matthew Fox