Summer Travel: Karen Carroll's Favorites from Tuscany

Villas to Visit

• Castello Vicchiomaggio
We visited this beautiful 15th-century castle on the first day of our first trip to Tuscany many years ago. We stopped to have a simple lunch of wine, salumi, and cheese, and I remember sitting next to a group of older Italians who were clearly celebrating a birthday or some special occasion. A distinguished gentleman rose and began singing the aria "O sole mio," and the rest of the group immediately stood to join in. Soon their voices filled the soaring stone room. What a fitting and charming welcome to Tuscany!

Obviously I can't promise that same experience for future visitors, but if no operatic performance is to be had, the wine and the gardens will surely make up for it. The castle participates in agriturismo (farm holidays), so suites and apartments are available for rent on this working farm and vineyard. Greve in Chianti, 011-39-055-854-079; www.vicchiomaggio.it.

• Villa Vignamaggio
This 14th-century villa is picture-perfect -- no surprise, as it was the setting for Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson's film version of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. The gardens are glorious; the wine, heavenly. Schedule a tour and tasting in advance of your visit; or book a room, stay on the property, and have your own Benedick and Beatrice experience. Greve in Chianti, 011-39-055-854-661; www.vignamaggio.com.

 

 A Piece of Tuscany to Take Home

Frankly, we don't do a lot of shopping when we're in Tuscany. We're usually too busy sampling its flavors, drinking its wine, ducking into churches to view the art and architecture, people-watching on the piazza, and exploring the nooks and crannies of narrow streets in its hill towns. But I have a well-documented passion for tableware, and there is plenty to be found. Italian pottery in the traditional and colorful Renaissance motifs is ubiquitous in every souvenir shop around Tuscany. It can be had at every price point, but most of it is made in Deruta, in the Umbria region. We were determined to buy a set of dinnerware made in Tuscany and went straight to the best, Ceramiche Rampini in Radda in Chianti.

Artisans work on-site in the farmhouse studio, firing pieces and painting everything by hand. The shop is packed with samples of their signature patterns to be made by order (and with the ability to be customized). We decided on a variety of mix-and-match pieces in shades of blue and yellow, and though it took several months for them to be shipped to us in the States, it was well worth the wait. In one room of the shop, miscellaneous pieces are available for immediate purchase, so it's the perfect place to pick up that vase or cruet set to tuck in your suitcase to take home. Radda in Chianti, 011-39-057-773-8043; www.rampiniceramics.com.

 

And For a Little Light Reading (when you've returned home)

Frances Mayes' Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany are wonderful, of course. Read them before you go. But for a little fun upon your return, pick up Too Much Tuscan Sun: Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide. Author Dario Castagno, a British native who has lived in Siena for several decades now, recounts his many years of leading private tours through the Chianti region. His knowledge of the area is vast, but it's his tales of his (mostly American) clients' reactions to the Tuscan experience that will amuse -- and at times astound -- you.