Life on an agriturismo in Tuscany, Italy: Part 1 (Montecarlo)

Well, well, it’s been a hot minute (a week actually) since we’ve put a blog post up. So sorry about that! My computer has been commandeered for World Cup watching, especially when there are two games on simultaneously, but now I took it back, muahahaha. I’m excited to write today about our first experience of staying at an agriturismo in Tuscany, Italy!

What is an agriturismo and why did you stay there?

After our hectic travels in Brazil and Greece, we knew we would be heading into Italy needing some downtime. We decided, why not live the dream and stay in the Italian countryside for a few weeks, and why not do it in one of the most talked about areas, Tuscany. In looking for places to stay we learned about agriturismos, which are working farms that have added in lodging offerings to help their revenue. Well, what could be more perfect for living the Italian dream!

We originally wanted to have a whole villa to ourselves, but since we are only two people we decided to rent an apartment in a villa instead. We were open to most of the regions in Tuscany and actually picked two different ones to try out (plus one in another region!). Our first was in a small town called Montecarlo, which we couldn’t even find in the guidebooks!

How was it? Should I stay in an agriturismo in Tuscany?

We stayed at the Vecchio Olivo agriturismo for two weeks and we loved it. Like loved it. We were so sad to leave and truly hope to be back one day. It was the perfect mix of being accessible to so many different places (like Pisa and Lucca), being on a farm and rural, having nearby facilities (like a grocery store) and both being on our own in an apartment and having an amazing caretaker.

The apartment itself

We got a one bedroom apartment and it was just the cutest thing ever. The above two pictures are from the outside of the apartment itself (hello Tuscany views!). For the downstairs of our apartment we had a little sitting couch area with a TV and a dining table and kitchen (with a dishwasher, Damian is happy to report). Our kitchen window also had the sweetest view out to the hills.

Then upstairs (which, to get upstairs you walked up the original stone steps, swoon), there was our bed, a wardrobe, a closet and a bathroom. There was air conditioning but we never used it because in the hills in June the wind blows nicely and, with mosquito screens on the windows, we just left the windows open whenever we were home.

I mean, I had to pinch myself even when I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth. The mirror reflected back our bathroom window, which gave us this amazing view! Often times it felt like this couldn’t be real life and we were living in a movie.

And then outside we had a gorgeous pool. It was cleaned twice a day and we spent multiple days just sitting by it, reading our books, eating snacks and taking a dip when it got too hot. This really was Tuscany countryside living at its best!

The Italian hospitality

And then, one of the best parts, if not the best part of staying at this agriturismo was Luca, our host and caretaker. He was so kind and responsive and available for anything we needed, from fixing our wi-fi to restaurant recommendations and reservations, to where to play bingo in the area (sadly we never went, but you know I love my bingo!).

Luca greeted us so warmly when we arrived and gifted us with a bottle of white wine and a bottle of olive oil that were made on the Vecchio Olivo property. Both were delicious and when we ran out of olive oil before leaving and asked to buy another one he was so kind to gift that as well!

Luca also does tours of the property and, while I needed a rest day, Damian went and saw the facilities where wine and olive oil are produced, learned about the process to make them (both old and new) and did a tasting of both the wines and the oils. It is this kind of above and beyond, personal service that make staying at an agriturismo so special. (Oh, and they have their own restaurant that is so delicious! And folks staying at their agriturismo get a discount!).

And seriously, if you are thinking about going to Tuscany for a low-key vacation think about staying at Veccio Olivo, we’d be happy to connect you with Luca if you’d like. (and no, this is not sponsored and we weren’t compensated in any way, we just really loved it that much).

But didn’t you get bored?

In short, no, not at all. We probably spend about five total days out of the two weeks lounging around – reading books, playing backgammon, napping, watching Netflix, swimming, planning future travel, etc. We (well, I should clarify, Damian) also did a lot of cooking at home. We couldn’t get enough of buying such fresh, high quality ingredients from the supermarket and basking in the simple joy of good food. And the burrata here? Oh wow.

But, we also explored the area! We went to Pisa twice, we went to Lucca, we explored some of the other local towns, we even went to see some mansions and their gardens. We were planning to do Cinque Terre but the weather got rainy for a day or two so we decided to do it later in the trip.

Mostly, though, we stayed superlocal and went to Montecarlo when we wanted an outing. The center of Montecarlo was about one kilometer away from our agriturismo and, we drove up or, if we were drinking we walked. Montecarlo was established in 1333 and is now a town of 4,500 people over 15 square kilometers. And, well, its main area is just the cutest, quintessential Tuscany village.

Our favorite thing here was stopping at chiardicrema, the best gelato place for a little post- (or pre-) dinner treat. Then we would just wander the little streets and alleys, enjoying the view and the company of all the local Italians who were enjoying their apertivo (drinks and appetizers).

Our three-month wedding anniversary fell while we were staying in Montecarlo and for it we decided to explore the local fort (Fortezza di Montecarlo). It is located at the highest point of the town (which is really just one long cobblestoned street) and was used up until the 1700s. The fort was used as a defense point between Pisa, Lucca and Florence and now is maintained for tourism.

We were able to climb to the top of the fort and it gave us some amazing views. The picture below, where the gardens are now, shows a courtyard where weapons used to be stored and where the troops would be trained. I love the re-purposing of it today!

Ok, I’m sold, an agriturismo in Tuscany really does sound like the best!

Yeah, it really was! We are now staying at one in the Chianti region (Italy’s wine country) and are having a super different, but equally awesome experience, and we can’t wait to write about it. Tuscany agriturismos rule!

————————————————————-

Read more about our time in Italy using the links below:

• Italy Country Recap – What we loved (and didn’t love) in our six weeks there
• Italy – The plan for our six weeks here
• Italy – Visiting Pisa – the Leaning Tower and the Luminara festival
• Italy – Our day in Lucca
• Italy – Life on an agriturismo in Italy Part 1: Montecarlo (Tuscany) (you are here!)
• Italy – Four days in Bologna
• Italy – Life on an agriturismo in Italy Part 2: a vineyard in the Chianti region (Tuscany)
• Italy – Wineries and wine tasting in Chianti
• Italy – One day in Siena!
• Italy – Life on an agriturismo in Italy Part 3: Emilia Romagna
• Italy – Parmigiano Reggiano cheese factory and Balsamic Vinegar producer tours
• Italy – Hiking Cinque Terre
• Italy – Our three days in Florence
• Italy – Brunello wine tasting and visiting thermal baths
• Italy – Our three days in Rome