Tuscan Treasures Tour: Day 5

Monday, June 10: Gigantic Oak Tree, Thoughts of Hudson Hawk

We had a 9am departure this morning, but L decided to opt out of the day's activities to rest and make sure she'd be in full form for tomorrow's visit to Florence (aka Firenze). Mr. E and I joined the rest of the group, and our first stop was in Collodi, which is famous because it's the hometown of the author of Pinocchio. Based on the way our Tour Director P talked about the book, it's clear that the version many of us know from Disney is quite far from the actual story! 

We paused for a photo op at the largest Pinocchio statue in the world and then continued on to visit the impressive Albero delle Streghe in Gragnano. This gigantic and ancient oak tree was absolutely breathtaking, and just being in its presence, seeing how its branches have grown up and out, and observing its intricate natural architecture was awe inspiring and rejuvenating. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me!

After our encounter with nature, we headed towards the town of Vinci, where Mr. E and I couldn't help but be struck by all of the reminders of Hudson Hawk, starting with the multi-sided crystal in the plaza outside the da Vinci Museum. Our local guide gave a tour around the multiple museum sites, and then we had some time on our own for additional exploration and souvenir seeking. From one of the plazas, we could see the hillside estate where we would be enjoying a homemade lunch and olive oil. We also traveled to visit the da Vinci family home to learn more about his history and his many inventions and innovations.

To reach our lunch location, we had to be shuttled in smaller groups in personal cars driven by family and staff from the olive oil estate. Mr. E and I volunteered to do a "lap sit" ride in a Smart-like car to help facilitate the process. A bit cramped, for sure! The homemade lunch was plentiful, with yummy thin anise crisps for dessert, and several of us bought the estate-made olive oil to bring home. We also enjoyed the amazing panoramic views, interactions with the farm dog Charley, and a brief sighting of the Marlene-ish gattina negra. A group of us opted to walk back down to the car park to meet up with the bus, and we then headed back to the hotel for a little extra relaxation (aka nap) time before dinner. 

Since I had finished one of my Donna Leon books at this point, I donated it to the hotel's bibliotecca, which I had noticed near the front desk. So neat to see a "little free library" in Italy!