{"id":1563,"date":"2015-04-20T01:12:52","date_gmt":"2015-04-20T08:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/easethemain.com\/?p=1563"},"modified":"2015-04-20T01:12:52","modified_gmt":"2015-04-20T08:12:52","slug":"tutti-toscana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/easethemain.com\/?p=1563","title":{"rendered":"Tutti Toscana"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tuscany<\/a>\u00a0 \"Tuscany<\/a> \"Tuscany<\/a>\u00a0 \"Tuscany<\/a> \"Tuscany<\/a> \"Tuscany<\/a>\u00a0 \"Tuscany<\/a> \"Tuscany<\/a> \"Tuscany<\/a> \"Tuscany<\/a> \"Tuscany<\/a> \"Tuscany<\/a> \"Tuscany<\/a>\"Tuscany<\/a><\/p>\n

With the weather starting to warm up, and being in Italy, we decided it\u2019s time to enjoy the Dolce Vita \u2013 which for us includes food and wine.<\/p>\n

We arrived to the province of Toscana (Tuscany) at Cala de Medici Yacht Club, south of Livorno, enveloped in gloomy, rainy and cold weather, but hopeful that it would be the last of the cold weather since spring was upon us. \u00a0We spent several days getting the boat in \u201cbristol fashion.\u201d\u00a0 Dante and I waxed the deck while Darold did the brightwork (varnished the teak).\u00a0 We did take a break to have some serendipitous boatschooling on account of a solar eclipse happening in our part of the earth.\u00a0 (Science is cool \u2013 see Dante\u2019s blog post here: http:\/\/easethemain.com\/?p=1495<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

After this hard work we joined our German boat neighbor (but resident of Italy) for apperitivos at the marina bar.\u00a0 The barkeep explained to us that the oldest cocktail in Italy is called the \u201cAmericano.\u201d\u00a0 Due, per favore!\u00a0 It is delicious.\u00a0 Not quite as old, but equally as delicious is the Negroni.<\/p>\n

Then, finally it was time to meet up with our friend Matteo.\u00a0 Darold met Matteo Fontana, a native of Milan, when they were both traveling through New Zealand in 1993.\u00a0 They have kept in touch since then, both visiting each other in their respective countries a number of times, including Matteo attending our wedding in 1999.\u00a0 Now, Matteo lives with his partner, Titti, in Florence with their 2-year-old daughter, Emma.<\/p>\n

Matteo\u2019s house is on the outskirts of Florence and is over 400 years old.\u00a0 The interior is modern but with hints of antiquity, such as the ancient wooden beams and bricks in the ceiling and stone archways over the doors.\u00a0 Their house is a 15-minute train ride into the city center.\u00a0 Our first night there we had a delicious baked pasta made by Matteo, washed down with wine.<\/p>\n

In our normal style of \u201cFitEverythingInThatYouCanBecauseYouDon\u2019tKnowWhenWeWillBeHereAgainPlusThisWillBeCoolForDanteToSee\u201d approach, we took a whirlwind tour of Tuscany, as well as a side trip to Milan to see Matteo\u2019s parents, completely exhausting ourselves (but well worth it).\u00a0 Here\u2019s what we did:<\/p>\n