This year has been a crazy one, to say the least. I try to remind Alberto, that he met me as a free spirit floating around Italy finding friends from past Italy trips and making new ones. Although I’ve now settled down, and am at a much more stable point in my life this desire to ‘just go when I want to’ will never completely go away. Normally, this craving is quenched when friends and family come to visit me. Showing my loved ones around where I live and taking mini trips together makes being far away from my family a little more tolerable. Well, this year not only did I miss my normal trip back to see family, our babymoon in Greece, but I wasn’t able to explore Italy with visitors. Let’s add a complete lockdown due to the pandemic, pregnancy, being a new mom with no license (that will be a whole other post)… I was most definitely in NEED of a getaway, so I hopped on Air BnB and searched.
What I was looking for:
- Tuscany or Cinqueterre
- Friday – Sunday (October 16 – October 18)
- Relaxing
- Remote
- Breakfast included
- Beautiful views
- Comfy to snuggle with my family
When I came across Agriturismo D&D IL COLTO I saw so many positive reviews and a very reasonable price. I had never stayed in Chianti, so this was the perfect location for a mini family adventure!
Now, to be completely honest, Alberto was not all about the idea to go away right before we’re about to remodel a home and take a long trip to Florida. He, like a lot of people I know would be, was also very skeptical about traveling 4 hours in the car with a two-month-old. He’s way more grounded than I am, but I like to think that I bring the adventure to his life. His lack of enthusiasm, however, made for a later start to the day. We pushed through and he sucked it up to satisfy my NEED to GTFO of the house (aka have a mini family escape)!
Less than an hour after introducing myself to our hosts through the AirBnB app, I received a response which made me even happier about my decision. They were sweet, inviting, and would allow us to bring Roman! Given that this was the first trip with a baby, we decided against bringing him, but the fact that we could have was pretty cool.
The drive down was really nice and Noah was even better than we would have expected. We only made one pitstop in Carrara. Yes, where the marble comes from! We grabbed some snacks, fed the baby, and were off. Alberto and I must have missed our exit, so we got lost. After searching for the street to turn on, passing through the town we were supposed to be staying in, we decided to cave and call our hosts for help. At this point, it was dark and Noah was ready to be fed again. Finally, we found the tiny, gravel road that would lead us to our destination. Daniel stayed on the phone with us the entire time and really put us at ease. Even after a long car ride, getting lost, and having a crying baby in the car, he was able to relax us before even getting there.
It’s stinkbug season in Carrara too.
Now, he suggested that we arrive before dark, and that gravel road was exactly why. Because I am a Florida girl, I am not used to small, windy roads, any sort of altitude, so this road was an added adventure for me. The first thing we saw arriving though: deer on the road! It was beautiful! This went on for about a mile and we arrived to Daniel waiting for us at the end. He helped us bring in our stuff. Since we were late we decided to also take advantage of Daniella’s exquisite cooking for dinner and good wine as soon as we got settled in. We snuggled up after that in the room on the comfy bed, together as a family. It was so nice to be away. Noah was set up in his little stroller bassinet next to me and slept soundly.
The Gravel Road
The next morning waking up to a delicious breakfast of local foods and an amazing view of the olive trees over the Tuscan hills was exactly what I was wanting to start the weekend off right. Our day was spent walking through all of the small nearby towns, eating Cinghiale, driving the windy roads looking for wildlife, breastfeeding everywhere, and enjoying the sights. Ultimately, all we both wanted to do was get back to the B&B to see the sunset over the hills. It did not disappoint!
Before heading back to Bergamo we took a nice walk around the property and spent time with our hosts. They have a beautiful family and love story. Their grandsons drew us some pictures before we left. It was like being part of the family! Overall, it was the perfect first weekend away as a family of three and I would highly recommend this home away from home for anyone traveling around the Florence area and looking for a remote place to unwind or anyone who lives in Italy looking for a change of pace.
A big thank you to Agriturismo D&D IL COLTO for making our first family weekend getaway a memorable one!
Brittni Zilberti 
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