An Ode to Friendship – Under the Tuscan Sun

OK folks this is different from my usual posts but one written from the heart. Hope you enjoy!

This September I had the good fortune to travel with my husband to Tuscany, to spend a week in the sun with him and his friends minus kids. Having had a relentless travel schedule over the past two months, for a brief fleeting moment I foolishly entertained the idea of sitting this one out. Boy, would I have missed out on some unforgettable moments had I done so.

This group of core friends 9 of them, their friendship having had endured the test of time and distance descended upon Italy with their spouses from the four corners of the world – flying in from the UK, India, Australia, USA and Oman to relive their shared childhood. We all made a merry bunch of 17. We jokingly called ourselves the insiders (the core group) and the outsiders (those married into it). However, I can tell you there were no outsiders in this group – all of us having married for 20 plus years have had the good fortune to share in the love all of them felt for each other. Some of us though were meeting each other after 15-18 years!

They grew up on a shared street close to each other in Mumbai. Spending some of their formative years together in Goregaon, India from childhood to college followed by marriage. The kind of mischief they got onto, only a Mumbaiker can understand, and volumes could be written just on that topic alone, a task for another day. Today they all have blossomed from their youth and achieved different levels of success from C-Suite members, top notch lawyers, entrepreneurs, yoga master, executives at blue chip companies, teacher and so on and so forth. None of that mattered for when we all met, they went back to those childhood days when they were penniless kids, foot loose and fancy free with big dreams and not a care in the world. There were no egos, no work schedules no children – just a bunch of friends coming together for old times’ sake.

The different personalities also stood out in the crowd – we had the noisy one, the party animal, the brooder, the intellectual, the shy one, the innocent and the early nighters. The conversation was easy and the laughter contagious. In true Italian style we spent the days feasting our eyes and the evenings feeding our bellies. We toured the various towns in the mornings and the evenings making merry with our own Michelin star chefs in the kitchen while the group played games, shared stories, sang songs and danced into the wee hours. Not a care in the world bothered this merry bunch as they reminisced over time spent and a friendship that had lasted more than 32 years.

Conceived over a dinner in NYC, planning a trip for 17 people is no easy task. This was taken on by a group member and I can tell you was a pure labor of love, for the hours spent planning it alone was daunting. We descended upon this gorgeous farmhouse in the middle of nowhere in the Toscana region of Italy. Homepage - Borgo Iesolana. Nestled amongst endless vineyards and the beautiful Mediterranean Cyprus trees this property itself was a true gem embodying farm living. September in Italy is one of the best times to visit the region – the sun is yet warm, the air fresh and crisp, the olive trees with their silver green leaves are brimming with fruit and the grapes are ripe for picking. However, in my opinion the most impressionable part of being here is the night sky, when you walk back to your apartment/villa at 1 AM in the morning after having your fair share of wine, cheeks hurting from having laughed too much– the stars are a beautiful array of twinkling little delights that wink back at you from a clear night sky. This is where you see mother nature in its true glory and stand there in awe at the sight.

Everything, and I mean everything was meticulously planned for – from visits to centuries old quaint little picturesque towns in UNESCO heritage sites, the pronunciation of which yet evades me, to Vespa tours and renting of buses to visit vineyards for wine tastings. We even visited a little farm run by a 77-year-old grandmother – who enlightened us about her five hectare farm and the 1600 olive trees she grew there. The simple Bruschetta she served along with her small farm wine was like an explosion of flavor in the mouth.

If you ever plan a trip here I highly recommend visiting the towns of Montepulciano, San Gimignano, Siena, Pienza, Montalcino, while you ofcoarse do Florence, one of the most famous towns of this region. Splurge on a guided walking tour – it is well worth it. I learnt little gems like – there are not many rivers that feed this region, most of the water that was drunk here in times gone by was from the rain fall. Hence the cisterns in various towns and the wine. Grape juice was used to substitute for water and was served from little windows in houses where a wary traveler could park his horse and ask for some while he rested his feet; or Montalcino stands for mountain of Oak; or Graffiti was invented in Florence; or group chanting in a 14th century Gothic church creates soul reverberating vibrations; or the best Olive Oil is one that is gotten from the freshest of Olives and while smooth on the tongue should burn your throat as it goes down.

We even found a Michelin star restaurant in a castle in the middle of nowhere Castello De Fighine. We all giggled like school children, as the delicious seven course meal for our group cost thousands of dollars and yet left us hungry for more. While no stranger to Pizza and Pasta – the simple sauces like Pomodoro or Arabiatta had a completely different flavor eaten in its home region. Eating at the various restaurants here simple pasta dishes were a celebration for our taste buds bursting with the flavors of the Tuscan sun.

When you talk about Tuscany – the picture your mind paints is of a clear blue sky, the rolling hills, olive trees, the tall Mediterranean Cyprus, narrow streets, the most amazing historical churches with gorgeous frescos and old tan brick houses that pepper the towns. We drank it all in along with the most famous wines of the region. The grape grown here and copied worldwide is the famous Sangiovese grape and is native to the Tuscan region of Italy. We did wine tastings of the three main wines of the region – the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, the Brunello of Montalcino and of course the Chianti. Each one while grown in the same region has a distinct taste due to the varying soil conditions, blending and the fermentation process in the three different towns. A quiet group ready to learn would sit down to the lunch and tasting and a boisterous one drunk in the heady wine and each other’s company would depart the winery.

It was an unforgettable week with memorable company. Time well spent goes by way too quickly and soon it was time to go back home. While happy to be reunited with our families, we were sad to leave this little piece of heaven. With promises to meet soon, hugs and tears we parted ways. Till next time – Buongiorno, Grazie, Prego and Ciao!