La Taverna Degli Orsi
“Hello my friends. Welcome back familia Slone.” -Andrea, owner of La Taverna Degli Orsi There is no warmer greeting that a family can receive when entering a restaurant. We are always made to feel like close friends or family as we enter La Taverna Degli Orsi or the Tavern of the Bear. Andrea, the owner, […]
Ristorante Il Nazionale di Vernante
Near the border between Italy and France in the Maritime Alps, surrounded by snow-capped peaks, forests, and streams, you can find Vernante, a small village of just 1300 people, known to many as “the village of Pinocchio,” but I would argue that it should be famous for one of the best restaurants in Italy, Ristorante […]
23 Tips (and growing) for Visiting Tuscany
1. Make time to see attractions at sunset or at night. If you are taking photos, the best light is often in the last hour of the day. If you can, visit popular tourist attractions after 9pm to avoid crowds and get a different perspective. Sometimes seeing things at night can be a new experience […]
Five Days with Toscana
Shhh… Don’t tell my wife. I’m in love with another. She is natural beauty, with dizzying curves that are hard to miss. Her knowledge on the subjects of art and culture have made her very influential and she maintains incredible collections at the Uffizi and Pitti Palace. I’m not the first to love her, other […]
Villa Collina by Inspirato- Our Own Italian Borgo
Villa Collina by Inspirato is like no place I’ve ever stayed. Working in the travel industry, I have been fortunate to spend time at some of the top luxury hotels and resorts in the world, but nothing is quite like the experience at Villa Collina. It’s not just another luxury lodging property or resort, but […]
Five Days in Tuscany: Day 5- Siena
Our last full day in Tuscany and there is no doubt that we want to spend more time here. We’ve covered a lot of ground but there is still so much we could do. Today our focus is on Siena, but as discussed in an earlier post we are being pulled toward spending more time […]
Five Days in Tuscany: Day 4: Chianti
Another day, another enchanted morning at Villa Collina. This morning I drank my espresso sitting in front of the Il Campanile chapel as I watched the sun climb out of the valley below. Our day in Val d’Orcia was amazing, but tiring, so we decided to take it easy at Villa Collina before venturing out […]
Five Days in Tuscany: Day 3- Val d’Orcia- Montalcino, San Quirico d’Orcia, and Pienza
Our third day in Tuscany began with an amazing sunrise from the top level master bedroom of our villa. Opening the windows wide we could lean out and hear the quiet, and feel the crisp morning air. While looking out the open windows, I felt connected to another time and place. One thousand years ago […]
Five Days in Tuscany: Day 2- Pisa to San Galgano
Twelve hours after arriving in Pisa, we were up and enjoying our second day in Tuscany, fresh-brewed Italian cappuccino’s in hand. Fear not fellow American’s who rely on the consistency factor of Starbucks, if you order a cappuccino in Italy, you get a cappuccino. In France, not so much. After enjoying an Italian style buffet […]
Five Days in Tuscany: Day 1- 178 Tunnels to Pisa
After weeks of planning and anticipation, we hit the road to Tuscany on our first overnight road trip since moving to France. We were on the road shortly after 4pm, with our destination set for Pisa- only 390km away. Our goal was to arrive in Pisa before sunset so that we could see the city […]
Week In Review: AT&T Sucks, Unlocked iPhones, Monaco, and Italy
It is very safe to say that I strongly dislike AT&T. I was never a fan of them living in the US, but now that I am overseas I have complete disdain for them. I’ve been to France three times between June 0f 2011 and now, for a total of about 7 weeks, and my AT&T […]