Forget Florence and Pisa for a moment, this is the most fun little Italian town
48 hours in Volterra
Tuscany is always a good idea. I hadn't been there for a while and was once again captivated and enchanted by the unspoiled nature, the vastness, and the beauty. For an area that is so frequently visited by tourists, there are still so many nearly deserted villages and shops where the owner is ‘just having a coffee’ nearby and leaves her shop unattended.
I was there for 48 hours and I'll tell you where you need to be and what you could do.
Fly to Pisa
I found out through experience, but Florence's airport is no fun. “Noooo, I could have told you that right away,” said my colleague from Italiamo.nl, who prefers to spend half the year in Florence (by the way, these are her favorite restaurants in Florence). She immediately explained to me why. Florence is located in a bowl, a deep little valley, which makes expansion of the airport impossible. According to Sophie, this is also used as an excuse for everything that doesn't work there. But the airport is hell, so just go to Pisa and rent a car there. By the way, there are also very good train connections between Pisa and Florence (Firenze), but if you're going to Volterra, you won't need that much.
Book a simple hotel
I loves Italy, really with a heart full of love, but finding an affordable hotel that is also nicely decorated is not so easy. It often tends to be a bit classic and rustic, and you shouldn't be surprised if you see a fax machine or a cassette tape lying around. So I wouldn't put too much effort into finding a hotel. Choose something nice in the town. Volterra is small, you can easily park just outside the center. It's not outrageously expensive (a day of parking there is about as costly as two hours in Amsterdam). We stayed at La Locanda, which was perfectly fine and very lovely. A hotel with a real key (no plastic card) and a receptionist who has your key ready when she sees you walking in.
Go to the Banksy exhibition
The exhibition itself is fine, okay, medium, but the film being shown about Banksy is really worth the extra 8 euros. Afterwards, you can also take a peek in the cathedral and then you have another dose of inspiration.
Lunch in Mazzolla
At Trattoria Albana, time has really stood still. You drive into a tiny village where seriously six cars are parked. Trattoria Albana has a small terrace (with shade) where you can sit ideally, even with children. They can play in the square where maybe three cars pass by at a crawl, because otherwise, they can't make the turns. We ordered a pasta al ragù that was exactly how you wanted it and a tiramisu that was ‘enhanced’ with crushed Pan di Stelle cookies. Oh, and did I mention that the prosecco was delicious?
Don't tell anyone, but…
If possible, go to the Punto Arte opera festival that is held there once a year. You listen to an opera performed by the best musicians from the Netherlands who reside there for a week and then eat at long tables under the trees decorated with lights.
Shop here
Volterra is not big, but it is bubbly and there are many original shops like Tane46, where they sold a brand I didn't know. That says a lot, because I do a lot of fieldwork, you know.
And don't leave without…
…making a visit to the little drugstore in Via Guarnacci. There you can buy all kinds of beauty products for a pittance. There are beauty tools that you can also stock up on for a bit cheaper, like eyebrow pencils or good eyeliners. I also bought those hairpins à la Fiona Franchimon for €2.50. And you get ten of them.
And take your time on the way back. Then you can enjoy the landscape and you won't be stressed if you end up behind a little tractor.
If you love Italy, you could follow me on @maybrittmobach, because I'm there quite often and I have, if I may say so myself, pretty nice tips.
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