The weekend I ate too much in Tuscany

The view from the house.

I've had great experiences with AirBnB in last two years.  I've stayed on houseboat in Cairo (see blog post), a fantastic house overlooking the desert in Arizona (see it here) and numerous little apartments in Paris.

Coming up the walkway to the Tuscan Farmhouse

This weekend was another AirBnB adventure where I decided to rent a room in house -- rather than  rent out the whole house.

I have to admit, it was the most decadent bed and breakfast weekend that I've ever been on. (See the AirBnB listing here.)

Our room was on the second floor.

The house was on a farm in Tuscany - which is a little bit unique as most places are in Florence or some city.

I picked it as I knew I would have some homework to do for my masters program, but mainly because it was located in the hills away from the hustle and bustle of everything.  Yes, I was in desperate need of a little hermit time after a busy fall at work.

Took this photo just before they put the fire on.

The farmhouse was located on Chianti's Hill near Florence, and I was greeted by Teresa who welcomed me into her fabulous home.

Teresa is a beautiful woman, both inside and out, with a big smile.  You can't help but like her. She so wants you to enjoy Tuscany, and goes out of her way to make sure you have a fantastic time.

After serving me toast with new olive oil (a local tradition where you rub a clove of garlic over the toast, sprinkle it with salt and pepper and then drizzle the oil on top) and a glass of Chianti, she told me they built this house themselves. She showed me photos of the construction and it was incredible to see the before and after -- and the hard work that went into all the details.

SURPRISE, IT'S OLIVE OIL SEASON!

The new olive oil Teresa served me was one of the best things I've ever tasted.  So when she told me it was the season to press the olives and that the pressing was happening just 10 minutes away, I had to see it. I knew I there during truffle season, but had no idea it was also the olive picking time.

It was already shaping up to be an incredible weekend.

Olives waiting to be pressed

She said at this time of year, the pressing place is open 24 hours as the olives need to be pressed as soon as they can after picking to ensure freshness.  And yes, the oil did taste fresh.

Pressing the olives.

The new oil is greener than the olive oil you find in the grocery store and a little more potent -- in a good way.  I'm not sure if you can use it in salad, but it's great for dipping your bread into it or to drizzle over potatoes and other foods.

The new oil is really vibrant -- and tasty.

TUSCAN FOOD IS A BIT OF HEAVEN

Already, I was enjoying my weekend. The house was better than I imagined, I was enjoying trying to communicate with Teresa (her English is hit and miss -- but my Italian is worse), and I got to see olives being pressed at a local factory.

But then there was the food.  OMG...I have not eaten so much in my life, but everything was just so delicious, I couldn't stop.  Teresa and her husband Augusto are amazing cooks.  I don't eat red meat so she had to make special stuff just for me, but what she made was incredible.

The Ribollita she made us

Naturally, there were many courses as it's the Tuscan way.

The meal began with a couple different types of bruschetta, cheese and olives.  This was followed by Ribollita.  Ribollita is described as a vegetable, bean and bread soup -- but it's really thick so more like a stew.  I had never had this before, but now if I see it on a menu, I'm going to get it as it was so good.

The assortment of antipasto that we ate too much of before the meal.

The Ribollita was followed by chicken cooked with black olives, garlic and potatoes -- again, I was in heaven.  Everything they served either came from their garden, their farm (they have chickens) or from the area.

My girlfriend who joined me last minute on this trip had requested steak (this was an extra cost as they usually don't serve this).  When it came out, she regretted eating all the prosciutto and cheese before as it was giant -- and she says incredible.

By this time, I could not eat any more, so thankfully desert was small.  It was something that looked like a biscotti, but it was soft. They called it cantuccini and you dipped into this sweet wine called vin santo.

Amazing.

The meal was 20 Euros per person not including your wine. I highly recommend having at least one meal with Teresa and Augusto if you stay at the farmhouse. You won't find food like this in any restaurant.  In fact, I think I may still be full.