We were pinching ourselves ... we sat under a magnificent Venetian glass chandelier in the palazzo’s private dining room, lunching with Dr. Ambrogio Folonari, one of the top winemakers in all of Italy, talking about wines, grandchildren, soccer and more. VillaHosts Cecilia and Irene had arranged a wine tasting before lunch of some of the family’s super Tuscan red wines, with the explanation coming from Dr. Folonari himself... it was a wonderful Sunday afternoon at Tenuta di Nozzole in the heart of Chianti ...

Maybe it was when we were slicing the vine ripe tomatoes... or when we toasted the fresh baked bread from the market... but the romance welled up in us and didn’t stop for weeks... we’ve stayed in lots of “sexy” hotels, but there was something about having our own cottage in Umbria visiting little towns each day that made us forget about our fast-paced life and home and brought us together... you know there isn’t a week that goes by that we don’t say we need to rent another villa from A Season Away...

If looks could kill, we’d all be dead at the stare from VillaHost Irene ... we’d decided on a surprise visit to her family’s agriturismo and she wasn’t ready to receive us in style. But in a jiffy her father went to the local cheese maker for a fresh ricotta. She dabbled a little fresh honey, producing one of the tastiest desserts any of us could remember. Simple, but sublime. The Italian way.

On a rainy Sunday afternoon, we arrived back at our lovely villa in Chianti where we were greeted by the owners, the house chef, and a complete table of Italian delicacies. Sitting next to the large open fireplace in the great kitchen was an authentic Italian basket weaver describing his baskets and work to us. It was reminiscent of my childhood days in my Italian grandparents’ basement kitchen where our family came together and enjoyed the warmth, joy, music, and love of the Italian culture.

Our visit to Chianti and Florence was an exciting time for our family. It was a chance to reconnect with our daughter who had been living in Florence during her study abroad program. A Season Away took care of all of the arrangements, and they were flawless. Irene was the perfect VillaHost and she left no detail unchecked.

We’d had enough touring for one day... but there was something captivating about the view as the sun was setting over the Chianti hills. I think it was Franca who initiated the impromptu sunset aperitif by rounding up a few glasses and a nice bottle of Chianti and a few chairs facing the sunset. As I stood at the doorway, I had a choice ... go in and wash up and probably plop into bed for a short but deep sleep or join Franca... Before long there were six of us swapping stories about our favorite moments of the day ...and as the sun set we pulled on our jackets, shivered a little and kept talking into the night...