A week in Tuscany ...

So it doesn't sound as dramatic as A Year In Provence, but the therapeutic effect is not to be underestimated. We stayed about 20km from Arezzo in the middle of Tuscany (think of Italy as a boot and Tuscany is the front of the thigh). The picture shows the view from our villa.

It was our first time in Tuscany and won't be our last. We've been to Italy before - a great holiday in Sorrento, weekends in Venice, Rome and Florence and I've been to Milan several times on business. Each time, we have loved the warm welcome, the great attitude to life and, of course, the food and drink.

Italy was only unified in the late 1800s and each of the regions proudly reflects their contribution to the union. We were close to the Chianti region and after a day in Siena, visited Castello di Brolio, the home of Barone Ricasoli on the way home. One of the former Barons not only was prime minister of Italy but also devised the formula for Chianti Classico. Sadly I was driving, so had to break my normal rule when tasting wine. I usually don't spit at tastings, since my mother once told me it was rude to spit and I always try to be polite.

We spent a few days just chilling by the pool, barbecuing ourselves and some local produce, but also managed a few other days out. We tried two great restaurants in the main square - lunch one day at Logge Vasari, dinner the next at La Lancia D'Oro - the owners are brothers and the food in both is up to the same high standard. The degustation menu at the second left us waddling back to the cars. They share the same website and, as you can see from the photo, the same terrace facing the piazza.

A highlight for me was our last day, spent in Florence and then Pisa on the way back to the airport. We revisited Il Latini in Florence, where a four course Tuscan meal with some of the most delicious ham, pasta, roast meat and dessert cost only 40 euros a head, including plenty of their house Chianti. Our first trip here was with friends last June and the return did not disappoint. The pedestrian navigation feature of Nokia Maps got us around the city and we visited the Duomo as well as the market. Afterwards, we travelled one hour to Pisa and took the obligatory photos of the leaning tower.

When we checked in for our Ryanair flights home, we discovered the true cost of our bargain shopping. Our four cases were cumulatively 17kg over the weight limit of 15kg each. The low fares airline was charitable though, and only charged for 5kg at 15 euros per kilo. Ouch. Perhaps the biggest surprise for us with the Ryanair flights, though, was that Pisa Airport is less than 5km from the city centre. Somewhat closer than Stansted is to London, or Skavsta is to Stockholm!