Heyyia Claude! 🥰
Ho bisogno de tu ayuda con una mia fic...Qual è per te la città più romantica della Toscana? E che tipo di attività possiamo fare allí?
Better ask first someone native then go look in articles or something...Seems more legit that way! :D
[Ignore the obvious Spanish I left there... 🤭]
Ciao! 🥰
Coucou, Red! Merci de ton patience 🩷 et pour ton ask!
I'm going to answer in English, maybe it can be useful for other people as well! I'm always happy to talk about my region, i love it so much, so thank you again for asking my recs!
I think it depends a lot on the vibes that you are looking for. I will give you an overview of different options, i hope that they can be inspiring. If there's something you like, i can go more into detail! Let me know if i can be of help with anything!
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If you and your characters love art, Florence is an amazing city.
(Duomo di Firenze, Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, credits pic)
Its art, history and architecture are extraordinary. The Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi) is an absolute must if you love Renaissance. A great way to admire Botticelli, Raffaello, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Tiziano's art, in one museum.
Moreover, you can walk around Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo), where you can see the Cathedral built by Brunelleschi, Giotto's Campanile and the Baptistery, and Piazza della Signoria, where you can find Palazzo Vecchio, David by Michelangelo and Loggia dei Lanzi, and admire their masterpieces for free. 🏛️
You could also visit the Boboli Gardens, where you can enjoy the Italian garden style, created by the Medici family, that became a model for many European courts.
And a night at the theatre could be a great idea for a date! At Teatro Verdi, for example, there's plenty of different shows!
Obviously, these are just some ideas.
By the way, if i have to be honest, i love Florence, and i always gaze in awe at the beauty of its monuments ...but it's also a little chaotic for my taste. Sooo, maybe for a romantic getaway I would choose something else. (It depends on what you like!)
(Boboli Gardens, credits pic)
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For something more adventurous, what about Grotta del Vento? It's a beautiful system of caves in the Apuan Alps (Garfagnana), with stalactites and stalagmites. Its karst environment is unique and fascinating. 🦇
(credits pic)
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A Tuscanian city that I love is Lucca.
I adore walking along the old city walls (you can go there by bike too!): a panoramic walkway overlooking the city that conceals secret passages, hideaways and ramparts. Their secular trees make the view magic in every season. In autumn, foliage is beautiful! 🍂
(credits pic)
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If you and your characters love the sea and the story is set in summer, you could take into consideration a mini cruise in the Tuscan Archipelago. In one or two days, you can explore some of its islands, like Giglio, Elba, Giannutri. Swimming there is beautiful. If you don't like the idea of spending time on a boat, the coasts of Monte Argentario are wonderful too! 🌊
(Isola del Giglio, credits pic)
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There could be less activities than in bigger cities, but I think you could also go for a romantic getaway in one (or more) of our hill towns. Great view, amazing food, and an enchanting experience! And it feels more intimate than in the main cities. Monteriggioni, Cortona, Pienza, San Gimignano, Volterra... The atmosphere is so poetic...And you can spend some time in the surrounding countryside, idyllic!
(Eremo Le Celle, Cortona, credits pic)
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For a lovey-dovey day, you could write about a day at the thermal springs! There's plenty of thermal baths in Tuscany, and there are usually hotels and spas where you can have lunch, sleep, have a couples massage and enjoy the hot springs. Rapolano, Sassetta, Sorano, Montecatini,... In Tuscany you can find lots of thermal springs, so you could also have a day at the thermal baths and one in a nearby town.
(Terme di Sassetta, credits pic)
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Wherever your characters go, I think food play a big role if you want them to enjoy their Tuscan trip to the full.
Pasta is always delicious. There are lots of different types of pasta, for example pici and pappardelle (long pasta), tortelli (filled pasta, the filling depending on where you are: for example in Maremma they are filled with ricotta and spinach, in Mugello they are filled with potatoes), topini (small lumps of dough made with potatoes, flour and eggs). Pasta is our first course, in Italy it's not served as a side dish for meat or fish.
(Warning: I'm going to talk about meat dishes. If this makes you uncomfortable, skip until 🌱)
Pasta may be served with ragù (Bolognese sauce, a meat-based sauce), ragù and aglione (aglione is a delicate type of garlic), melted butter and sage, mushrooms, or tomato sauce. 🍝
(Pappardelle al ragù, credits pic)
Before pasta, as an appetizer, you may have cured meats (salame, prosciutto, finocchiona, lardo di Colonnata,...), cheese (various types of pecorino), coccoli (lumps of fried dough) and crostini (slices of bread served with ragù, mushrooms, fegatini which is a sauce made of chicken liver, or other sauces...).
(Traditional Antipasto Toscano - Tuscan appetizers, credits pic)
I don't live by the sea, so i know meat dishes better 😅 As second course, a Bistecca alla Fiorentina or a Tagliata di Manzo (beefsteaks - rare is the perfect way to have them but i get it that it's not to everyone's taste) may be perfect. 🥩
(I also enjoy pizza so much, and you can eat it everywhere in Tuscany, but the foods i've written about are more traditional)
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If your characters enjoy drinking, Tuscany is famous for its wines (like Chianti Classico, Morellino di Scansano, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Brunello di Montalcino, Bolgheri Sassicaia). Desserts go well with vinsanto (a dessert wine). 🍷
For dessert, you might go for cantuccini (almond biscuits) with vinsanto (we dip them in the wine). If the story is set during Christmas holidays, ricciarelli (almond and sugar biscuits) and panforte (a dessert with almonds and candied fruits) are some of our traditional desserts.
(Cantuccini and vinsanto, credits pic)
You may have coffee after the dessert. And, after generous meals, ammazzacaffè (a small glass of liqueur) too. General recommendation for your characters (and for tourists visiting Italy): it's better not to ask for a cappuccino during lunch or dinner (please 🩷)!
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I hope this is useful, sorry it took me some time, and please, let me know if i can help you somehow! Je suis si heureuse que tu es en train d'écrire une fanfiction qui se déroule en Toscane 🩷🩷🩷 Je te fais de gros bisous, bonne soirée et joyeuses Pâques 🌷🐰🐣
~ Claude ~
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SAINT OF THE DAY (December 19)
St. Berardo Valeara of Teramo OSB (c. 1050 - 1122)
Saint Berardo was born into the noble family da Pagliara, whose castle bore their name near the town of Isola del Gran Sasso in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
Important information concerning his life is found in the ancient church records from this area as well as the chronicles of his successor, the Bishop Sassone.
Saint Berardo entered the monastery in Montecassino as a young man and was later associated with the Abbey of San Giovanni in Venere.
He became well known for his good works, and upon the death of the Bishop Uberto, Berardo was asked to become a pastor in the territory of Teramo.
He took on this role for seven years beginning in 1116 and focused his efforts on helping the poor and making peace amongst the warring factions of the local citizenry.
He died on 19 December 1122 of natural causes.
He was buried in what today is known as Saint Anne’s chapel in the ancient Teramo Cathedral of Santa Maria Aprutiensis (now Sant’Anna dei Pompetti).
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