Wish We Were Here: Tuscany
I arrived in the Italian town of Bibbiena feeling dazed. I had just spent four hours on a bus with a group of complete strangers, winding around Tuscany’s sprawling vineyards and forests to get to this ancient town. We were there for yoga training, but after an hour waiting in the summer heat for someone to collect us, we began to joke (while surreptitiously checking the availability at local hotels) that it might be a scam. When our teacher finally turned up, he said he had gone for a coffee and lost track of the time – by the end of the trip, we had all embraced his laid-back pace of life.
At sunrise, we practised yoga on a deck overlooking the lush valleys of the Casentino National Park. Bundled up in jumpers and hats, we watched the light spread across the deck, often staying behind after class to bask in the morning sun. Lunches consisted of sun-ripened tomatoes and cheese and were followed by a swim in the nearby springs. At the weekend, we went for hikes in the shade of the ancient oak trees.
We spent the long evenings eating and drinking, and occasionally dancing, before retiring to our tents. We could hear wolves howling from the forest at night, but the locals assured us we would never see them. I proved them wrong on an ill-judged hike when I came face-to-face with a grey wolf standing in the shadows. I returned to the camp wide-eyed and shaken, but the teachers shrugged it off and told me I was “lucky”. After a year stuck at home, I long to return to the wild charms of this Tuscan town – although I might think twice about solo hiking next time.
Things to do:
Go swimming in the springs
Tuscany is home to several natural hot springs, from the Lunigiana up north to the Val d’Orcia in the south. Even if you find yourself a drive away from the more famous springs, it won’t take you long to find a local offering – most places with “terme” in their name mean there are thermal waters nearby.
Visit Florence
Florence, the glamorous capital city of Tuscany, is easily accessible from the region’s villages by bus or train. Wandering around the galleries and museums, you can see some of the world’s most famous renaissance masterpieces, including Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. Alternatively, the city’s beautiful squares are the perfect place to sit and take in your surroundings with a gelato.
Hike to La Verna Sanctuary
Nestled high up on a rocky outcrop of Monte Penna sits La Verna Sanctuary, one of Italy’s most important Franciscan monasteries. Every year, pilgrims from around the world visit the Sanctuary, which is believed to be the place where St Francis received the stigmata back in 1224. The corridors are lined with frescoes, and the square, or ‘piazzale’, has breath-taking panoramic views over the Casentino Valley.
