Italy, Wine, Friends, Food. What could be better?

Time for a little public relations brought to you directly by...me.

Yes, I am writing this latest musing to give a little public relations to one of my favorite places, on Earth. If they paid me to talk about them, I would be rich. Very, very rich. But alas, I am still a humble servant extolling the virtues.

What is the one place on Earth (yes, Earth) where I could sit and sip wine..every day?

Beautiful Tuscany, Italy. Near the city of Florence (Firenze) there is an absolutely breathtaking restaurant tucked away in the hills. The restaurant, a true Tuscan gem, is called Ristorante I Tre Pini.

As my friend and I walked into the garden entrance of I Tre Pini, we were greeted with two glasses of sparkling red wine. The owner came out to meet us with a smiling face and beautiful music playing. The best part? It was the first batch of their latest vintage wine, opened just before our arrival. Yes, we were given glasses of wine before we even made our way into the restaurant. I knew immediately this would be a fantastic night..

As we sat down in the outdoor restaurant underneath a covered tent, a small ensemble of musicians serenaded the weary travelers with melodious, classic Italian tunes. I hadn't seen a drop of food yet, and this was already the best meal I had ever had.


Before long, a giant platter of antipasto was placed in front of our table. The appetizers by themselves would have filled me up for days, but I was determined to continue eating. After filling up my plate with pastas, cheeses, olives and breads I was still ready for round two. In reality, I should have been prepared for round two, three, four, five and six. We were given plate after plate of pasta, salad, fresh vegetables, and prosciutto. Right when I was ready to throw in my napkin, the finale began.

A loud, voice rang out in the restaurant...a deep, baritone voice singing in Italian. Okay, so by now I was pretty positive everything was just a dream. Or maybe a romantic, Italian movie that I couldn't understand a word of, but it looked so fabulous. I was so entranced by large amounts of food and wine, I was pretty sure I had just created a giant, amazing delusion.
And then... the pig came out.

A huge, flaming full pig on a platter (haha!) with an apple in his mouth. The oohing and aahing began, followed by a lot of cheersing and singing. The pig was proudly brought to every table, pausing for the visitors to admire the delicious dinner. It was sliced and sitting on our plates within minutes, followed by sighs of content by everyone around.

Energized by excitement and amazing Italian food, the dancing began. Young and old, friends and strangers, everyone was up on their feet dancing to the great live music with great wine in our hands. One thing is for sure...I did not want my Italian wine/dinner fantasy to end. That night, everyone was a friend and everyone was Italian. I danced and sang with Canadians, Americans, Australians, Italians, anyone and everyone.

Alas, after enjoying numerous glasses of wine and numerous plates of food, the night was finally over. We trudged back to our awaiting vehicle, sad to leave the beautiful little restaurant. It was certainly an experience I will never forgot, and I left singing Bella Notte for many, many days..