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Ah Tuscany….It is the place that so many people dream of visiting, and I was no different. I dreamt of green rolling hills covered in vineyards and olive groves, of centuries old medieval villages and farm houses, and of drinking wine and eating delicious Italian food. In my dreams, it was an almost magical place that was perfect in every way. When I finally got the chance to travel to Tuscany, I wanted to make my dreams come true.

To try and make the most out of our experience, my wife and I decided that it would be ideal to stay in a villa in the Tuscan countryside. This turned out to be the best decision that we could have made.

Waking up in the morning, I stepped out of the door onto our private terrace. The warm morning sun shined down upon a valley before me that was covered in vineyards, with patches of forest and olive groves. There was no sound apart from the rustle in the trees from a gentle breeze, and when I breathed in there was nothing but crisp fresh air to fill my lungs. All I could do was smile.

View from our villa in Tuscany

The view from the terrace at our villa in Tuscany

We spent our days exploring Tuscany, driving our hire car through the beautiful countryside to explore the Chianti wine region, an area full of little villages, vineyards, farms, forest and some of the best wine in the world. On other days we explored the beautifully preserved medieval towns of Siena and San Gimignano, and of course, we took a couple of trips into Florence, the capital of Tuscany and one of the most important art cities in the world.

View of Siena in Tuscany, Italy

Siena

Because we had our own villa, we were able to buy fresh produce and groceries to cook meals in our own kitchen, allowing us to get a taste for the lovely local produce while saving us money at the same time. We spent our evenings eating this amazing food, while looking out over the amazing Tuscan countryside with a nice glass of Chianti wine. We were in heaven, and Tuscany was all that I had dreamt that it would be.

Inside our villa in Tuscany, Italy

Our villa

If you are going to travel to Tuscany for the first time, definitely try to rent a villa. It is the best way to really enjoy this amazing part of the world.