What happens when you bring together a mix of Italian & english-speaking local bloggers to a stunning 1,000-year-0ld villa in the countryside with over 900 acres of land and shower them with food, wine and bizarre –  yet awesome entertainment? Well this will give you a bit of an idea. 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbv467N0W1k]

Yes I guess you could concur that we all had a great Saturday. Truth be told when I got the email invite to this meshing of travel ideas/blogger day in Rufina, I didn’t expect cinghiale al umido (slow-cooked wild boar), hot chocolate instead of coffee and a man with a big horn and a wine back-pack wooing anyone/anyone he spotted with song and dance. Really. 

But first – Where were we exactly? At a gorgeous villa in the majestic hills above Rufina – close to one of my favorite places in the world in Tuscany – Acone and Monte Giovi.

As an extra bonus, I knew a few of my fellow bloggers which included my good friend Kate from Lavitaebellablog, Krista from AllaFiorentina, and bubbly Serena from AroundTuscany and personal blog [Italian] Mercoledi tutti la settimana. All of these blogs I follow with a passion, and you should to! We met the others outside the Rufina train station and climbed into a mini van for the slightly scary/bumpy ride to the Fattoria/Villa di Petroio which is a beautiful location for those looking for a gorgeous Tuscan retreat.

Upon arrival, we met the owner of Tuscanynow [Tuscany villa rentals] and Edoardo, the owner of the Villa itself (which was absolutely stunning and is that perfect mix of modern & traditional), everyone was super friendly and easy to talk to. My favorite kind of days in Italy are the ones where I can quite literally merge from one language to another and this just happened to be one of those days.

Meanwhile throughout the greeting and dog-petting {the villa’s three dogs were roaming around and we all secretly thought about kidnapping them} we stared eagerly at the beautiful table full of goodies. What awaited us was fantastic wine from the villa’s own production, bruschetta, cheeses, breads and later– risotto with locally picked porcini mushrooms, slow-cooked cinghiale [wild boar], perfectly crispy roasted potatoes and later… chocolate delights, cantucci and tiramisu. If you were thinking how could one person possibly try it all, then me and you probably haven’t met. I had to taste everything!

If that wasn’t enough – we have to talk about the entertainment. We knew there was  going to be live music but this was no ordinary band – this gloriousness was Gli amici di’Chianti [friends of chianti -famous wine region}. This local folk group of musicians was outfitted in rustic wear and sang Florentine ballads or Stornello  about wine and women while getting everyone to participate. I really really hope to see this fun quartet again, they were what we call in Italian.. personaggi {characters}. I ate up every second, it was impossible to look away. Of course us Americani were a little shy to dance since in my generation –  ball room dancing never seemed as appealing as booty shaking to Nelly. 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f158XCFE_Ws&w=560&h=315]

Thank you so much Tuscanynow and Edoardo & family for such a wonderful afternoon that I most certainly will never forget. It’s days like those that remind me how awesome life is in Italy and how it just makes me want to savor every moment  [when I’m not working].

I am still a little sorry I didn’t kidnap one of the dogs {or chefs} but hey hopefully there will be a next time! ;-). Until then I will remember my now- favorite Italian folk song/ drinking game.

Bevilo tutto,
Bevilo tutto,
Bevilo tutto!
Se l’e’ bevuto tutto,
E non gli ha fatto male,
L’acqua gli fa male,
Il vino lo fa cantaree!

I took more videos of our amazing entertainment by Gli Amici di’ Chianti that you can watch here.

Related articles

• Villa di Petroio, a beautiful house in Tuscany (bagnidilucca.wordpress.com)
• My secret Sunday escape in Tuscany (girlinflorence.com)