Woolley Family Italian Reunion

In early 2007 the Woolley family made the decision to have a family reunion in Italy. We decided to rent a villa in Tuscany that would accommodate the entire family and use it for a base from which we could explore Tuscany. We found a villa located between Florence and Siena. And lucky for us, it is also a functioning winery! Three generations of Woolley’s were able to congregate for a week of fun. Unfortuantely Auntie Pamela could not come due to a last-minute conflict with work. But nephew Henry was able to come and visit with his cousins.

Italy: Florence

We arrived in Italy a couple of days before we were due to move into the villa, so we met Steve’s brother Al’s family in Florence. We spent time visiting the sites and walking around the city streets. The kids did great in the museums, thanks to Maria being their guide through the kid’s museum guides. We really enjoyed the city.

Italy: Villa Zaballina

Villa Zaballina is a functioning winery that makes wonderful Chianti Classico. It also produces estate olive oil which we consumed by the litre. The villa is old and enormous. We were told it was built 900 years ago, and it comfortably sleeps 16. We regularly got lost inside the place our first day there. The kitchen area was used the most; it is easily three times the size of my first apartment and was the heart of our Italian food and wine experience.

Italy: Tuscan Towns of San Gimignano, Volterra, Castellina in Chianti:

The Tuscan walled cities were really fun to visit, and generally kid-friendly. The kids did well considering the visits sometimes involved a lot of walking and boring shops and the same beautiful views. However, Henry entertained himself by working with Steve and Grandpa on how best to defend the cities from attacking dragons, including the weapon of choice for would-be dragon slayers. And all the kids knew that somewhere in each of these towns there was a gelato shop.

Italy: Siena

Siena is prominent city in Tuscany and is rich in history. Like Florence, it has a spectacular Duomo. We walked through the city to the Piazzo Del Campo. The kids loved running around and Henry stalked the many pigeons waiting for food. We got a little wet from a noontime shower. But since we haven’t seen rain for 5 months (or experienced anything besides hot and sand) it was a welcome change.

Italy: Wine Tasting and Cooking Classes

Wine is an important part of Woolley dinners, so we had to take a tour to taste some Brunello and Chianti Classico. We hired a driver named Guido who took us to three different estates: Barbi, Fanti and Poggio Antico. Guido was a wonderful guide. The wines were quite good – the highlight for Steve was the 2001 Brunello Reserva.

Maria, Jenn, Eric and Mindy took a cooking class. Villma, the teacher, spoke little English, but the group learned about making pastas and sauces and carry with them “the Villma’s” secrets. We all look forward to the tasting the results.

Italy: Pisa

We flew out of Pisa to head back to Dubai. And what would a visit to Pisa be without seeing the leaning tower. The kids were too young to climb the tower but enjoyed being able to see it.