Pian Del Gallo Video

We had such a good time in our agritourismo in Greve in Chianti that we decided to film a little video while we were there. It was a beautiful and relaxing place and we just had to share! It was a little cold when we were there in early May, but I bet it would be even more lovely in summer and fall.

We were looking for a small working vineyard to stay at while we were in Chianti, and stumbled across this one online. They didn't have any online booking options, and everything was done over email so we really didn't know what to expect when we got there. But it was worth the small amount of extra hassle! The property and rooms were great. Ettore and his wife were wonderful hosts and were more than happy to show us around the property and talk about how they organically farm and produce their wine and olive oil. They had great recommendations of where to eat locally and what to go see, and they even provided us with a bottle of their wine to enjoy in the apartment! We wish it had been a little warmer and less rainy so we could sit outside and enjoy the patio and views, but I suppose that just gives us an excuse to go back again someday.

Find more information on Pian Del Gallo: http://www.piandelgallo.eu/home.html

10 Practical Things I Learned in Italy

Kacey and I just returned from our 5 year wedding anniversary trip to Italy (how has it been 5 years already?!?!) and instead of just a recap or picture post, I thought I'd share some practical knowledge I picked up. Some of these may be obvious, but others would have been reeeeeeally helpful to know beforehand. So maybe some of these tips can help others who are planning a trip.

Vegetariain Spring Rolls

Spring rolls have always intimidated me. To clarify, making them has intimidated me - eating them has never been a problem. Something about actually having to roll various ingredients together just scared me away. And rice paper, that stuff is just a disaster waiting to happen. Or so I wrongly thought. After trying these, I'm not sure why I was so afraid. They're ridiculously easy to make once you get past all the vegetable chopping. (So. Much. Chopping.) And they're completely customizable, leaving you free to put in whatever veggies you like. I made these vegetarian, but shrimp or chicken is fantastic in here as well. 

DIY Tailored Valances

Well, I was going to write a tutorial on how I made these, but then I realized that I just combined a few other people's tutorials and they probably explained things much better than I could. So I figured I'd just link to their tutorials and give any tips and tricks I picked up while making them. (Also I made these over a year ago and just got the photos off my camera yesterday, so the details are a bit fuzzy. Whoops.)