Tuscany August 2025

At the start of August, we headed off to Sovicille, a small town outside of Siena in Tuscany, to celebrate our dear friend Chad Norman’s 50th. Chad and Sue had rented the huge and beautiful Castello di Sovicille and invited 20-some friends - people came from all over the states - North Carolina (Chad’s parents), to Utah, to Alexandria (DC), VA. 

It was a delightful group of people who meshed well and a schedule of activities naturally evolved. There were some set schedule items and plenty of time to explore on our own. The Normans’ friend Rebecca was in charge of scheduling and party favors and she did an excellent job. 

There were several informal meals shared on the back patio overlooking the property’s massive lawns/olive orchard. The kids and I had fun in the pool (I might be the only adult who ever went in?) under the hot Tuscan sun. I managed to sneak in a run through countryside each morning, plus the 800 steps in the castello helped offset the endless pasta, pizza, and wine a little (or at least that is what I want to think). The last night we were allowed up on the roof, which provided gorgeous views of the region.

One day David, Sally, and I drove up to Panzano in Chianti, where David had celebrated his birthday on the bike ride in May. We had a delicious lunch on the little piazza and enjoyed the gorgeous drive up and back. Also astonished to see all the people in the street celebrating the town’s famous butcher.

Another day the three of us went to Siena, and it was hot and sunny as we exited the car park and started up the escalators, and then we heard the longest roll of thunder I’ve ever experienced, followed by about an hour of a torrential downpour during which we hid in a restaurant. At first people were still sitting outside on the Piazza del Campo, then they moved closer to the restaurant, then the awnings began to fail, then the staff were trying to hold up the awnings, and finally gave up and took everything down. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such rain. On the bright side, we had the town pretty much to ourselves as we walked around afterwards. I was last in Siena in 2002 to celebrate my mom’s 60th birthday (with Teg and Heather), and before that for a couple of weeks in 1999, so it was very nostalgic for me.

Our other small day trip was with Sue and Eva to San Gimignano (affectionately called “San JimmieJohns” by the folks in our group), the town of now 14 (previously 72) towers. It was murderously hot, so we basically ate lunch, gelato, and had a brief explore. Sue and the girls and I climbed the tower to take in the views. 

As a group we had a bus ride to a vineyard tour at Capanna, tasting Brunello di Montalcino. The hostess was lovely and accommodating. The property was beautiful and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the grapes on the vines before - they’re usually harvested or tiny when I’m visiting a vineyard, it seems. We stopped for lunch in the cute village of Buonconvento on our way home.

That night we partook in a Murder Mystery. I’ve not done this before but we all got characters/roles and then had to figure out who committed the murder. I was the only person who got it completely right, but my only prize is the knowledge of my winnings and getting to creepily whisper “I know you” to Chad, who was indeed the murderer. The roles were so well-assigned, and we all had fun dressing up (I, in my grandmother’s dress) and playing the parts. 

Our final group outing was an afternoon and dinner in Florence (again, via bus). Chad had chosen Lo Scudo, near the Duomo, because he’d been before and loved it. I can see why! The three brothers who own/run it were so friendly and the food was incredible. We had a fantastic, if not somewhat rowdy, time. It was hard not to feel a bit bad for the 2 tables near us that were NOT a part of our group - probably not their favorite restaurant experience. Also the picture of a horse on the inside lid of the toilet seat in the women’s bathroom made quite an impression on all of us.

We walked there along the river and David and I had drinks at a rooftop bar with Laura and Mark, and Alesa and Brian, who were a lot of fun. The bar had stunning views but perhaps the most meticulously prepared drinks EVER (think Mr. Bean in Love Actually) such that we had to chug them then basically run to dinner. 

The walk home was equally ridiculous because a lot of wine had been consumed at dinner and apparently our bus was parked in a crack den. However, we all made it safely and then slept it off on the ride home.

The second-to-last night there was a catered birthday dinner at the Castello, which was a beautiful venue under the beautiful Tuscan sky. Highlights were Chad trivia, Florentine (read: raw) steak, and finishing our meal at almost midnight. 

Finally, on the drive back to Pisa we stopped in Volterra, which Rick Steves declared his favorite small Tuscan town. He wasn’t wrong. And the view of Pisa from the flight home was perfect. 

Happy birthday, Chad. Thanks for including us!