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early 14th-century as a "red dressed in white."
Every dish was prepared as it has been for
centuries. The Fenzi family described food
from their farm as "local" and "not local,"
which meant it came from the farm next door.
With a fond farewell to our lovely chef, I left
with homemade biscotti, new friends and
much gratitude to the Fenzi family for their
warm welcome.
From the farm, we travelled the short
distance to San Gimignano, a city dotted with
14 extant towers that I had only ever seen
before in pictures. Dating from Etruscan times,
the well-preserved city has remained largely
unchanged since the late Middle Ages. Over
the centuries, the city became famous for its
wine, saffron and pilgrims. Saffron was prized
not only as a spice, but as a dye for Florence's
famous textiles, including silk and wool.
I also learned that San Gimignano was
located on the route that pilgrims took
journeying across Europe to Rome and the
Holy Land. It was a gem to discover, and after
walking around the walls of the city, we had
to stop for gelato.
We saved Florence for our second day in
port. Our first stop was the Church of Santa
Croce to see the tombs of Michelangelo,
Galileo and composer Gioachino Rossini.
Clockwise, from left: The scenic countryside in
Tuscany; the medieval town of San Gimignano;
interior of the Church of Santa Croce
GETTING THERE: An eight-day Iconic
Western Mediterranean voyage sails
from Barcelona to Rome
(Civitavecchia), or in reverse.
Three men representing the arts, science and
music in one church showed the breadth of
creativity nurtured over many centuries in this
small region. The gold shops were sparkling
on the Ponte Vecchio, and I loved taking
photos of the Duomo in the evening sun. On a
few side streets, where little had changed
over the centuries, I could easily imagine
running into Cosimo de' Medici at the height
of the Renaissance. For many, visiting Florence
means pausing to admire Michelangelo's
magnificent David or visiting the Uffizi Gallery
to see Sandro Botticelli's Birth of Venus. To see
these masterpieces in person is indeed
wonderful, however my goal for this trip was
to learn what life was like during the first
bloom of the Renaissance. Why did this
region—out of all the Western world—give
birth to one of history's most creative and
magical periods? I wanted to know how these
artists lived, see the lifestyle of their equally
famous patrons, the Medici family—and taste
the food they enjoyed.
Savouring the local wine that Dante mentions
in The Divine Comedy and enjoying the same
Tuscan foods that nurtured the Renaissance
gave me insight into the lives of these artists. I
imagine Michelangelo enjoyed wine from the
same vineyards while sculpting.
M e di te r r a n ean
S ea
ITALY
SPAIN
Rome
(Civitavecchia)
Barcelona
Florence/Pisa
(Livorno)
Monte Carlo
Marseille
FRANCE
MONACO
Montpellier
(Sète)
–
C r ui s e
••
O ve r night in Po r t
VIEW
VOYAGE
"Our first stop was the
Church of Santa Croce
to see the tombs of
Michelangelo, Galileo
and composer Gioachino
Rossini."
