We regretted leaving Rome and wished we could have stayed another day but Florence was calling our names. We figured, why not ride in comfort? So we reserved business quiet class seats on the ItaliaRail high speed train from Rome to Florence. The cost was a mere $20 USD more than coach seats for a total of $48 USD each. First class seat amenities include: snacks, beverages, a super comfy leather recliner seat, and a large retractable table. I highly recommend it.
The trip took about 1.5 hours and once we arrived at the Florence Santa Maria Novella Train Station, we paid to stow our bags at the train station and took a quick lunch break in the Mercato Centrale. We feasted on local olives, salami, sheep cheese, and wine!
Agriturismo Villa Dauphiné
After refueling we collected our bags and we decided to grab a taxi to the villa since we had no idea what the bus schedules were. The taxi cost a little over $45 USD including a tip for 14 kilometers, and we decided to try and learn the bus routes after that expenditure! We found Villa Dauphiné on Airbnb, we considered staying in the center of Florence but decided that we couldn't pass up the opportunity to stay in an authentic Italian villa just outside the city. Leaving Florence and driving for a bit up into the countryside hills, the taxi turned off a side road and up a long dirt road through olive trees. We arrived at the villa after a short drive. We were unsure if anyone was home but after a minute the owners wife came out of the villa and greeted us. She didn't speak much English but in a couple minutes her son Eugene arrived to show us to our home for the next three days. Eugene was very nice and his English was excellent, in fact he was ecstatic about being able to practice speaking it with us. Eugene then proceeded to show us around the villa.
Exterior of the Agriturismo Villa Dauphiné
Outside Dining Area
Walking up to the entrance of the villa we noticed an outside connected patio with tables and chairs for 4 to 8 people. Everything so far looked exactly like the booking pictures. Upon entering the house there was a small kitchen area and a small table to the left. I would find out later this is where Eugene and his father Pietro would cook dinner for us the next two nights.
Prep Kitchen
Sitting Room
Up a few stairs there was a sitting room and to the left was our big room with a private bathroom and huge walk in shower.
The other two rooms upstairs had to share the hallway bathroom, we were lucky our room had vacancies for our stay. It was really cool to see that they had left the original timbers and support beams from when they restored and remodeled the villa as you could see them throughout the villa.
Upstairs to the left is the common breakfast area with a table that could seat at least 10. Eugene had coffee ready for us every morning and his mom baked fresh fruit pies and turnovers. They also stocked the fridge with yogurt, milk, jam, and butter for the fresh homemade brown bread that Eugene's mom made and it was delicious.
After the quick tour of the villa, Eugene left us to settle in, so we freshened up and headed outside. Eugene encouraged us to take a walk through the olive trees and vineyard to the picnic table were we could to get a view of the area and see Florence in the distance but he reminded us to be back for dinner around 6:30pm. We had opted to have dinner cooked for us at the villa for $25 euros each for two nights. From the overlook we could see breathtaking views of the valley below, old ancient towers in the distance and of course Florence!
We took a seat at the picnic table, cracked open a bottle of wine we bought in town and relaxed for a bit. The wine wasn’t very good, I knew we shouldn't have bought it from those expat Americans running the wine store in town. We decided to head back, as we got closer to the villa we could smell delicious aromas coming from the kitchen where Eugene and his father Pietro were preparing our dinner. We hurried inside and washed up for dinner. Let me tell you it was some of the best food we had in Italy. Each dinner consisted of three courses with a bottle of wine from their vineyard and an Italian dessert liquor with some biscotti.
We sat down at the tables on the villas outside porch and we were introduced to their wine made from their small vineyard. It was one of the best wines we had in Italy. It was a very smooth red wine and we wished we could have bought some but they could only make it for themselves and share with guests. They couldn’t resell their wine do to some law.
Our starter for the first night consisted of some salami, local sheep cheese, brown bread that Eugene's mom made, divine olive oil pressed from their own trees and prosciutto. I would have been in heaven just eating the starter. Next it was onto our second course, which consisted of pasta with a meat sauce. Our main course was baked chicken breast with mushrooms and baked orange squash from their garden. For dessert we had homemade Biscotti with some sweet Italian Liquor. I can't remember the name of it but you were supposed to dunk the Biscotti in it.
The second night, we had another starter and our second course was homemade pasta with truffle infused olive oil. I’d never had anything like it before and it was oh so delicious! I was going to finish the whole plate of pasta myself then they brought out zucchini, roasted potatoes, and a pork loin. I was stuffed. Oh and the bottle of wine was finished as well. Everything was awesome and both meals we had at the villa were some of the best we’ve ever had. I wish we could have stayed there longer, but I'm sure we will get back there one day. I also regret not eating at the villa the 3rd night of our stay in Florence. Instead we opted for a tour and we didn’t get what we paid for, but that's another story. Thanks for reading!
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