3 Days in Tuscany

Four of us rented two Vespas in Greve in Chianti (€80/day each). Weaving through the Chianti hills on a Vespa is the most Tuscan thing you can do. We stopped at three estates — Castello di Verrazzano was the highlight, with a full food-and-wine pairing in their medieval cellar. Evening in Greve's piazza with gelato and Negronis.

Drove to Montalcino — the fortress views are breathtaking. Tasted at three producers: a big name (Banfi — impressive but impersonal), a mid-size (Casanova di Neri — excellent), and a tiny family estate where the winemaker poured from barrels and told us stories about his grandfather. Lunch at a trattoria with hand-rolled pici pasta and wild boar ragù.

Final day exploring San Gimignano's medieval towers. Vernaccia di San Gimignano doesn't get enough credit — we found a stellar producer just outside the walls doing skin-contact whites. Afternoon olive oil tasting at a farm, then final dinner at a farmhouse restaurant with a view over the Val d'Elsa valley.