How to fill a morning near Barberino Val d'Elsa (Tuscany), Italy ?

Posted by blairb on 08/14/14 02:51 AM

My best friend is getting married at Borgo Petrognano (near Barberino Val D'Elsa/Poggibonsi) later this month in a small wedding. The men are golfing and around 10 women are looking for a way to fill our time the day of the wedding from 9 AM to around 1 PM. We were thinking of something like brunch and shopping or maybe a cooking class or ??? I'm stumped! Any ideas for something that is convenient to where we are staying, only takes 4 hours, and would be a fun way for a group of women to connect?

Thanks!!!

Posted by Roberto da Firenze ⚜

San Francisco Bay Area (USA)

08/14/14 06:51 AM

16242 posts

Those 10 women can easily fill those four hours doing their hair, trying clothes and put make up to get ready for the wedding. Actually 4 hours won't be enough for many of them to be ready on time. I wouldn't venture too far from Petrognano, which is in the middle of the country anyway.

Also you won't even have time for lunch if you have to be back by 1pm. You can try to see if in that area anybody has ever heard of brunch.

Try and say this in pure peasant Dialect from the Val di Pesa. "o un mi sa' miha dire in do' gli'e' che fann'i brancio da queste parti?" (Could you by any chance tell me where they serve brunch around here?)

To which they will answer: boh? Ma i'cche' gli'e' I bbrancio? (I dunno! But what is brunch in the first place?)

La Toppa is a good restaurant in San Donato in Poggio, but if you go there you won't come out before 2pm.

Posted by blairb OP

08/14/14 11:09 AM

4 posts

Thank you so much for your reply!!! The bride had this idea of "brunch" in her head, but I will have to inform her that doesn't exist in Italy! The wedding is at 5 PM and the bride is very low maintenance so she didn't want to spend more than 4 hours getting ready.

Posted by jkc

Massachusetts

08/14/14 11:29 AM

715 posts

I know we all approach travel differently and all of us don't have the luxury of being able to travel for many weeks at a time, i do, fortunately, have summers "off" so I realize my situation is different then many, or most. Granted, this situation before a wedding is somewhat unique to most questions about "What should I do for these few hours while I wait for my train, or my next flight, etc?", but still I always laugh a bit at how we seem to have this need to fill up every single moment of the day with running here and there to see things. My thoughts to these questions is always, "find a cafe and sit, relax, watch people walk by, enjoy the day and drink it in." Life happens so fast and it can surely get accelerated when you are in these wondrous places and we feel the need to pack it all in and not miss the "most unusual site", or "the can't miss site." or the "best gelato," heaven forbid. I love to just find a cafe, get a cafe, and just watch the locals, and smile. Life, we learn so much when we stop and take the time.