Where is your happy place?

Today I am just worn out. It has been a long week … LittleMiss has been sick and I have had broken sleep (if sleep at all) all week. Today was clinic day and while normally I look forward to it … today I just felt like I wanted to take a nanna nap in the corner. I guess we all have those days.However it has made me think. When I get tired and worn out mentally I escape, usually only for a few seconds but still escape in my mind to a wonderful little place that I have only been to once or twice that always brings a smile to my face. I know I am not crazy … well not at least for this reason … but we all have those “happy places” when we are just so tired that we escape to in our minds. For me, while the exact location can change, the common theme is that it is a place in Italy. I love Italy. While it is now years since I was there and we visited for only a short time … for me it is my happy place.

Where is my happy place now … hmm … it is a small trattoria in the Chianti hills called La Cantinetta di Rignana. It is just an amazing place. A piece of heaven on earth. We went there for a unforgettable (looonng) lunch when we were driving around Tuscany. So where is it … to get there it is not a long drive out from Florence (about 40kms). However to get there is a bit of an adventure. You can do it in a normal car but it will involve some narrow streets and dirt roads. When you get there it is all worth it.

After you have made your pilgrimage you will find it amongst a group of old Tuscan farm buildings nestled on the top of a hill in the middle of no where. The trattoria is perfectly position with the outdoor tables taking in the sweeping view down into the valley. Vineyards, olive groves and woods linked together only by dirt roads as if untouched my the morden world. The only things that top the beautiful location is the wonderful food and warm hospitality.

What you feel straight away from when you enter is the wonderful atmosphere of the place. It feels just like a large family home that you have been invited to a get together at.  Mingled with tourists are local families coming together with members of all ages. Children running around and enjoying their families. And the food … Mamma mia … well as I said I am still thinking about their food.

When I come back to Italy (as I am sure that it is a when not an if), I plan on spending a few days here in Rignana … but for now it is my happy place. Where is your happy place?