Tuscany Vs. Paris: Not Even a Match

Viktoria and I have a simple answer to where to go on your first trip to Europe: Tuscany. "What about Paris, the City of Lights?" No Paris and no lights. Indeed, no frogs, no snails, and no midnights in a café drinking cognac with Hemingway's enthusiasts. Buy your ticket to Florence and, perhaps, visit Paris next time.

To clarify, Viktoria and I are NOT the latest members of Francis Mayes' fan club. Quite the contrary, we frown upon the hordes of zealots that go to Cortona to pay their homage to Bramasole, the once-upon-a-time-rustic protagonist of Under the Tuscan Sun. Before departing for their pilgrimage, the pseudo (or psycho) tourists may even watch the homonymous movie for the eleventh time, hoping to find additional inspiration and gratification from Hollywood romance. These people live in a manufactured La-la land. While we have visited Tuscany multiple times, we have clear memories of interactions with true locals and real, Tuscan life.

Tuscany vs Paris: Why We Chose the Heart of Italy

One could argue that comparing Tuscany to Paris is like attempting to level a plate of fuming wild boar pappardelle and onion soup on the same playing field. Where's the problem? Why can't both dishes compete? The preference for succulent pasta and saucy meat is evident to any food connoisseurs, including the French. Even a vegetarian would change religion in front of such a display. Comparing Tuscany to Paris is not comparable precisely for the same principle, and the choice would be obvious. It's a no-match. Grazie! Buon Appetito! And we will not even bother to discuss Caterina de' Medici's influence on French cuisine.

The Artistic Riches of Tuscany: A Visit to Florence

The artistic cornucopia of only the city of Florence has flooded the most predominant of all museums worldwide, the Louvre included. Among the vast collection of Renaissance paintings, the Louvre's most treasured artwork is the Mona Lisa, conceived and embellished over several years in Tuscany by one of its most famous inhabitants. The Mona Lisa replenishes not only the French government's bank account but it is also a symbol of France itself. Hence, it makes sense to designate Tuscany as the first stop on any trip around Europe. Even the Bible opens with: "In the beginning there was Tuscany." Only later God made Paris with the help of his Tuscan Elves.

Inspired by Tuscany: From Stendhal to Dante and Beyond

Stendhal, the famous French writer, did not have the panic attack that his name alludes to watching the Gothic vaults of Notre Dame, but the Brunelleschi's Duomo. We don't care for all this fuss about Hemingway's movable feast walking along the banks of the Seine. The river Arno inspired Dante, Petrarca, and Boccaccio, which works endure today after having influenced generations.

Parisiennes are often depicted as rude, unfriendly, and snobbish. Tuscan people belong to the millennial tradition of hosting visitors with cordiality, which began as far as the Etruscans. When you arrive in Tuscany, you are invited to the table, offered a plate of earthy dishes, and urged to mangia, mangia. The ingredients come from a land kissed by the sun rather than just located under the sun, made of green meadows and fields with straight furrows that wind between mountains and hills resting like loaves of pane toscano.

Join Viktoria and I on a Journey to the Heart of Italy: Tuscany

All the food talking has made Viktoria and I grow an appetite for Crostini, Panzanella, Ribollita, Cacciucco, Crespelle, Bistecca alla Fiorentina, Lampredotto, washed down with a young Sangiovese. We don't despise baguette or croissant, although Viktoria will not even attempt to bite into Escargot or Cuisses of Grenouille – roasted frog's legs. While writing this blog, we also had an idea for a book: Tuscany: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Paris. It will consist of discourses on why we believe that Tuscany is unique and that, frankly, when it boils down to picking and choosing between Tuscany and Paris, we don't give a f*cking Paris. Buon Viaggio! See you in Tuscany.