
20 or so years ago (that makes me old!), some girls and I were spending a few weeks in Europe and made a stop in Sienna, Italy. Wow, what a princess of an opening line that is…
Anyway, spending two days in Tuscany, we had the great pleasure of meeting Dario. Yes, he has a last name but I think this guy needs to be a one name wonder! (Link to his website is on our “links” page) Dario was great fun! Four silly American girls in the Tuscan countryside with a cool cat made for an above average amount of silliness including driving his car through the hillsides!
That part might not be available on all of his tours…
In all seriousness, if you have not discovered Sienna, I STRONGLY recommend a visit and happen to know a dude who can be your guide.
Anyway, spending two days in Tuscany, we had the great pleasure of meeting Dario. Yes, he has a last name but I think this guy needs to be a one name wonder! (Link to his website is on our “links” page) Dario was great fun! Four silly American girls in the Tuscan countryside with a cool cat made for an above average amount of silliness including driving his car through the hillsides!
That part might not be available on all of his tours…
In all seriousness, if you have not discovered Sienna, I STRONGLY recommend a visit and happen to know a dude who can be your guide.

On to the point of this rambling post.
About eight or nine years ago, Dario and I “reconnected” on Facebook. Now, I know we all have our opinions on Facebook but this is a perfect example of the wonders of Facebook! Anyway, we reconnected and became “friends”. In the several years since our two days with him, Dario had written a number of books such as Too Much Tuscan Sun, Too Much Tuscan Wine, A Day in Tuscany and several others but you get the idea. They have a whimsical quality and are great reads! Not to mention, they will fan any travel bug flames you might have!
About eight or nine years ago, Dario and I “reconnected” on Facebook. Now, I know we all have our opinions on Facebook but this is a perfect example of the wonders of Facebook! Anyway, we reconnected and became “friends”. In the several years since our two days with him, Dario had written a number of books such as Too Much Tuscan Sun, Too Much Tuscan Wine, A Day in Tuscany and several others but you get the idea. They have a whimsical quality and are great reads! Not to mention, they will fan any travel bug flames you might have!

When Dirk and I started Le Pop-Up, we really wanted to find some olive oil and I reached out to Dario and, lo and behold, he is in partnership with a local farmer producing olive oil. Immediately, I said, “OK send me 50 bottles and let’s see what we can do!” The only distribution at that time was the local farm stand and us. Here we are several hundred bottles later and going strong. The oil we currently have from him consists of olives that were pressed in October of 2016 from a small harvest thanks to the droughts of last summer in Chianti.
If you have not tasted real olive oil, you are sorely missing out and we suggest you contact us immediately for a bottle to be rushed your way!
And that is the story of where our olive oil comes from and the one and only Dario.
If you have not tasted real olive oil, you are sorely missing out and we suggest you contact us immediately for a bottle to be rushed your way!
And that is the story of where our olive oil comes from and the one and only Dario.