Meet our Tuscan canine host, Scooby-Doo.

Staying for a week in Tuscany’s countryside sounded idyllic, so we found an agriturismo down the hill from Pienza. The owner lived in a modest house with his mother, young son and dog, while we stayed in a separate building surrounded by fields that offered this as one of our views. Scooby-Doo, named by his son who had seen the American cartoon by that name, quickly became our “come-follow-me” buddy and our dinner companion, sitting with us on the terrace to watch the magic of the sun setting over Pienza’s hillside profile. And really — spending happy hour with Scooby-Doo in Tuscany? No one else can claim that one.