Is it possible to fall in love with a landscape? I hope so because that’s how I feel about Tuscany. I know it sounds corny and I know we’ve all heard the stories about people bragging about staying in a villa in Tuscany….but now I really get it! This whole region is simply gorgeous, every where you turn you are looking at a postcard.
Our day started with a quick taxi trip to the airport to collect our car, not the little BMW that Neil had wanted but he seems content with the little Merc that they gave us. We successfully negotiated our first autostrada tollways soon after leaving the airport and headed south along the Chiantigiana road that meanders between Florence and Tuscany. It’s considered one of Italy’s most scenic drives and it definitely lives up to it’s reputation. The day was again overcast but here it didn’t seem to matter, it just added a dreamy, misty overlay to the rolling hills, scattered with olive groves, vineyards and golden stone farmhouses.
Our drive was punctuated with stops at a variety of Tuscan villages and towns, all of them dating back to medieval times. Tiny Montefioralle is reputed to be the best preserved medieval village in Italy and we had the tiny place to ourselves. It was just so quaint and utterly unspoiled (not a souvenir shop anywhere!)
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| Siene Duomo |
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| Piccolomini Library – Siena Duomo |
Siena is at the other end of the scale in size. At its prime during the Middle Ages it rivaled Florence in importance but its setting is far more picturesque. It rises up a steep hill and I was VERY glad that modern technology has entered the picture – we rode a series of escalators from the car park at the base of the hill to the Duomo, which dominates the town’s highest point. Erin had told me that she really preferred Siena to Florence and I really do understand why, it is a much prettier town and it’s Duomo is just so striking with its zebra striped marble interior. The frescoes and illuminated manuscripts in its Piccolomini library were also simply gorgeous
We opted for a simple picnic lunch, sitting on the gently sloped town square (the Campo) with dozens of others and ate our mozzarella & tomato panini. It didn’t even seem odd to be sitting on the ground, everyone was doing it! The campo is surrounded by cafes that were doing a roaring trade and I remebered Erin saying she and Nicole had spent a cool, wet day doing the rounds of the cafes drinking coffee.
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| Picnic on the Campo |
We bookended the day with another teeny, tiny Tuscan village. Monteriggioni is about as big as a football field but is entirely enclosed by high walls and towers. Unlike Montefioralle, it is more on the tourist map and had its fair share of shops and cafes but it wasn’t overcrowded and the walk around the walls provided glorious views of the surrounding countryside. It’s tiny cobbled streets looked like something Walt Disney would dream up 🙂
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| Hotel Pescille |
Late in the afternoon we arrived at our home for the next couple of nights, Hotel Pescille – a converted farmhouse that still maintains it’s own vineyards. As I sit typing this I’m watching the farm truck meander along the lane in front, piled high with green grapes. The hotel is a bit of a mixed bag, the grounds and public spaces are delightful with views (to San Gimignano) to die for, but the room itself is a bit spartan, quite a comedown from the luxurious surroundings we enjoyed in Florence. However, we have a little balcony with a table and chairs overlooking what I would have to say is one of the finest views we have EVER had anywhere so I’m very happy with my choice.
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| San Gimignano viewed from our balcony |
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| Morning view |
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| Piazza della Cisterna, evening in San Gimignano |
We drove up to the town to eat dinner in a little restaurant tucked under the walls of the town. Our host spoke virtually no English but his smile, under his enormous white mustache, was very broad and welcoming…and the food was marvelous. After days of pastas and pizzas I really enjoyed my roast lamb. It must have cooked slowly for hours because the flesh just fell off the bone and flavours of garlic and rosemary were sensational. Neil tried the local specialty, wild boar cooked slowly in white wine and he seemed pretty happy with his choice too.
Walking back through the town in the dark of the evening we tossed up the idea of never leaving Tuscany…