We had a three-day weekend in conjunction with May Day, the European Labor Day, so we planned a trip to Tuscany. Or so we thought. We arrived at our hotel near Montepulciano to find out that we had booked the wrong dates. Three hotels and four hours later, we found a more expensive but still highly desirable Agriturismo outside of Lucignano. I kept my cool pretty well, but still we all needed to blow off some steam before dinner.
The building on the left is where we stayed. Ashley took this on her morning run.
There was a kid about Isaac's age tearing around the compound on his bike. The kids were shy at first, but after some prodding from Ashley, Isaac started playing ball with him. I refereed their soccer match amongst the olive trees, which Isaac won 10-8. One of the rare Italian kids we have met who wasn't amazing at calcio.
I entertained Georgie and Juliet by playing the "trust exercise" game.
I like the dramatic effect of Juliet closing her eyes.
Georgie putting her trust in her dad's back.
The lighting was perfect so Ashley took a few shots. Georgie still hates taking pictures.
Sweet mother of Mary that little girl is gorgeous.
My girls in Tuscany.
Just to ensure that we don't get any delusions about what Juliet is like the other half of the time...
Or the other other half of the time. The mom & pop that own the Agriturismo fed us one of the best meals we have had in Italy. The tagliatelle al ragu was divine, but the roast tacchino reminded me just how good animal flesh can taste. My rule is that I eat veg at home, but will cross the line for the sake of a cultural experience or social propriety.
Buon appetito!
The next morning we were up and off to Pienza, a medieval town designed by Pope Pius (some number), which also has a great view of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Val d'Orcia. Gratuitous photo taking of Tuscan countryside to follow:
That's quite enough of that.
There was an exhibition of a local artist who had passed away recently at the Duomo annex building. Ashley loved his work, which was mostly of people and landscapes in that region of Tuscany.
I took the kids off Ashley's hands briefly so that she could indulge in some shopping for the local specialities, namely pecorino cheese and olive oil. She also bought bread and other fixin's and we had ourselves a lovely picnic under some Cypress trees in front of an old church next to the wall that overlooks the Val d'Orcia. And did I mention that I didn't even have to take time off for this trip?
Check out that backdrop.
The church.
Next stop was the town of Montalcino, famous for Brunello red wine which is made there and only there.
Solo in Italia.
If it weren't for the safety issue I would be all about Vespas.
Too dang cute.
Nothing says primavera in Italia like wisteria and Tuscan bell towers.
This is in the center of Montalcino, but the entry to climb it was closed.
We took a tour of a local vineyard and learned all about the wine-making process, from growing the grapes to the finished product. These are the vats where the wine is fermented. Once that process is finished, it is moved into oak barrels to age in the cellar, the door of which is under the hanging bicycle.
The vineyard we visited.
Next stop was a smaller town called Bagno Vignoni, famous because in the center of town there is an ancient Roman hot spring pool. It sounds too good to be true, and it is. No swimming allowed.
This is the path we walked from the parking lot into the center of town. In the distance is Castiglione d'Orcia, which we admired from afar but did not visit.
The hot springs. Rumor is it is full of leaches, but we didn't see any. The restaurant to the right is part of a complex that also has a bar, gelato shop, and spa.
Under that curved pavilion on the right they were setting up for a big party, I think it was a wedding reception. Not a bad spot.
Next up was a wild goose chase trying to find an olive oil company in Montichiello, back near Pienza. We found the place, but they were completely sold out of olive oil. 2014 was a horrible year for olives because it was too cold and wet. But we did see some more amazing views.
Our final stop on this Tuscan marathon day was Castiglion Fiorentino, which is not a tourist attraction but it is where our famici, the Crandalls and McDowells, were staying that weekend. They had a huge festival with an international food court, a carnival, and a market. We ate Spanish, Greek, Sicilian, Argentinian, Mexican, and other foods that I can't remember but Ashley sure can.
I have never paid to do these bungee trampolines, but Georgie was so excited about it that she bought a ticket with her own money.
Isaac followed suit. I am telling him to do a flip and he is yelling "No!" back at me.
The next morning we decided to finally hit up Montepulciano, the most popular town in this area, to see what all the fuss was about.
A very cool old well in the main piazza. Ashley really wanted a family picture at this well, but as you will see, she was to be disappointed.
One of the many huge wine cellars in the town where they make Nobile di Montepulciano.
The old palace which is now the town hall.
So I asked this girl to take our picture at the well. I showed her exactly how I wanted the shot framed. What does she do? Cuts off the lions on the top and gives us a good view of the steps and bricks in front. Well done, Ms. Ansel Adams, well done.
After Montepulciano we packed up and headed home. It was a quick three-day trip to Tuscany but we had a wonderful time and ate some great food. We have at least one more Tuscany trip before we leave. Until Thanksgiving, Toscana.
