Siena

Pretty butterflies

Wheat field on the way to Siena

Bird getting a drink

On our way to Siena we stopped off at Montepulciano and Pienza, yet another two lovely hill towns in Tuscany. The first was one of the two ‘Mont’ towns famous for its wine (the other is Montalcino, but as yet we haven’t managed to get to that one), and Pienza was famous for its pecorino cheese (two of our favourite things!) – oh, it is also famous for Pope Pius II being born there (the town even changed its name to Pienza in honour of him).

The cellars in Montepulciano

Sienese sweeties

Nice knocker (looks a bit like the dude in Labyrinth)

Montepulciano was as gorgeous as all of the hill towns and we indulged in a bit of wine tasting in the cellar of an old palace – very atmospheric. Didn’t purchase any though because it’s difficult when you have to basically carry everything you buy with you and there is only so much one can drink! (And shipping wine home is out of the question when you have to pay a total of 75% in tax!! – 5% GST and 70% WET tax – basically an alcohol tax. It’s obscene!).

Nic in Pienza

Pope Pius II's garden, with Tuscany in the distance

Pienza was a particular delight. Apart from being flat (which is a lovely change after all of the hills we have been climbing) there was also the Piccolomini Palace to tour (where Pope Pius II used to live – his family were Piccolominis). It was a wonderful insight into the life of the wealthy in 15th Century Italy.

...gines

The main shopping drag

Somebody there?

Arriving in Siena was a bit of a dog’s breakfast with the, oh, so fabulous tradition of signposting (or not!) in Italy. Always a joy. We found our fairytale castello on a hill a few kilometres out of Siena. We were staying in one of the towers of the castle (Castello Quattro Torra) which gave us 360 degree views with Siena to the west. It was such an oasis, such a peaceful retreat, basically everything we had hoped it would be. To try and describe the countryside would be not only repeating myself, but a huge cliché. What we saw out of our windows was what every wonderful picture of Tuscany makes us drool over and want to escape here to experience. Perfetto!

Roof of our Castello (and one of the four towers)

Olive grove next to the Castello

Tower and bird in Il Campo

Il Campo

Siena skyline

Siena streets

Siena basking

Siena itself is a fun and vibrant town. Lots of uni students combined with the tourists plus the shops that cater to the rich and poor in both groups. Il Campo was a lot of fun to experience of an evening (not so much during the day with the stinking hot temperatures we’ve been having). Lots of people sitting in the middle of the square, talking with friends, kissing with lovers, playing with kids. It was surprising that it still had a small town feel considering its size. Highly recommend this city.

Tower in Il Campo...again...from a different angle

The Duomo, Siena

Marble floor inlay of the she-wolf and Romulus and Remus

The Duomo is pretty interesting too, all white and green/black stone stripes, supposedly representing the black and white horses that the sons of Remus (of Romulus and Remus fame) rode to escape their uncle (Romulus) who wanted to murder them. In fleeing to safety they established the town of Siena. Don’t you just love a good legend? Needless to say there are oodles of that famous statue of a she-wolf suckling two human babies everywhere in Siena (as well as in Rome).

Duomo internal columns

'Lady Luck' marble floor inlay, Duomo

Illumination - check out those naughty flogging cherubs! Glad to see those monks had a sense of humour

Boots made for gawking

On our last full day in the Siena area we got in the car and explored the area west of the city. Obviously we hadn’t had our fill of Tuscan hill towns! Went to San Gimignano first and found it to be incredibly geared to tourists, even more so than Cortona (if that is possible!) We climbed to the highest point in the town and admired the 14 remaining towers of the city (out of an original 60) and then moved on after buying some pretty postcards.

Morning at the castello

John in the main square of San Gimignano

Davids en masse...

...And David at 40 (after too much wine, women and song!)

Volterra was the next stop and it was just lovely. It had the beauty of San Gimignano without the pandering to the tourist dollar. It is the home of alabaster, which made for some very enjoyable window-shopping and some present purchasing. Had lunch under some ancient trees in a not too busy piazza at a charming restaurant. They almost treated us like Italians rather than tourists by not rushing us through our meal and letting us savour the afternoon in the shade with our bottle of local dry, crisp and very cool white wine. Delizioso.

Volterra even has...had a Roman theatre (they only found this one in the 1950s)

Rooftops in Volterra

Window art in Siena

Had one of the most fantastic dishes of our travels on our last night in Siena. We went to a restaurant recommended by our host called L’Osteria and had cinghiale in dolce e forte – ‘sweet and strong’ wild boar! To die for – the tenderest of meats in dark brown gravy with pine nuts and almonds, but the key ingredient was the subtle taste of chocolate!! Absolutely heaven!

Nic in the forecourt of the castello

Our bedroom was the top floor of this tower

Our castello from the paddock

Goodbye castello...on to Florence

Paciano, Cortona

Our B&B - we are in the corner of the tower of the city walls

Classic vespa...although don't think it's actually a 'vespa'

The plan to stay in Paciano grew from Italians voting it the village they would most want to live in (don’t know who did the survey or how many people were polled). Maybe they want to live here because there are no tourists except us! In fact, there isn’t much of anything here. In the old town walls there is one restaurant/bar and a café/grocery shop, oh and an ‘English Studio’ for those who want to learn the language. You know what is odd, though, on the way into the village there is a sign welcoming everyone to Paciano, then a sign mentioning something about it being a ‘sister city’ to Mosman, Sydney, Australia (!!!). Still can’t figure that one out.

Lake Trasimeno and clouds

Kissing statue in Castiligone del Lago

Come buy your gelato at THIS shop

Our B&B is very picturesque with glorious views and stunning sunsets every night. We have explored some of the surrounding area each day and are surprised at the differences and similarities of the Umbrian/Tuscan hill towns and villages. Technically we are staying in Umbria, but we are very near the border that we have had both regions at our disposal. The countryside is stunning every way you look. Our daily outings have included Perugia, Castiligone del Lago, Cortona, Citta della Pieve, Chiusi.

Main piazza in Cortona

Maybe we are looking at too much religious art, but this Jesus looks like the top of a Mardi Gras float!

A jolly Bacchus jug...which we refrained from buying, no room in the luggage and all that

Cortona, (hate to admit it cause that makes us such tourists!), was gorgeous! The medieval main square was delightful, but we were walking for about 20 minutes before we heard an Italian voice. Since Frances Mayes books (Under the Tuscan Sun et al) things have apparently really changed in the town. The main street once held a few regular town shops like a butcher, grocer etc. Now it’s all art galleries, souvenir and wine shops and restaurants.

Clothes shadows...AND scooter

Italian signage

Cute puppet tempting us while window shopping

Started to get a bit over the hill town thing so we escaped to a day spa and slobbed about in thermal springs for a couple of hours. Surprising thing was we didn’t go pruney – maybe it was the minerals in the water. We had to get out of the pool every 20 minutes – safety issues and all that. But it really was a fantastic and relaxing experience, a first for both of us.

Poppy...

Pine cones...

Wheatfield...

Farmhouse...oh the views!

Visited another lovely place called Passignano sur Trasimeno which was on the other side of the lake to Castiligone del Lago. It was great cause it was right on the water, very south coast of NSW in feel. Even the old town was right near the edge (only up a bit of a hill, of course!). Found a trattoria where we’ve had one of the best meals of the trip. Simple dishes of the day – perch with cherry tomatoes and basil, and chicken and courgettes, with steamed vegetables on the side. Rich, tasty flavours matched with a fantastic white wine. Enjoyed walking along the water and exploring the little village with the winding, cobbled alleys – talked to a number of friendly cats lazing in the sun.

Fabulous restaurant in Passignano sure Tresimeno

Italian cat enjoying the sun

Cortona rooftops

Basilican di San Margherita in Cortona

Steep street in Cortona (work those legs, baby!)

Went back to Cortona in the afternoon for ice-cream and a hike to the very top of the town and its basilica for amazing views before treating ourselves to some ‘culture’. The town was having a medieval festival – lots of different events that involved dressing up. We also got a couple of free concerts that night. The first was a Mexican classical guitar performance by 4 very talented young men (one was only 16, but incredibly gifted). The second concert was a visiting men’s choir from Vienna. That didn’t begin until 9:30pm so we didn’t last all the way through cause we had to drive the 30 minutes back to Paciano afterwards and were both very tired after another big day. The old theatre was a joy to visit though. Traditional proscenium arch, raked stage and all, and cute box seating (4 levels) that went all the way around the auditorium. Very nice.

At least this garden owner tried to put their gnomes in context by adding a Snow White

How the natives do Friday night in Cortona

Street lamp eclipse

The wonderful thing about this area of Italy is the sheer beauty of the landscape. We haven’t seen anything like it before, and it seems to be getting more and more breathtaking. It’s impossible to tire of the views!

Aah...

Sunset from the window of our B&B in Paciano