2008 ITALIAN ODYSSEY - Pienza and Montepulciano

Wednesday October 1, 2008 –  Pienza and other spots

Another lovely day greeted us this morning and although breakfast seemed a little sparse – due, I think to a bunch of businessmen who had got to the trough before us – I asked for a bit more ham and we enjoyed the meal thoroughly. All good stuff and just what I like for breakfast.

We headed off to the supermarket to get some provisions for lunch – fresh rolls, gorgonzola cheese, olives and salami and then we set off for Pienza about 195 km/115 miles to the south east. The town is close to Sienna and we had intended to call in there the day after we arrived, but that trip was abandoned in the fallout of the furious drive from Rome. We felt we had to go now because our dear old neighbours in Melbourne – the Roses – had spent some time there umpteen years ago. We had promised them we’d check it out.

 

We never tired of the countryside

The drive across there initially took in some of the roads we had covered yesterday but after that we were in new and beautiful countryside. We had a spot of bother with TomTom’s cradle. The road surface was pretty poor in parts and as we bumped over these areas, the cradle developed a kind of brewer’s droop which made reading the GPS map and directions. This did cause some significant problems at some of the more complex interchanges. As I mentioned yesterday we landed up heading for Rome instead of home on the freeway, all due to this cradle collapse. I managed to get some electrical tape at Pienza and that did the trick so we had no more problems.

Street scene in Pienza

Pienza is a lovely little hilltop town with charming views and we could see how the Roses were taken with the place. But having been to Anghiari yesterday, comparisons were inevitable and Anghiari won hands down. 

We spent some time there exploring the town – and the shops, several of which were selling cheese and wine. Pecorino, which is my favourite, is a regional speciality and there was tonnes of it about, all smelling delightful and making me quite esurient.

Stacks of pecorino

I was very tempted to buy a cheese to take home but the thought of that scenting the luggage and the chance of it being refused entry into Australia stopped me. (AQIS – Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service – are notorious for their application of the many rules preventing foodstuffs from being imported. We subsequently found when visiting a cheesefactory outside Amsterdam that there was no problem with cheese of this sort.)

I liked the street name

The temperature had climbed to 20°C and it was hot work walking up the steep inclines, so a gelati was in order – and Rab was thrilled to find a caramel flavour similar to the one she had enjoyed in Sienna; I had black cherry. The parking spot we had found was cheap – Є2.50 for two hours – and we moved on to our next stop – Montepulciano. 

Here's the time

We knew nothing about it other than it was another hilltop town within sight of Pienza. It was terrific. Much bigger and much higher than Pienza – and equally full of tourists. We had to park outside the city walls as there was restricted entry so it was quite a hike – and we only made it about half way. There was a seat on the side of the walk there and we paused there for lunch. Only bread and cheese again in the warm sun, but what bread: what cheese. Tremendous! And to make the meal even better, we had even had some starters on the way up the hill. One of the shops was having a wine, cheese and vinegar tasting and we had some very nice bruschetta on the house. While we were sitting there watching the passing show an ancient clock reached the hour and the medieval man used his spear to ring out the chimes.

Back down the hill to the car with my poor old trotters taking a bit of a hammering we were treated to views over the hills of Tuscany which were truly beautiful. I took some shots which I hope will do justice to them. The proof will be in the printing.

 

Montepulciano

Rab’s next choice for a port of call was Chianciano Terme, but before going to the newer part of town, she wanted to have a look at the Old Town, which is separated from the more modern area. 

Again, on a very steep hill, so Rab suggested we just have a drive through. There was a restricted entry sign, but as far as I could see, it only applied at night, so we decided to give it a shot. As I entered the gates, I noticed there was a warning sign that the narrowest road was 1.6 metres. We wondered how wide the Mercedes was and estimated that it was about 1.7 metres including the mirrors. (Checking the specifications later we found it was 1.777 metres) Thank goodness for the folding mirrors, but talk about a cork in the bottle! 

It was quite a relief to head for home and another great meal at the hotel after a couple of beers on our private piazza.

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