Beautiful Tuscany! It was prettier than we imagined; photos and movies that include this landscape don't do it justice! Our Tuscan tour began at the Rome Termini station (main train station). Lucky for Ken, he was nominated to be our driver. If you thought Californians were crazy drivers (no offense, Laura), guess again! Romans are berserk! Lanes? What lanes? Red lights? They don't exist! And forget about using the turn signal! It's craziness! Not only are you dodging other vehicles, there are pedestrians everywhere. Poor Ken almost experienced his first vehicular homicide when a stupid tourist (because we're driving in Rome we immediately receive local status) walked out into the road without looking!
Once we got out of Rome driving was pretty smooth. Ken really liked our rental, the Fiat 300, and is thinking of trading his Acura in for one. Not a lot of leg room, but fun to zip that thing around curvy Tuscan roads. Although, it was pretty embarrassing being passed on the freeway by the SmartCar.
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| Mario Andretti aka Ken behind the wheel of our Tuscan rental |
Our first stop was Montepulciano. We had some great inside information on places to eat there (thanks to the niece of a friend in Tallahassee). We LOVED Montepulciano and have already pegged it as a must for our next Italian trip (should that ever happen!). The town is surrounded by rolling hills of vineyards and it is very quiet and quaint. Completely opposite of Rome!
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| Montepulciano |
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| Wine Country! |
We ate lunch at Osteria del Borgo. Breath taking! There was an outdoor portion of the restaurant which overlooked the vineyards. I don't think Ken and I held a conversation during this lunch as our gaze was fixed on the views. We sat for over an hour eating and drinking our Vino Nobile (delicious wine of Montepulciano) while absorbing the amazing surroundings. Oh, forgot to mention the food was delicious as well!
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| Lasagna (not as we know it) with Ragu sauce |
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| Cannelloni with Ragu sauce |
After pigging out and exploring a bit of the town we piled back in the car and headed to Pienza, a small town just about 20 km away from Montepulciano. Much smaller than our first stop, but just as aesthetically pleasing!
From Pienza we ventured on to our final Tuscan destination: Volterra. Volterra is a little more lively than Montepulciano and Pienza, but not as frantic as Rome. We spent two nights in this town with a full day in between. It took an entire day just to wander through all the nooks and crannies of this cute little hilltop town. I'm sure you are all wondering about the food...we experienced the best food of the entire trip in Volterra. As well as the tiniest shower in all of Italy!
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| Ruins of a Roman amphitheater just below the city wall |
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| City wall (amphitheater is just below to the right) |
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| Incredible, vibrant frescoes on a church ceiling |
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| Clock tower at sunset from the roof-top balcony of our hotel |
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| Stuffed pigeon with olives and pureed potatoes from amazing Enoteca del Duca |
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| Spinach and ricotta gnocchi with a butter cream sauce and slivered truffle also from Enoteca del Duca |
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| Chocolate Souffle at Enoteca del Duca |
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| Italy's (and most possibly the world's) smallest shower |
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