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Published: June 21st 2017
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Montepulciano
Montepulciano 14-10-14 Geo: 41.8955, 12.4823
Today was our third and last day with our driver and guide, Ale Cammilli. Originally we were going to travel to Rome by train, but in the end decided to use Ale for a transfer so that we could see a little more of Tuscany and some other towns we were interested in along the way.
Our first stop was in the town of Montepulciano for wine, pecorino and salami tasting in a Montepulciano winery. A gorgeous town and delicious wine.
We then drove through Pienza, where we stopped for a stroll around the town before heading to Montalcino. Ale was already aware of Gs interest in castles and I had told him that I was interested in tasting the famous Brunello di Montalcino wine. Ale had arranged another amazing surprise for us – he took us to an enotica in an old fortress, La Fortezza di Montalcino. When we went inside they had set us up with a tasting of six difference Brunellos to share. Today was the only day so far where we really had a little rain and it was a bit chilly, so we also got to try a bowl of amazing Tuscan Ribolita
soup. The soup is made with kale, beans, tomatoes and other vegetables and bread is used for thickening. Very filling, and totally delicious.
Our final stop was in the town of Orvieto as we wanted to have a look at the wonderful Duomo there. Another amazing church, Italy is full of them.
We finally arrived in Rome, full of excitement at seeing the well known landmarks as we drove by.
Ale dropped us off outside our hotel, the Albergo del Senato. I had booked this knowing it was next to the Pantheon, but it wasn't until we arrived that I realised how incredibly close it actually was. We said a sad goodbye to Ale who had made our Tuscan experience even more amazing than we could have dreamed of and went to check in.
We had booked a room with a view of the Pantheon, but were lucky enough to be given a top floor room with a balcony and the most sensational view of the Piazza and the Pantheon itself. We unpacked while constantly staring out of the open balcony doors, while we were serenaded by the buskers down below. It was wonderful to hear Stairway to Heaven
with such a backdrop, although as we were to learn later in the week, the songs were the same every day which got slightly tiresome. Would be better if the buskers rotated around a little.
My review of Albergo del Senato can be read here: http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUserReviews-g187791-d191099-r245041743-Albergo_del_Senato-Rome_Lazio.html
We ate dinner at Armande al Pantheon. This restaurant was recommended by a guide that we had booked for Rome. It was our best meal in Italy to that point, and the restaurant was also full of locals and very few tourists. We both had our first taste of Cacio e Pepe, followed by Saltimbocca a la Romana and ended with Tiramisu with Berries and a bottle Vino Nobilo de Montepulciano. It was an astounding meal.
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