Off to Manciano!

Monday, June 23

Today we woke up "early" (8 a.m.) to get the Rome apartment ready for checkout. We turned over the keys at 10:00, then caught a ride from the apartment rental agency to pick up our car near Fiumicino Airport. Actually, the deal is quite unique: you buy the car from the agency (in this case, Europe by Car), drive it around for the duration of your stay, then the agency buys it back from you when you're ready to depart for home. We bought a Peugeot 6-passenger van -- very nice, with gobs of space in the back for our luggage and purchases along the way. Susan volunteered to be the first driver. Although the van is a 6-speed stick shift with an unusual shift pattern and a difficult reverse lever, she very quickly acclimated to it, and we were soon on our way out of Rome.

From the crowds and pollution of Rome, we headed to the country to our second Italian destination, Poggio Tortollo. PT is a 5-room agriturismo located in the countryside near the small southern Tuscan town of Manciano. We arrived in the early afternoon, and were immediately struck by the beauty of our surroundings. Poggio Tortollo is a working olive and grape farm, situated amidst rolling hills just near enough to the town to give access to some necessities, such as a market, but far enough to give a sense of solitude and serenity. There are flowers everywhere, a 350-tree olive grove, and a smallish grape vineyard. Our host, Maria Teresa, toured us around the grounds and immediately made us feel at home. The Heidtke family settled into our digs, a single room with a queen-size bed, two bunk beds and a full bathroom. Becky had her own room around the corner. Both rooms were reasonably well-appointed and impeccably clean, with plenty of space to move around. The rooms also included air conditioners, though we spent the entire stay unsuccessfully trying to figure out how to turn them on. No matter, as the nights were uniformly cool and pleasant. Best of all, there were no bugs to be found anywhere, except for the occasional bee or butterfly. The kids were delighted to find that the pool behind the main house was large and cool, with a miniature playground next to it.

For dinner, we forayed into town and bought fresh bread, cheese and sausage at a local store. We brought our food back to Poggio Tortollo and ate at a table set up on the grounds under a canopy of wisteria. The kids alternated between bites of food and mock chases of the rabbits they found in the adjacent field. They also showered the three resident cats with more attention than they've probably had in quite some time.

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