Italy 88 - the smallest town I have ever seen , the Siennese against the Florentines

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Where in the world is Suzy Sundance today. She is parked below the most perfect of hilltop fortifications you would ever wish to see.

You know I talked about jigsaw puzzles when I talked about Castell Arquato well it is jigsaw time again. This time the picture is of a fort set above the beautiful perfectly manicured Tuscan countryside . Umberella Pines , pencil pines and a green landscape that stretches as far as the eye can see. The fields picture perfect and the houses mellow in the Tuscan sunlight. A watercolour artists dream. The hedgerows full of white laburnum, the waysides full of white roses, red poppies and orchids when closed of the deepest black which open out to the richest purple. Lizards sunning themselves on walls. The vines stretching along the hillsides and the gardens full of deep blue Bearded Irises. And to top it all a fort on top of the hill. It feels as if the artist has taken his paint pot and thrown all his colours out. Springtime is lovely in Tuscany.



Our Bible the camperstop told us there was another sosta just below the fort where you could stay by the hour for a couple of euro or overnight for 10. There were no facilities but who needs them with views like these. There were a number of motorhomers there already clearly they had stayed overnight . We joined them paid our 2 euros and walked up the hill into the town. The book got this one right .



Monteriggioni is a medieval walled town, located on a natural hillock, built by the Sienese in 1214–19 as a front line in their wars against Florence . During the conflicts between Siena and Florence in the Middle Ages, the city was strategically placed as a defensive fortification. It also withstood many attacks from both the Florentines and the forces of the Bishop of nearby Volterra . In 1554 the Sienese were able to place control of the town's garrison to Giovannino Zeti, who had been exiled from Florence. In 1554, in an act of reconciliation with the Medicis Zeti simply handed the keys of the town over to the Medicean forces - considered a "great betrayal" by the town's people.The walls are impressive and were the last stand of defence of the Siennese against the Florentines . Built to keep those pesky Florentines out they surrounded what must be the tiniest town you ever could wish to see . A few houses mellow stoned line the streets. As always there is a small piazza with houses, artisan shops dark and cavernous inside selling local cheese, local ham and wine and all manner of Panforte that Siennese delight of a sweet. The smell of herbs and spices a heady mix. We had to go in and buy some. It would have been rude not to have. This candied treat of Panforte is jam packed with calories, full of candied fruits and nuts and topped with icing sugar. If you have never tried Panforte hunt out an Italian shop and buy some. It is one of those rare treats to savour. There is nothing like it nothing to compare it with. Slice it thinly and savour every little piece of it as if you are never going to have any again. There is no palazzo publico I guess you don’t need one in such a small commune and in a fort where defence was the main reason for its being.

It was as quiet as the grave . The small church Romanesque in form was open and was quite a moving space. Even not being religious it was perhaps easier to imagine communing with god or gods in such a charming , quiet and still place. It has a peace about which can be lacking in the larger churches .

There is not much to do in Monteriggioni but it is a place to walk round slowly and savour the quietness . Even after Prato it felt peaceful. Imagine what it would feel like after bustling Siena or Florence. We were pleased that after all this time and a few aborted visits we managed to get parked up and spent some time out in the sun enjoying such a lovely place .

All the pieces of this jigsaw were there. And Suzy basked in the sun.



We are now a week into the holiday the weather is almost perfect and we have yet to find anywhere crowded. Everywhere is open apart from some of the sostas although things may change as we cruise further down into Italy. The season starts late here for some reason and we are finding many campsites have not yet opened their doors. But this has not proved a problem. We did worry about coming early with the weather not yet picked up but we feel the lack of crowds have far outweighed the lack of any decent weather. We probably would travel early again next year if we get chance to do so. WiFi has been more of a problem . The sostas do not have Wifi, the campsites have had poor reception poor but we have found we have not missed it that much. We have not missed TV nor have we missed the shenanigans back home where election fever must be building up with only two weeks to go.

We have travelled over a thousand miles and are averaging around 27.1 or 27.4 mpg on the van. The roads have been relatively quiet . But towards the weekend Italy wakes up, the motorhomes hit the road and the families head for the coast. It is not quiet even in April at weekends. .

Book of choice this week is In the Dark by Mark Billingham, a dark thriller set around drug gangs and warfare and corruption. TV has been non existent since we left Susa . The Astra satellite move has meant where we got British TV before now we fail. The only thing we have missed is the Argentinian Moto GP where our hero Valentino Rosso won in some style after an altercation with Mark Marquez. Who needs Tv with wonderful scenery , good wine and a slice of Panforte .

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