Blogs from Pienza, Tuscany, Italy, Europe - page 2

From Buon Convento we moved on to our stay for the night at a farm. Podere Il Casale. We had read about this sosta/farm on the internet and many travellers had recommended it saying that it was a quiet stopover with fabulous views of Monte Amiata and the wonderful Tuscan countryside. The rain started to come in and the sky darkened as we pointed Suzy in the direction of the farm. We were hoping for a couple of restful days doing nothing much. And hereby hangs a tail. We skirted Pienza and found the grey road which led to the farm. A grey road in Italy is an unmade road made up of limestone which is dusty in the dry and becomes a mud bath in the wet. We had often travelled up them and they ... read more

Pienza… wonderful! Thursday 7 June 2012 My best day so far! Today for my lesson, my teacher took me down to the local market. Held weekly, just outside the town’s main gate can be found a wonderful array of fresh local fish, meat and vegetables. Check some of the photos and I’m sure you’ll see why I was so excited. Some of the food here, for cost reasons alone we would only have on special occasions in Australia. This afternoon was a whirlwind tour of some of the surrounding Toscano areas of Montepulchiano. I hired a private guide and she worked out an itinerary full of colourful shops, food and magnificent scenery. So much history in the Pienza region… home to Pope Paulo and some well-known noble families. Pienza is these days famous for its Pecorini ... read more

After the trans-Atlantic flight, the sights of Florence and the isle of Elba, we continued our exploration among the tranquility of the Tuscan countryside, where time definitely slows down amidst a stunning backdrop. Pienza is a place that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The entire surrounding valley was included on UNESCO’s World Cultural Landscape. Pretty heady stuff when you get right down to it. Stick your head out of our hotel and it is easy to see why. The colors and the contour of the landscape flowing so gently, it is a scene right out of movie. More on that later…. Our temporary domicile was conveniently located so that when we crossed the street we were within the walls of the old town, which like the many others we have encountered is ... read more

Hello from the beautiful Tuscan Hills. Many of you have read "Under the Tuscan Sun" and other books telling of the beauty of Tuscany and we are here to tell you it all true. We left Florence by train, 3 days ago for the 2 hour ride to Chiusi, Italy. With only a little confusion we found the Hertz office ( thank you Alison ;-) and a charming young man checked us in, gave us our keys to an "upgraded" car, and sent us back to the train station (or rather the post office next to it) to find our car. Armed with a license plate number we immediately went into the wrong parking lot but soon realized our mistake and backtracked around the fence to the train station and into the adjoining post office lot. ... read more

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