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Published: October 22nd 2017
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Geo: 42.8837, 11.5353
Wednesday (yesterday), we awoke to sunshine and rising temperature, though the ground was still sodden from the previous evening's thunderstorm. We set out the damp bits and pieces out to dry off.
After breakfast, I logged on to the excellent free wifi (not available across the site, but there's a spacious sitting cum relaxing room where there is a fast, strong signal) to check mail and the weather outlook.
After seven weeks on the road, my hair was in need of attention. Despite having a short crop by my recent standards back in May, it had become difficult to manage, so off I went to ask about local hairdressers. Not only were they able to recommend a salon that would take 'walk in' clients but Antonio kindly offered to run me down into the town and personally introduce me given my limited Italian! What this site lacks in plush, modern facilities, it makes up with good old-fashioned friendliness and service.
I showed the hairdresser the pic of Judi Dench on my iPod and asked for 'corti', so within an hour the job was done, complete with blow dry and hairspray. (No wearing of sun hats today!)
On getting back to the site, I
stopped off at reception to show Antonio and Giovanna the end result and to voice my appreciation for their help in achieving my now tidy locks.
After a quick coffee, we were soon on the road bound for Pienza which was on our list of places to visit. The route was very rural taking us through the Val d'Orcia - by some reports one of the most beautiful areas of Tuscany - and the vast landscape panorama of gently rolling hills dotted with hilltop villages and cypresses bore this out. You could see for miles and miles.
Pienza is not huge (you can walk the length of the main thoroughfare in five minutes) so armed with a list of sights to look out for and places to eat, we took to exploring the narrow streets in search of lunch and finally settled on a small establishment (La Buca di Enea) where David ordered spaghetti (no surprises there) and for me a savoury filled crepe, and a carafe of local red. As an appetiser, we were brought a small dish of cheesy fondue and bread, which was very tasty, as were our mains when served.
Well, with everything tasting so good, you just have
to take a peek at the dessert menu, so we opted to share a portion of the Siena speciality of panforte - a confection of nougat, candied peel and almonds - with which we were offered a sweet fortified wine. Absolutely delicious! Not gourmet dining, or vast quantities, but this must be on the list of favourite meals so far and good value at 36€ including David's cappuccino.
Next stop, a wine merchant given that we are in an excellent area for some of our favourite reds. David chose a couple of bottles for his special occasion 'cellar', so these may be on the Christmas dinner table. Despite our reluctance to buy souvenirs throughout the trip, this must be a justifiable exception to the rule!
By mid afternoon, our meanderings were interrupted by a rain shower, and our parking time was very soon up, so we made a dash for the car and made our way back to Castel del Piano where we have neighbours - a Belgian couple.
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