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Jamy and I are coming to the realization that we may have less than 7 months left in Italy. As a result, we are taking the opportunity to head away every chance we get. In April we decided to take a weekend trip back up to Tuscany as it is only a five hour drive from Naples. We had visited previously but still had many of the smaller hill towns to visit. We found Millie friendly accommodation in an agriturismo near San Gimignano which is one of the more famous hill towns in Tuscany. An agriturismo is a 'bed and breakfast' style place, usually part of the owners house and located on their farm. It turned out to be ideal as the property had a couple of acres of vineyards and olive groves which we were free to wander with Millie who thought all her Christmases had come at once.
The town of San Gimignano is a small walled medieval town which is renowned for its towers which can be seen from many kilometers away. The towers were mostly built in the 13th Century and are thought to have served as both defensive arrangements as well as symbols of the
wealth and power for the families that owned then. At one time there were believed to have been around 72 towers in the town but today only 14 survive. They remain impressive though as some of the towers are over 50 meters high.
We arrived in San Gimingano in time for lunch and found a cute outside cafe where we could watch the world (and tourists) go by. There is really only one main street in the town so it is crowded with restaurants and shops selling everything from the local wine, cheeses and meats to paintings and tourist trinkets. After gelato (world famous according to the sign!) in the town square we headed back to the agriturismo and spent a lovely afternoon walking the olive groves and vineyards with Millie who tore up and down the rows of grapes exploring but always coming back to check that we were still wandering along with her. Fortunately the incline of the property meant that this completely exhausted her and we were able to take her out to one of the best restaurants in town and she passed out under the table. Dinner was a degustation affair - 5 courses of
exquisite food with very different central ingredients to those in Naples. Whilst Naples dishes center around fish and vegetables, a menu in Tuscany will almost always feature lamb, boar and a variety of pates and livers.
We were sad to leave the property the next day and are definitely keen to return again for another weekend. We drove to Sienna which is one of the largest towns in Tuscany. It is famous for its large town square (recently featured in a Bond Film car scene) which is used twice a year to stage a world famous horse race between the 15 rival 'clans.' We had visited Sienna previously but had to return in order to visit one of the more macabre sites which we missed the first time. We headed for Saint Catherine's to visit her! St Catherine is Sienna's home grown Saint. Quite bizarely her head is preserved as part of the altar in the church and a finger is encased in a little box further along the church wall. Apart from a bit of a black coloured nose, her face is still in remarkably good condition for a lady of almost 700 years. No photos are allowed
however so you will need to visit yourself to see it!
After a hot chocolate in the square (it was a fairly chilly day), we headed for Montalcino which is another hilltop town famous for its red wine. As it was a blustery, rainy day by this stage, we found a winery/ restaurant tucked away in the old town fort where we had a delicious lunch in a cosy centuries old room surrounded by bottles of wine. Our final stop for the day was Castello Banfi which is one of the more famous wineries in Italy. The tasting room is located in an old castle which is perched up on a hill with a great view of the surrounding countryside. Unfortunately for me the wines were apparently delicious and Jamy thoroughly enjoyed the experience which was even more special as we were the only ones there for the day and had the tasting room to ourselves. He did buy a couple of cases for the collection though so I guess I can try them in a few more months!
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Pam Wall
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Did you know we are in UK for a year?
I think not because your last blog came soon after our arrival in January. I am contracted until the end of the year on a visa that allows me to work in a profession which UK can't fill - Science teacher. School is hideous, an Academy with the most depressing varieties of humans there. But it is an experience - and it pays the bills for all the other things I wanted to do and haven't been able to do since 1969 when I lived here the first time. Rich and Toni are finishing his Staff college appointment in July. We are near Luton and they are in Swindon about an hour 30 away but we have seen them and their child/dog (black lab called Bella) once. He has been awarded his Lt Colonelship and they go back to ACT and have bought a being built townhouse. We are skiing for Christmas in Val di Fasso and then tidy up the rented apartment and send stuff home to leave the UK on Jan3rd. In Singapore for a few days and back in Aus on 7th. Then next year the ICW in our ketch, Morning Star, which is sitting waiting for us in Florida! We won't be near Naples having "done" that area before but will be in Pisa at a hotel cum old monastery called Santa Croce as a base for the Cinqueterra on Aug 5 and 6 and then near Lake Como in a splurge of a hotel in the mountains, the Hotel Merloni, on 6,7 and 8th. Then we go to Interlaken. If you are doing any more weekends away and are near these places we would just love to meet up with you. Always love your blogs. Thanks for the updates. Love Pam and WW