Advertisement
Before you hear about the splendid Tuscany countryside and our adventures there; I must share what I will call "obtaining our rental car experience". After a quick walk over to the Vatican post office to mail post cards our last morning in Rome, we were ready to be driven back to the airport to pick up the car. We found out (due to some sort of a strike) our driver would be very delayed. Michele, the man who owned the B & B told us he would arrange for a taxi to take us, because if
we just took one, we would really get 'taken', if you know what I mean... So he came down to the street and got it all arranged. Let me share, you have not really lived until you've been a passenger in a Roman taxi! Part Space Mountain, part Indy 500, with NO safety flags. Once safely to the airport and hands unpried from interior of taxi we find Dollar Rentals and are informed we've been upgraded. Great! From an itsy bitsy car to a micro, which is fine. We wanted a small car after our experience on the narrow roads in the UK 5 years
Our room in Tuscany
Home away from home. ago. But when they handed us the sheet that shows damage to the car, it had marks EVERYWHERE! And in Italian it said dent, scratch, more dents, scratches, missing, as in the fronts of both side mirrors, and when Buff questioned the agent about looking at the car and what to do, if something else was noticed, she assured him
everything was on there. Well, everything was, except the fact that it barely had a reverse gear, the rear license plate rattled like it was going to drop off any second and there was a piece in front of the trunk that
did fall off any time we opened the trunk. We did love our Nissan Micro though. It had such personality!
After a
brief discussion about buying maps of Italy and deciding not to - we had some in our Fodor's Guide to Italy and what Dollar had given us to get out of the airport - we took off for the Autostrada. That is the equivalent to Interstate here in the U.S. and it's mostly toll road with service areas (gas, ready-to-eat food, shopping, toilette, rest areas, etc.). Buff did all the driving and I was navigator.
We did great and pretty soon were on our way to San Donato in Chianti where our home would be for the next week. B & B Pallazo Malaspina. As it was spring, everything was green and there were wildflowers, especially red poppies everywhere! I almost couldn't believe we were really in Tuscany. It's gorgeous! The countryside is everything it's billed to be, picturesque, with olive tree orchards, vineyards and walled fortress cities up on top of a hill ever so often. Medieval Siena is one such city, built on three ridges we later found out. It was high on our list to visit and we practically had to drive through it to get to the B & B, so we thought why not see it on the way up? We stopped and ate at a little cafe when we were
in Siena, and then headed for the "city center". Two hours later, that medieval town, which
maybe an arch we had glimpsed, had kicked our butts! We got back on our route for San Donato only to find ourselves on a well traversed part of our 'travels through Siena'. We will be back Siena!
Uneventful arrival at San
Donato, but can you imagine a very small town, with cobblestone streets only 1 car width wide? Signs point us to the B & B, we pull up, unload and Maria, the owner, takes us to our room. I am not kidding when I tell you I got tears in my eyes when she shows us our room and opens these 2 big shuttered doors to a balcony with views out over the Tuscan landscape. Buff goes to park the car, and then we witness our first of many splendid sunsets in Italy.
In the interest of time, and not losing you to sheer boredom; I will condense the next week and let some of the pictures do the speaking.
Disclaimer: Pictures are not allowed to be taken in the museums or some of the Duomos/churches and copyrighted material - our postcards of the Duomos and towns are cool, but copyrighted. : ( .
Day 1
Walked San Donato, very fine town. Went to Poggibonsi and did laundry. A nice Italian lady tried to help us, but spoke no English. I wanted to do our darks in cold - "freddo", but she really didn't want us to. We
View from street of San Donato
It was hard to pick just one picture. did anyway, and she probably thought we were 'che stupidaggine!' We ended up really liking Poggibonsi, it's kind of a working people's town, not fancy or anything. We had to drive through it several times. Plus it's just fun to say. The weather is cool, but San Donato's gelateria is just a couple of doors down from the B & B. We'll be fine...
Day 2
We decide to tackle Montepulciano. Armed with a very specific map from Maria we take off on the most scenic drive and are successful in getting there, parking and exploring on foot (which is how it's typically done) our first medieval hilltown! Our first duomo, first hilltown shops, gelaterias, food, Tuscan door knockers. Just letting the entire experience soak in. On the way back to B & B we drive past Siena, but not enough time or confidence to tackle it yet. Besides, I saw a castle that I think Buff will like. Turns out it's a perfectly preserved Tuscan village all within it's original defensive walls. Tight! As the youth would say. Back home to a great supper at the restaurant next door and guess what for dessert? What flavor shall we have
Montepulciano
We saw everyone take a picture here, just like us... tonight darling?
Day 3
We think we can, we think we can, we think we can, we know we can, we did it! Siena is conquered! And what a worthy hilltown for us to 'conquer'. We are getting the knack of it. This is one of the most interesting and beautiful of the cities. It has a great central square called the Campo where a horse-race is actually run twice a year. Gorgeous Duomo! The facade and interior are awe-inspiring with a small room called the Libreria Piccolomini filled with large books of calligraphy and illuminated drawings of scenes from the Bible. The walls are covered with "vivid" frescoes done in 1509 by an Umbrian (area South of Tuscany) artist. Also continued on to San Gimignano this day, via Poggibonsi. San G. is known as 'the medeival Manhattan' for it's ancient towers, had 72 at one time, 14 today. Never got any good photos of the town. Bused up from parking, loooooooong walk down. My favorite church of all was here. It's called the Collegiate Church of San G. and the entire right and left walls of the central aisle are covered with 'majestic cycles of frescoes' stories of Old
Testament (L),
New Testament (R). Even though some are partially destroyed, they are most wonderful I saw the entire trip with one exception - see Milan.
Day 4 & 5
Spent in Florence. We had navigational problems our first time going in to Florence, finally asked Polizia for help. Very friendly, drew us a route on our map - lots of one way streets. I had pre-purchased the tickets. Late, but WE SAW MICHELANGELO'S DAVID! All I will say is magnificent! And done out of marble that had been rejected by other artists as unsuitable for sculpting! Ate lunch at a great little trattoria when we got caught in a downpour. Also saw and walked over Ponte Vecchio. Never saw so much gold & silver in my life! The Uffizi Museum should take days to see properly. We saw as much as we could. Leonardo da Vinci's 'Holy Family' is there. Loved it! Tried to see 'Expulsion from the Garden' by Masaccio. It's in a small chapel in Florence, but a choir practice was being held and the area was roped off.
Day 6
Pisa and Lucca. Couldn't leave without seeing the leaning tower. Will actually let the pictures do
Montepulciano, steep street
Beautiful place to sit and eat... the talking. Lucca (birthplace of Puccini) was probably the most humble of the famous Tuscan towns we visited. Ate at a trattoria there, and gelato too. And lots more gelato in San Donato I haven't mentioned. : ) Tomorrow we are off to Milan!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.155s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 11; qc: 49; dbt: 0.039s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
Oriana
non-member comment
Foodie?
What food did you like best?