One of my wife’s favorite movies to watch over and over is Under the Tuscan Sun, so when we traveled to Rome she made it a point to have a day trip to Tuscany. We were scheduled to meet our tour group at 8 am in the Piazza de Popolo, so it was an early morning my wife and I, plus our four daughters. We don’t fit easily in a typical cab so the easiest way was to grab the metro. Our AirBnB was near the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, so we made our way to San Giovanni metro station and zipped up to Flaminio. The ride was quick and we negotiated our way safely across Viale del Muro Torto street and entered the Piazza.

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Given that we were early and left without morning fortitude, my eldest daughter and I dashed back towards the metro and ducked into a small coffee bar full of Romans getting ready for their work day. As typical, most drank their espresso standing up before zipping off to work. In contrast, I ordered several pastries, sodas for my daughters, a cappuccino for my wife, along with a double espresso for myself. My girls definitely get “hangry” so this was indeed a wise move. We enjoyed a bit of time and took some pictures in the piazza but soon the tour guide arrived and it was “andiamo” to the bus.

Unfortunately, our day was less than perfect with overcast skies and threatening rain, but at least we were in Italy. So life is still la dolce vita. Soon we left the bustle of Rome and were enjoying the Tuscan countryside.

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Montepulciano

The first stop was the hilltop town of Montepulciano. Simply walking up the hill and passing through the porta delle farine, I knew we weren’t in Kansas (or Charlotte) anymore. The rustic beauty of Italy can’t be matched anywhere in the US. Even with a digital camera you simply don’t have enough time to capture all the sights. I seemed to almost always be the lagging one back to the bus as I was eager to capture more.

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Walking up the Piazetta del Teatro we turned and entered the Piazza Grande with the steps heading up to the Cathedral Saint Mary Of The Assumption. The main facade is brick and lacks any typical marble adornment but the inside is very pretty. Also in the square is the Comune di Montepulciano which resembles the Medici building in Florence.

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Following our guide we made our way to the top of the town and was now free wander around for 20 minutes. My daughters ran for the nearest gelato shop and even though it was only 10 am when you are on vacation in Italy it is always gelato time. While they were busy savoring the gelati, my wife and I nosed into shops smelling the pecorino Romano cheese just waiting for spaghetti carbonara. Much too soon it was “andiamo time”!

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Abbey of Sant’Antimo

I was more than a little sad to be leaving Montepulciano so soon, but that indeed leaves more for next time. The bus picked up speed and we all settled in for a 30-minute trip to our next spot near our lunch destination. The Abbey of Sant’ Antimo is thought to have been founded in the 9th century but the church was saw “only” dated from the 12th. The abbey is set off to itself a mile or so away from the nearest village. Once one of the richest churches in the region much of its holdings and wealth have been decimated.

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Lunch at Poggio Il Castellare

Stopping in for lunch we were all ready to stretch be off the bus for a while and recharge. Stepping into the winery we were led down a short set of stairs to a cask room with tables arranged in the middle. My wife and I met a nice US doctor and his wife seated across from us and we were all poured a delicious Brunello di Montalcino. Along with this we were delivered a wonderful plate of charcuterie. Too soon our glasses were empty and I reached out to pour another glass. Unfortunately, the other table had a bottle that was turned; however, no one seemed to mind. We shared our findings with the owner who quickly concurred and brought us a fresh bottle. Life is good.

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Soon we were served pici and tuscan bread. Well sated, the family went back outside to enjoy some rare sunshine before jumping back on the bus. I delayed just a bit to purchase a few more bottle of Brunello before catching up with them.

Pienza

Our penultimate stop of the day was Pienza. To be quite honest, I don’t remember all that much about the village except for the Pienza Cathedral and the Piccolomini Palace, which was Pope Pius II’s summer residence. Most of what I accomplished was purchasing more gelato for the girls and taking lots of images of the picturesque town.

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I hope you enjoyed reliving my day in Tuscany and hope you too get a chance to visit. I am ready to go back again and maybe add Sienna into the mix. Next time too I would like to slow down a bit, enjoy some of the pecorino, more of the Brunello, and all of the beauty.

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