11:50, Siena.

We had a lovely day driving through Tuscany in our little Smart car which we have named "Principessa". After heading out of Florence (a very lengthy procedure involving many wrong turns) we headed south through increasingly interesting terrain towards Montalcino. We stopped for a picnic lunch with a bottle of Rosso in the small garden of the 14th century fortezza, which is at the top of two valleys. Extremely pleasant!

After lunch we had a lovely scenic drive over to Montepulciano. We didn't stop for long but had a walk around the town including a stop in a wine store where the storeowner sucked us in with a couple of free samples. So in summary we bought some great wines and will be bringing a couple home to add to our ridiculously full cellar (recently filled with the leftovers from the wedding party).

We found our way back to Siena without trouble but had some difficulty finding anywhere to park. The town is packed for the Palio (tomorrow). After a hot and bothered long walk with all our luggage to our hotel (which is a bit of a disappointment in location, noise, and heat) we went for a nice walk downtown. The whole centre of the town is a massive medeval maze spread out on the top of a couple of connected hills -- completely gorgeous. The Campo, the town square, is a wonderful sight with the old town hall and its towering tower lit up across from the banked semicircle of spectator seats (the race is held held in the square). The square was full of interesting looking restaurants and we're planning on heading back this evening to eat and hopefully catch the last of the race trials.
posted by Tom at 5:52 AM | link |