After a prompt wake-up at our camp site due to hoards of children splashing in the pool at 8am, we readied the bike for yet another day touring Tuscany. Our morning stops included Monteriggioni and Montalcino, the latter which I had visited previously about two years ago. Monteriggioni was recommended to us by locals of the area during a bar stop, described enthusiastically as a hilltop medieval town not to be missed. And right they were. It is quite a sight to behold as you drive up being completely flanked on all sides by tall, intimidating, stone walls like something out of a fairy tale. You can pay a small entrance fee to climb up and walk the passageway along the walls which once guarded this city, money well spent as the view of the Tuscan countryside is priceless and you can even test your eyesight to find Siena on the horizon.
Around mid-day we picked up two panini from a little shop in Siena, threw them in our backpack and headed out in search of the perfect picnic spot. We drove a dirt road until we found a clearing lined with cypress trees that just felt like Tuscany should. I could've stayed there all day, soaking up the sun and the sweet aroma of those trees if it were not for our impending next stop of Montalcino.
Personally, I was most excited to head over to Montalcino- knowing that it is the home of my favorite wine (Brunello di Montalcino) and the frequent rival of world renowned Bordeaux. I was just itching for the moment those drops of ruby red would reach my lips, having had quite the memorable introductory experience to this particular wine on a vineyard tour with my mother. By a stoke of luck, we happened to stop there the day the four contrade (quarters) were coming together to take part in an archery contest in the Fortezza which is done in full Medieval costume, opening with a parade through the city. This apparently occurs just twice a year in Montalcino, so traveller's luck really does exist! The first photo below is me with my first glass of a 2010 Brunello (the earliest year available since a true Brunello can only be sold 5 years after the year of harvest, 6 years for it to be called a Riserva).
Personally, I was most excited to head over to Montalcino- knowing that it is the home of my favorite wine (Brunello di Montalcino) and the frequent rival of world renowned Bordeaux. I was just itching for the moment those drops of ruby red would reach my lips, having had quite the memorable introductory experience to this particular wine on a vineyard tour with my mother. By a stoke of luck, we happened to stop there the day the four contrade (quarters) were coming together to take part in an archery contest in the Fortezza which is done in full Medieval costume, opening with a parade through the city. This apparently occurs just twice a year in Montalcino, so traveller's luck really does exist! The first photo below is me with my first glass of a 2010 Brunello (the earliest year available since a true Brunello can only be sold 5 years after the year of harvest, 6 years for it to be called a Riserva).
A glass of Brunello and several cheeses later, it was late afternoon and the air was starting to change. We could smell a storm brewing and the dark grey skies were telling us to get a move on. We decked out in rain gear and directed the bike to Montichiello, a town that literally IS a postcard of Tuscany. You know the postcards with the winding roads lined by cypress trees that immediately come to mind when one thinks of Italy? That photograph was probably taken in and around Montichiello. We had initially wanted to stay in the town but every B&B we knocked on was either full or the owners away on their own vacation. So, only feeling slightly dejected, we spent the night in Chianciano Terme. The best way I can describe this town is as Italy's version of Atlantic City, a once vibrant and booming resort town that has since gone out of fashion, hence the cheap hotel rates. We actually had a very enjoyable evening, having dinner in our hotel with all of the (now 'older') regulars that had started coming to the terme when it was all the rage and never stopped. Check out the photographs below of the roads leading up to and away from Montichiello. Even in the rain, it was simply gorgeous.
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