Hi everyone! Summer is just about over, but I still have Europe on my mind. Visiting three countries in two weeks is something I’ll never forget. We’re already starting to plan for next year. Until then, I want to continue to share the experience with you all.
As I mentioned before, we hit the ground running as soon as we landed in Rome. We visited the Colesseum the very first day we arrived, then it was on to Venice. I’ll share about Venice in my next post, but I wanted to focus on day three, the day we took a bus tour to Tuscany. I learned that in Italy most of the areas in the country are called regions. Well, that’s what I’m going to call them while I write about them because I didn’t get the official geography lesson about Italy in school, but I digress.
We met at the Piazza del Popolo, met our tour guide, then proceeded to our charter bus. The drive to Tuscany was scenic. I’ve seen several movies and documentaries with the hills of Italy in the background. Things do look amazing in HD, but it still doesn’t do it justice. You have to see certain things in person. Italy is a beautiful country.
We went to the city of Montepulciano which is a Renaissance hill town in the Italian province of Siena in southern Tuscany. It literally is a city on a hill. It sits high on a 605-metre (1,985-foot) limestone ridge. We all made the climb through the city passing shops and places of worship. A scene from the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun” was also filmed there. The city is rich in history and a popular tourist attraction, especially if you’re into wine tasting. We only spent a couple of hours there, but it was more than enough. You can enjoy this city in a day. It is worth a look. We went to have gelato and I couldn’t have enough. I tried the lemon flavor and didn’t care how much Euro I spent. Excellent!
If you do visit Montepulciano, be prepared to walk uphill. There are no escalators or elevators. If you count your steps, you will hit your goal with no problem. It’s good exercise, but if you don’t like walking uphill, then you might want to wait at the bus stop.
When we were done in Montepulciano we all went to a family restaurant and winery called “Ristorante della Fattoria Pulcino.” English translation, “The Restaurant of the Farm.” We were given a tour of the wine cellar and then had an amazing lunch which consisted of homemade spaghetti, cheeses, and assorted meats like prosciutto. When I say homemade, the pasta, sauce, and cheese, were all homemade. The restaurant and winery lives up to its name. Yes, they also provided a few wines to taste as well. I’m not much of a drinker so I can’t tell you about how the wine tasted, but our fellow travelers seemed to be enjoying themselves as I didn’t see any wine left in the glasses.
It was the perfect day. Well, almost. The combination of the heat and jet lag hit me pretty hard, but I made the best of it. I highly recommend taking a trip to this region. This is just a taste of what Tuscany has to offer. Oh, and Andrea Bocelli does live in Tuscany. He lives in the city of Lajatico, which isn’t far from Montepulciano. No, I didn’t see him on this trip, but we have seen him twice in concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
Our day in Tuscany was worth it. It’s a beautiful region of Tuscany that is worth a look. It is a tourist attraction, but you don’t get the crowds you get in Rome. Add it to your bucket list. You’ll thank me later.
Thanks for reading! Next stop, Venice! Ah, Venetia!
Ristorante della Fattoria Pulcino
City Wonders Tuscany Day Trip from Rome
All photos, except for the first one, were taken by me. I will tell you about Venice next time. Thanks again for reading. Share my site with your family and friends.