Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Siena, Italy with side trip to Montalcino
We had a leisurely and late breakfast at the Hotel Italiano. While packing our car before beforehand, I chatted briefly with a fellow in the parking lot. He was chain-smoking, watching me in a distracted manner, so I said hi as I was closing up the trunk. He was an American, the midlands somewhere judging from his accent and lack of southern or northeast, and yet he didn't sound west coast. He had spent the last week in Milano on business, and he and his wife were now on a few days holiday. They had trained to Firenze and picked up a Europcar rental and were driving it south to Roma before flying back to the US. Ok, fine, sounds nice. Then started the bad news of the wrong car, no GPS, no map, and no gas in the tank when they picked it up. I got that his wife was less than thrilled with the last couple of days, and even he wasn't thrilled with the A1 highway and less so to trying consequences with Rome traffic. On the positive front, he said Route 222 from Firenze to Siena was just packed with wineries and small bed-and-breakfasts, and a lovely route to tour. Thanks, said I, and offered our observations on RS 249 running down to Ovietto and parallel to the frantic A1. Later we met up with him in the breakfast room, his wife in tow, and Dick and Shiela as well. More chatter, and his continued concerns about Rome traffic. At least, he said, he would be avoiding the center of town as he only had to return the car to the office near the train station. Uh-oh, that's a problem as the train station is smack in the center of the city, totally unlike North America. Jan broke the news to him, and his face fell. A few minutes later she went over to him with one of our Rome city maps, showing the Europcar locations. She chatted with him and his wife, and jollied them up a bit. He still looked like a steer on the way to the last roundup as he left, but he and his wife smiled at us.
The four of us left the hotel and headed up to the Garden Hotel where we had passed through yesterday afternoon while trying to find a room. We arrived and our rooms weren't ready, of course, but we checked in and then piled all of our combined luggage in the little black car, which it barely fit, then the four of us took off in Dick's car, heading south. In due course, guided by the GPS, we reached the small hill town of Montalcino, center of the Brunella wine region, reached by narrow and winding roads through spectacular and beautiful hilly Tuscan countryside. The grapes had been picked at this time in the season, and the vines all trimmed up a bit, but the presence of the masses of vinyards was certain testimony to the fact that we were in the heart of Italy's wine region, Tuscany.
We wound around and around, up the hill, and eventually we arrived at - what else? - a castle with a small and old group of stone buildings at the base and a lovely little hilltown all around, with the terracotta roofs and multicolored houses all in fine repair. We parked, three euro for an hour, please, expensive around here. We wandered a bit, but the focus was on the high ground, the castle, because that's where the wine tasting experience started. Shiela's scooter performed will, and soon all four of us were up the steep path, across the drawbridge, through the castle portals, and inside. Now the fun can start, bring on the wine, said Dick. I was less enthusiastic, as I felt ill from motionsickness due to watching the GPS so intently in my unaccustomed role as navigator. I gave Jan a bad time yesterday, too much tension for me and I lost it a bit, so she said 'you do it' today. Try as I may, she wouldn't change her mind and I was stuck with the duty. To justify myself a bit, I was trying to do a Very Good Job, but just got myself dizzy and motion-sick along the way. After a bit I had to just focus on the horizon, but by then we were on the highway to our destination so I was OK as far as direction went. But, I still was a bit queasy and that wine didn't look that good to me anymore.
We had no choice but to go up about six steps to a terrace for the wine-tasting, so Dick and I helped Shiela up while we left the scooter at the bottom. Our hostess was 'Sylvia', and all four of us fell in love with her. She lived on a small wine-making farm nearby (30,000 bottles a year, while a lot of wine to me, is considered 'small' in the game over here) with her husband and five daughters. Originally from Verona, she had lived in Tuscany for 23 years and the wine region was home to her now. Wine was clearly her passion (though with five kids, one would think she was no stranger to passions of one sort or another) and her retelling the lore and legend of the Tuscany region was fascinating and interesting in extreme. The tasting progressed, and Dick in due course bought a bottle of wine from her estate, though he said he would not be drinking it soon. He wants to stare at it lovingly for a few years yet, until the tanin fades a bit. He says.
Leaving the castle and the Sylvia Experience, we moved out to the high garden and took a bunch of pictures, then back down through the portals and down the steep walkway to the town. We wandered the town a bit, looking for priceless purchases at bargain prices (None, of course) but bought some stuff anyway.
Then heading back to the barn, we got lost. The GPS said 5th exit, the driver took the 4th exit because it looked like a remembered path, now I know how Jan feels. We toured the hillside for a while until the error of our ways became blindingly obvious, then turned around. I couldn't resist a sanctimonious comment or two to the driver, I learned that from Jan too, and about a half hour later we were back at the top of the hill and on the right path (path to rightousness?) again and on our way home. Along the highway, I made an error regarding a turn (actually the GPS did it, I NEVER make misteaks) so Dick got to holler at me to get even.
After a relaxing remainder of the day, including a decision to stay another night in this lovely hotel, we had dinner and a nice evening.
Tomorrow, more wine country, to the north into the Chianti region.
