Isabella (and co) have gone to great lengths creating a travel guide, Discover Hidden Tuscany. We've used it to get from here to there but today was the first day we followed an almost complete itinerary. We followed Scenic Backroads to Montepulciano.
The first stop of this itinerary was Sant'Anna in Camprena. Isabella and Carlo are friends of Ornella and Stefano who manage the agriturismo located within the monastery. That sounds different, doesn't it? Sant'Anna in Campreno is an ancient monastery built in a primitive Lombard fort that was given to the Olivetan monks in the 14th century. The bell tower, the church, the convent, and the cloister were all built in the 15th century. This setting was also used in a scene in The English Patient. I think I saw that movie but can't recall any of it right now. I believe it might have been Ornella who drove away as we walked up to knock on the door. We weren't able to get inside, but even if someone had answered our knock, we wouldn't have been able to enter the church because it was closed due to a fire. The outside, especially the views, were lovely
From Sant'Anna in Camprena, we headed to Castelmuzio. We've been hearing about Catelmuzio all week. The Moricciani family owns property in Castelmuzio as well as owning Cretaiole. Guests from that property have been joining us for excursions all week. I was curious to see this little village with only 250 permanent residents. Castelmuzio is an ancient village dating back to the Etruscans. It's built on a volcanic limestone hilltop overlooking Val d'Orcia. You can see part of what was a fortified castle. After walking through the medieval arch, we followed windy streets until we reached a gorgeous viewing area (a belvedere in Italian). We continued following the same road and eventually arrived in the very small main piazza. There's only one restaurant/café in the whole town and it is right in the piazza. We stopped in for espresso and to use the facilities.
It was recommended that we visit Pieve di Santo Stefano a Cennano before heading to the next village, Montisi. Not only did we we miss the turn-off, we missed finding the recommended parking area in Montisi and couldn't find parking in the next area. So much for visiting Montisi. (I think that might have been where Antonella, our guide from Siena, suggested we go to have gelato or pastries at a shop run by a man from Sicilia.
The directions from Montisi to the next village, Montefollonico, were interesting. Between Montisi and Montefollonico, you will discover a gorgeous hidden back road that very few people ever use... There are no signs, but as you cross the road you will pass on the left side a tiny chapel (reddish in color). In approximately 0.5 km the paved road becomes a dirt road. Simply enjoy the country drive along this road for 4.7 km. Stop, take photos, drive slowly - you probably won't see any other cars along the way. We bounced along a bit and decided to stop and take some photos. When Lou went to continue on, we stalled. It's like our cute adorable Fiat 500C didn't have the oomph to get started up a hill on a gravel road. Although we passed two more very scenic spots, we decided it was best to keep moving and not stop.
Both of us loved Montefollonico, our favorite stop of the day. It's so off the beaten path that until we were eating lunch, we saw no other tourists. And they were Giacomo and Sharon, following the same itinerary we were following. It's like we had stepped back in time.
When we first passed through the entrance to this walled village, we smelled something delicious. Returning to our car, we smelled it again. Our guidebook suggested we stop at "13 Gobbi" for a delicious, traditional Tuscan lunch. It was 12:30. Why not? Great decision. We were the only ones there and got plenty of attention. You'll have to wait for the food posts to know what we ate. For now, I'll say that we split three very different primo piattos. Delicious and special. As we were eating, I saw Sharon come to the door, look in partway and walk away. Lou ran out to get them. They came in to eat. Since we so enjoyed our lunch, they ordered the exact same things.
Rather than take another "hidden road" to Montepulciano, which I'm sure would have been quite scenic, I set the TomTom for the coordinates for the parking lot outside the walls of Montepulciano. We followed a crazy windy road instead. Once we started to walk into the village, I realized I'd forgotten the Rick Steves guide I'd brought along from Cretaiole in the car. We'd just have to wing it. We knew Montepulciano would be big. That's where the area high school is. It's the big farming center in Val d'Orchia. We walked up the main street and Lou stopped at a leather/souvenir shop. Right outside was an olive wood spoon he's been looking for since his mother first expressed wanting one in 1982. It cost €20, but hey, if you have been waiting for over 30 years to find this special spoon - and then you find it, €20 doesn't seem so high. We'll think of Lou's mom - and this trip to Italy - every time we use this spoon.
Continuing up the main drag, there were tons of shops, tons of tourists and way too much traffic for the very narrow streets crowded with pedestrians. Fellow guests from Cretaiole, Ken and Carol, were leaving Montepulciano as we were heading in. Carol was very excited about seeing a Dustin Hoffman movie being "filmed" in the main piazza. She told us to take the direct route rather than the panoramic route. The climb got steeper and steeper. We passed a few wine caves, a theater where we heard a woman singer practicing scales. And then I saw my first 14th century character. I knew we were close.
Talk about cool. We walked about the piazza for a few minutes until we were shooed off to the side. We hung around the barrier for a bit just a asking it all in! It was fascinating. I decided then and there that I'd go see this movie when it comes out. It doesn't hurt that I'm a huge Dustin Hoffman fan.
Since we couldn't explore the area of the main piazza and we had no interest in seeing the wine caves, we headed back the way we came. I did realize while walking up this steep road that if have to walk back down s-l-ow-l-y, I'm not so sure Lou realized this until we were actually walking down. Remember my fear of falling and my sore knee?
We turned off the road twice. Once because we saw a beautiful view when peeking through a vicolo. You might be wondering what a vicolo is. It's a tiny covered alley way, super steep, most often used as a shortcut between levels of the town. The reason they are covered was to connect the buildings on both sides, strengthening the integrity of the structure of the town. Seriously? It must be working since centuries and centuries later, the town still exists. The other time we turned off was to use the bathroom.
At nearly the bottom we stopped for some gelato. After all, we'd climbed the equivalent of 36 flights of stairs already.
Once in the car, we tried to find an agriculture center or society on the TomTom. Lou would like to try to buy some tomato seeds. It seemed as though each place I found was in the restricted zone. Lou was driving while I programmed the coordinates for Cretaiole. We were heading in the wrong direction when we passed a nursery. We made a u-turn and stopped in. Wrong season for tomato seeds, we were told. We probably can't find them anywhere.
Time to take the direct route back to Cretaiole. The drive back was all of about 20 minutes.
Once we returned, Lou swept the dust off the roll top of our car while I waved to Jennifer who was sitting, reading, relaxing and enjoying the view. After dumping things off in the room, I returned outside with my camera. Jennifer was standing near the building. Her relaxation ended as a wolf approached her. A wolf!
I took a few more photos. First we went to the garden to pick a tomato and some fennel for dinner and then we headed inside to pack, clean out the fridge and eat our final home cooked meal. Tomato salad, leftover pizza and some fennel.
Lou had gone to sleep and I was in bed in my pajamas when there was a knock at the door. It was close to 11pm. Luciano for a late final night grappa fest? We didn't answer the door so I guess we'll never know. Our stay at Cretaiole is coming to an end.
Buena notte.
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