Tuscan travels

Today was our last day in beautiful Tuscany and although we have not had the sort of weather we had envisaged and hoped for, it has still been an amazing experience. I would come back to Tuscany in a heartbeat. 

Our driver Filippo picked us up at 9:30 am and we embarked on a whirlwind tour of Tuscany.  We drove first, through the picturesque countryside and winding roads to Pienza - a beautiful village about an hour and a half from Radda. It was raining when we arrived, and we were only given an hour to spend, but we could have wandered the amazing streets and explored the multitude of shops selling handcrafted goods for much longer. And then there was the view, the view from the town wall over the Tuscan valleys to the hills beyond, dotted with vineyards, olive groves and the quintessential rows of cypress trees was simply stunning. 

We met up with Filippo at the designated time and he moved us on to Montalcino, a bigger village than Pienza and lacking some of the charm.  Like most Tuscan towns it was built high on a hill and the cobblestone streets were very steep and lined with colourful flags.  The shops here, were more ‘touristy’, all peddling the same wares.  There was another lovely view at the end of the main street, but all in all, the general consensus was that we preferred Pienza and would have liked to have spent more time there.   

The final stop in our tour was to be the bigger city of Siena, renowned for its colourful marble Duomo (cathedral) and its fan-shaped central square, Piazza del Campo, where the Palio, a famous horse race is held biannually.  We took in both these sights and also some amazing views of the city which from the outside looks like buildings stacked on buildings.  This incredible view was one we were able to enjoy while eating delicious pizza at the restaurant recommended to us by Filippo.  After lunch we wandered the streets of the old quarter until rain threatened and we decided to find our driver and return to Radda before the rain really set in. 

Back at our accommodation we reconvened for cocktails in the lounge before walking across the road for some authentic pasta and a rather noisy evening of celebrating our last night in Tuscany, a place that will remain in our hearts forever .