October 13 - 16 - On To Tuscany, Panzano, Greve, Siena, Montalcino
October 13
This was the day that challenged our flexibility. Our plan was to pick up our rental car, drive to Volterra to spend several hours, and then drive to our apartment in Castellina. However, we were not planning on car rental problems to slow us down and change our plans. We had to wait a long time for the sales person to return to the car rental office, and once we got our car, there were several problems with it that needed to be resolved. Then the oil light came on just as we were heading into Volterra and, of course, all the gas stations were now closed. So we only saw Volterra from a distance as we were waiting in the gas station.
This was our first driving experience and, although Greg did a great job, those winding roads around Volterra were challenging. Several tour busses coming towards us thought that the line in the middle of the road was only a suggestion and not necessary something to pay attention to. And the motorcycle drivers were on a suicide mission.
We arrived at Colle Lungo to check into our apartment mid-afternoon. This is a beautiful place, and we loved our stay there. Details are in my apartment review. We went to the Coop with the Slow Travelers pages in our hand. Thanks to all of you for your advice on how to handle the plastic gloves and the stickers!
Dinner was at Gallopappa – a charming restaurant that most consider one of the best around this area. (see review) The town of Castillina is smaller and quieter than I imagined. There aren’t too many retail shops there, but it’s a charming town to just stroll in.
October 14
We started off by driving to Panzano for their weekly market. Right next to the market area we wandered into Enoteca Baldi which has a wonderful selection. We saw people eating in there too and the food looked wonderful. We bought some picnic supplies at the market and headed off to Greve. I had been corresponding with the webmaster of the greve-in-chiani.com site about the yearly October antique market because the date this year was set for October 7 according to the site. Traditionally, this market is held the second Sunday. When we arrived in Greve, I was thrilled to see that the webmaster was wrong and the market was in full swing. (I later wrote to him to let him know, and he has corrected the information on the site.) Anyway, the market was very busy and we loved looking at all the booths as well as the regular shops that surround the market area.
We spent an hour or so in La Cantina de Greve which is located a block or two from the center of town. It’s down in the basement of a building, but there are several signs to guide you. This is a fun place to try a variety of wines. You can buy a card for 20.000 lire which allows you to sample the wines, olive oils or even snacks. The wines are grouped sort of by type and price, and you simply put your card in the slot and push the button on the type you wish to sample. A generous sample is then poured into your glass. We were able to try several brunellos here that we had been wanting to taste. I wanted to go to Badia a Passignano because I had read that they only open up the monastery for visitors on Sunday afternoons. This was our first experience with a "white road", and although we survived, we were not anxious to repeat the experience. Unfortunately, the monastery was closed for restoration, but the setting is simply beautiful. If anyone goes there, please let me know what we missed on the inside. There is also a small restaurant (La Scuderia) across the street from the monastery, and we could see several Italian families enjoying their Sunday meal.
October 15
This was our day in Siena. We followed the direction given to us at Colle Lungo (which are the same as the one on the Slow Travelers page about parking in Siena) and parked on the south side of Siena close to Il Compo. This was an easy way to get into the city and there were plenty of available parking spaces. (Note: We did have a problem when we left, but it was our own stupidity. The parking ramp does not give a ticket or anything when you drive in as we are used to getting. So when we went back to our car at the end of the day, we just expected to leave the ramp or pay someone as we drove out. However, at the exit there was a gate that required a card, and, of course, we didn’t have one. While Greg waited in the car, I ran to the cashier’s office, paid, and ran back to the car to get us out. I believe you need to pick up a card at the office when you arrive and then pay before you get back into your car. Next time we’ll know!)
We had made arrangements to meet with a guide for the morning in Siena. I am so glad that we did this because we learned much more about Siena and the life of the people there than we would have learned by reading a tour book. I made the arrangements directly with the guide. Her name is Nicoletta Landi and her phone number is 0577-284529. She speaks English very well and was very knowledgeable about Siena and its history. It was also fascinating to hear more about the contradas and their competition. After our tour and lunch, we wandered the streets of Siena looking at the shops. We bought some ceramic pieces which was on my list of things to find. We also found the movie of the Palio which we highly recommend for those of you who are not there in person.
We ate dinner at Osteria le Fonterutoli which is a wonderful small restaurant just south of Castillina. (see review) The food and service were outstanding.
Each night after dinner, a group would gather at the TV room in Colle Lungo to check on CNN for news. Since most of the guests were American, this was an immediate interest we all shared. We also used this time to exchange information about places we had seen or restaurants.
October 16
This was another day to be flexible. Our plan was to drive to Montalcino first, but when the navigator (that would be me) missed the turn, we made the quick decision to start our day at the Monte Oliveto Abbey. Actually, this worked out great because we were able to beat a couple of tour busses that arrived shortly after we did. The grounds are lovely, and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing the frescos and the sanctuary. Things started to get a big busy there, so we grabbed some olive oil at the gift shop and headed off to Montalcino.
Just before Montalcino we found Enoteca Fonte Petri. I had read online about this place and how they have a good selection of brunellos AND they ship back to the US. The people who had posted the information said that they received the wine, so we were ready to give it a try. The man who works there was lots of fun and as people enter the shop he tries to determine in which language to greet them. Of course, we were greeted with "Hello". We were able to try several brunellos and rossas, and Greg had a list of things he knew he wanted too. We ordered a case to be sent home plus we bought several more bottles to carry with us.
We didn’t spend much time exploring Montalcino. We were hungry and wanted to find a place to eat, and we wanted to make sure we could find Sant ‘Antimo by 2:45. We had bruschetta and soup at Taverna del Grappolo Blu, walked around a bit more, and then hopped in the car. We arrived at Sant’Antimo in plenty of time and strolled around the grounds a bit. Greg even managed to sit by a tree and take a quick nap. The chanting was interesting. Several of the monks might have been monks-in-training because they walked into the church wearing street clothes. But is was a wonderful experience, and I’m glad we made the trip.
Once again, we missed a turn driving back to Siena, and once again we tried to take advantage of our detour. This time we headed up to Gaiole and decided we would stop at the wonderful deli I have heard several of you mention. Unfortunately, it was closed that day, so we made a mental note to get back there if we could.
We returned to Al Gallopappa again for dinner. Once again, it was marvelous.
