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Sant Antonio

Lisa in Ottawa

500+ Posts
Here I am at the lovely Sant Antonio where many of the posters here and on ST have stayed. Truly a remarkable place. The weather has been spectacular. Warm, bright sunny days and cool evening. Lots of sunshine. No need for that rain jacket I packed but I could have used an extra sweater.

Tuesday is an Italian holiday so everything will be closed. Many Italians have taken a long weekend or the week off. It's very busy. We went to Pienza today and it was a sea of people. Lots of Italians including what looked like a high school soccer team. Hordes of cyclists everywhere. All very keen in their fancy racing outfits. North American cycle groups also wobbling along the roads. The usual Asian tour groups and on it goes. I was a little shocked by how busy it was. But then off the main squares, it quieted right down. We managed to find a lovely trattoria and had a delicious lunch.

Am looking forward to Siena(meeting friends for lunch), Sant Antimo and the gardens of La Foce later in the week.

I wouldn't have known about the last 2 if I hadn't read Pauline's notes and Roz's blog
Grazie :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
We were there last June and it was not that crowded in Pienza. It must be the long weekend. We did not make it to Siena on our trip and I promised myself a trip back off season - but have not organized it yet.

Remember the church opening times and chanting times for Sant'Antimo:

Visiting Hours: 10:30 - 12:30 and 15:00 - 18:30.

Rules: Silence in the church and appropriate dress.

Chanting Schedule (Orario della Preghiera) for Monday to Saturday, with different times for Sundays and holy days shown in brackets:

- 7:00 Lodi (7:30 Sunday)
- 9:00 Terza - Messa (9:00 Terza, 11:00 Messa on Sunday)
- 12:45 Sesta
- 14:45 Nona
- 19:00 Vespro (18:30 Sunday)
- 20:30 Compieta

Also: There is a good restaurant in the village beside the church, Antica Osteria Bassomondo. It is at the top of the lane that leads down to the church.

More on my notes for Sant'Antimo.

Horrible weather in the UK (cold, wind, rain) but should be changing mid-week). Lucky you in Tuscany!!
 
Our last day. It has been wonderful. Eternal sunshine:dancingcow:. The crowds thinned out considerably after the long weekend. The roads are sooo twisty turny. omg! Going to The Abbey of Sant Antimo was an experience. We underestimated how long it would take but were still quite early. Only 6 monks appeared to do the chant and 1 looked to be about 95. What happens when they die off?
La Foce was quite marvelous and now I'm reading Iris Origo's biography by Caroline Morrehead.

We love Montepulciano. We love it in the evenings when the crowds have gone. We love the little side alleys. We love it's location with wonderful views. We love the selection of restaurants and cafes.

We visited Cortona but don't get the attraction. Can someone explain. We found it boring. The views not nearly as lovely as from Montepulciano. It felt dusty and tired and full of souvenir shops. What did we miss?

Sant Antonio is simply a lovely spot. Beautiful beyond description. Walking Nicco's trail burns off a few calories. :blushing:
 

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