Picturesque Tuscany
Breakfast at Ancora was lovely- especially with Ingrid’s homemade pastries in addition to the cheeses, meats, yogurt, cereal & muesli, juices and coffee.
Spectacular views behind our B & B!
Our room was at the base of the stairs.
And other signs- ones of spring
The other guests staying at Ancora were a friendly family from the Philippines on a trip to Italy and France; we had a chance to talk with them more the second morning. Unfortunately since it was so chilly, unseasonably cool we kept hearing, we couldn’t have breakfast on the terrace, so we returned to our rooms for a short bit until there was space at the indoor table.
Hope to have breakfast here on Ancora’s terrace next time!
Laura sat and chatted with us after breakfast about our day’s plans, offering her wisdom and recommendations from her family’s experiences, her warm and outgoing nature and sense of humor made us feel very welcome; she’s a wonderful host. Disappointingly we didn’t meet the rest of the family.
We loved Laura’s stories about the regional pride and history of Florence and Siena. Our day’s journey would include Siena, Monteriggioni, Radda, Volpaia Panzano and back to Greve…some planned and other unexpected stops- encouraged to keep our eyes posted for regional symbols and hidden treasures.
Though the roads were at times challenging to navigate, It was quite clear when you left one town or village and entered another in this part of Italy. We wondered if this was the case all over the country. Of course we had to make it into a bit of joke. “You are in Florence- You are not in Florence”. Ok, it sounded much funnier in our affected accents as we drove. Hoping for Mother Nature to change her tune and provide us with some needed warmth & sunshine; we drove to Siena stopping once or twice along the way to look at the spectacular views pondering what some of the villas and vineyards might be like down in the valleys and on the hillsides.
Love the signs!
Roadside views
Emmie was determined to jot a few ideas down in her new journal!
Emmie taking note en route
Once in Siena we headed to the Cathedrale di Santa Maria, encountering plenty of stairs and uphill inclines to get there. These are hill towns no less! “Sorry, Mom more climbing!” Siena’s cathedral is beautiful and ornately similar to Florence’s Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore on the outside, but quite different on the inside. Where Florence’s Duomo feels more sparse Siena’s white and greenish-black alternating striped marble gives it an almost dizzying effect; Emmie remarked right as she entered that it had an Egyptian feel. We wandered around, noting the amazing treasures of etched and inlaid marble panels and sculptures by Michelangelo and Donatello. As usual Thanks, Rick Steves.
Siena’s Cathedral!
The inside of Siena’s Gothic Cathedral with its white and black striped marble.
The Dome
Matteo di Giovanni’s 1481 Massacre of the Innocents
Fascinating history involving Florence and Siena!
Symbol of Siena- the wolf feeding the twins, Romulus and Remus.
The main square, Il Campo, in Siena! Very lively!
Laura told us about the pride of the Siena neighborhoods and to look for evidence of this local commitment and honor in the representing flags. Though there is more behind the history, the 17 contrade or districts focus on a famous horse race that takes place twice in the summer. She mentioned how you’ll see local women all wearing the same contrada scarf a rarity for fashion-conscious Italian women but are willing to do it since it indicates their district iss the winner!
Flags of Siena
After lunch and browsing in some shops and heading back to the car, we ran into a procession of flag bearers. Definitely unexpected and a fun experience which emphasized Laura’s description of the competing cantrades.
The district of Tartuca.
Contrada -Aquila
Contrade- Selva (symbol forest)
Monteriggioni –
Laura refrained from saying too much about the village wanting us too discover its uniqueness on our own and I hesitate a bit in my description not wanting to disclose or reveal what it’s like. A small walled town built in early 1200’s by the Sienese in what we read was to control and protect the surrounding valleys from the powerful city state of Florence. It’s quite a small though quaint town; we had a coffee and local cake, panforte, and poked around.
The view from the car park before entering Monteriggioni
Entering one of the gates of Monteriggioni
Local church
The square…
Next, we only passed through, Radda, strolling along an area where a market was beginning to close. Probably not taking enough time to properly explore… we took in the views of the hills and valley along the ridge.
The views from the ridge
Emmie and Mom in Radda
Before dinner we headed off to find Volpaia, one of the other hill towns Laura suggested. It was a bit of a challenge to find and a surprise when we did. Luckily we had a GPS since the village was located in a spot reached by narrow winding roads. Yes, much of these hill towns are like this, but these roads were particularly curvy. We saw a few cars in the public parking lot, but there was no one to be seen; it felt like a ghost town. It was quite mysterious and left us curious; If it was during the day, we may have stayed longer to look around, but given our hunger we peeked and dashed.
Our final adventure for the evening was around finding dinner. We headed to Panzano to a place that had been recommended by Laura as her favorite place in town (and it is open on Monday!). Like much of rural Italy the GPS was only marginal help, so we parked and went on foot. Perhaps our first mistake of the evening. After a bit of a stroll we began asking for the restaurant with local merchants (those that were open as it was Monday!). Every one of them said a variation on “it is just up there (accompanied by a vague gesture) past the arch.” We must also note that it was VERY cold. We finally arrived at the arch to find the restaurant closed, yes, closed. It was not meant to be. We decided to return to Greve to try the talented leather craftsman’s recommendation, Enoteca Fuoripiazza. What a gem- delicious regional choices. We enjoyed a local wine from a winery we passed earlier in the day, Il Molina di Grace; Scott and I shared a florentine steak that was perfectly prepared, and of course wonderful pasta for Mom and the girls. I can’t forget to mention the scrumptious spinach- my favorite vegetable; we have probably had some at every meal. The owner was warm and friendly and even brought us an extra dessert when we had difficulty deciding.
Our wine choice, Il Molina di Grace
A very full day, our weary selves were happy to find our beds!
A Year in Ireland 