Tuscany October-November 2023

Atlanta, United States

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 22:00:00 -0400

New York, United States

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 14:30:00 -0400

Flew to JFK to get home since ATL flight was full. I got D1 to JFK. Hopefully I’ll catch some Zzzzz’s

D1 2 JFK

Chiusi, Italy

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 10:00:00 +0100

Drove Steve to Chiusi so he could pick up their rental car. Filled with gas and headed back to Rome tonight for tomorrow’s flight home. Got a free night at Hilton attached to FCO. I hate having to go thru JFK but ATL is full.

Last pic. Saying goodbye! Off to Rome Airport to spend the night before flights to the States in the morning n

Siena, Italy

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 10:00:00 +0100

Drove up to Siena this morning. It’s about an hours drive. Mostly highway thank God. We were lucky to find parking close to the the Duomo. We stopped for a quick sandwich and cappuccino and then headed to the Duomo. It’s great we pre- bought all-inclusive tickets because of Christine’s suggestion . The cathedral doesn’t open til 1:30pm so we visited the museum and crypt before entering the cathedral. We made our way to the main piazza. Piazza del Campo and found a wonderful restaurant for lunch on the square. I bought some paninis for dinner and now it’s shopping time along the Via Banchi di Sopra. After leaving the city we headed out to Circuit of Siena, a GoKart race track where Steve rented a Kart and raced for 30 mins. Very fun watching because Christine and I wouldn’t dare to try.

Montepulciano, Italy

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Staying close to home today. Reading out on the terrace. After Christine gets out of school today, the 3 of us are taking a cooking class organized by her school to learn how to make pasta and pizza! (Of course!) We went to Pizzeria Linda here in MP where the owner (Linda) started us in learning the proper method for making handmade pasta. The preferred type here in Tuscany is called Pici (pronounced peachy) After that we made pizza dough. Then we made a pie crust. Spread blueberry marmalade over the bottom and then strips across the top. Then we made our pizzas. Spreading and rolling the dough until it was perfect thickness and shape. We added sauce and whatever toppings we wanted and put it in the wood oven. Then we cooked the pasta and we all shared our collective offerings. What a fun night!

Ravioli of the day in cream sauce with side salad

Montalcino, Italy

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 16:10:00 +0100

After Christine got out of school we drove to the Abbey di Sant’Altima a 9th century monastery that we were able to tour on the outskirts of Montalcino. Then we drove after sunset into the village of Montalcino. We walked into the historic town and found a cute spot for dinner. I finally got away from pizza and pasta and had chicken cacciatore. We drove back to MP in the dark and rain.

A rendering of rhe Abbey

Montepulciano, Italy

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Slept late and enjoying a relaxing and resting my knee morning. Will start exploring this town more this afternoon Steve and I went to explore the city while Christine was in school. Stopping for a pizza lunch before we meet up with Christine after class

Castiglione del Lago, Italy

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 16:00:00 +0100

Drove around lake to this beautiful castle/town and had a late lunch and did some shopping

Passignano, Italy

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 11:10:00 +0100

Today we drove to Passignano and took the ferry to Isola Maggiore. I had lunch while Christine and Steve did a loop around the island. Then we drove to the beautiful town of Castiglione del Lago. A old castle/fortress town.

Montalcino, Italy

Sat, 28 Oct 2023 10:30:00 +0200

1st stop the winery Patrizia Cencioni for a tour and wine tasting. Then we drove into the city of Montalcino but couldn’t find a place to park so we continued on to our 2nd winery Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona. We enjoyed both wineries. Even with GPS we got lost on the windy mountain roads and was running low on fuel

Montepulciano, Italy

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 16:00:00 +0200

After a 2 1/2 hour drive up from FCO, I arrived in MP around 4. Since cars are not allowed in the old city, I parked about a 1/2 mile away and hobbled up the hill with the help of Steve (wheeling my suitcase) and made it to the flat.

1st stop and center of all side trips

Rome

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 09:50:00 +0200

Started my journey on Delta 66 from ATL to Rome. Lucky to get Delta One!

1st leg of my Tuscan journey