“So, what do you want to do for the next couple of days?” She said. My wife Beth and I were having a glass of wine before dinner in Siena reflecting on our plans for the next couple of days.
“Well, if the weather holds, I think we should explore the countryside and visit a few small towns.” I replied. We had spent three days in Venice, a day in Verona followed by two days in Florence. I was reaching my limits on things to stand in front of and now favoring something with more of an experience.
We toasted our agreement to visit a number of small towns in the area, and started in on our five course tasting for two. We left sated and looking forward to tomorrow.
The weather held and though cloudy, provided character to the scenery. Over the course of two days we zipped to Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino, Rada, San Gimignano and Grieve in Chianti in our Fiat 500 delighting in windy and hilly roads through beautiful landscape, stopping on occasion to take photos. We created a unique combination of towns called our wine and cheese tour, combining Montepulciano and Montalcino (known for Nubile and Brunello wines respectively) with Pienza (known for It’s cheese). Our trip had definitely taken on a distinct and satisfying gastronomic twist.
We had some great meals in Siena and it was a good base from which to visit the small towns in the area. We need to return and spend more time in Siena itself, though we did experience their wonderful food. In hindsight, we should have stayed in Siena longer and made a day trip to Florence instead of staying there. You learn as you go.
Gary Slye Photography 