21 - 28 May
Visits to Cortona, Arezzo, Pienza
and Montepulciano, Tuscany
Cortona – situated high on the hill; this Etruscan medieval,
modern town is steeped in history. We
decided to take the 2 hour walking tour and were immersed in the history
including the Church of St Francis (of Assisi), 14thC frescoes, 13thC Palaces,
the Museum and the grand finale was the view over the valley.
Arezzo – highlights included the Piazza Grande
surrounded by Palazzos (Palaces). Arezzo
was the location of the film “Life is Beautiful”, so familiar scenes of the
film are shown throughout. A classic - car
rally happened to be racing through the town, so we were mesmerized by the
sights of old Lancias, Fiats, Alfas plus a Citroen, Ferrari and a Silver Cloud
Rolls Royce trundling past us down the cobbled streets.
Pienza – is another hill top town and the birthplace
of Pope Pius ll. He decided to rename
the town (in favour of himself…oh, lucky man!), and give it a facelift with a
new Cathedral, Summer Palace and a Communal palace way back in 1459. So in the 1460’s the three buildings were
designed and completed. The beautiful
Duomo (Cathedral) was built a bit too quickly on bad foundations and cracked
even before completion! It has a beautiful interior even though the floor falls
away near the altar and the walls have subsided due, according to Jim, to a
lack of DCP testing in 1460. Our friend Ian (an architect, of course…) says it
was all due to bad engineering!!!
Coffee on the terrace at an amazing restaurant - La
Terrazzo del Chiostro – a former convent - overlooking the valley, was a
highlight. Baby Emma as usual entertained the waiter with her chortles and
requests for more. From our table we
could see the classic Tuscan hills - terracotta farmhouses and driveways lined
with pencil thin cedar trees - truly magical.
So we took off for a drive in this classic Tuscan landscape along the
back roads to our next stop, Montepulciano.
Montepulciano – renowned for being on a steep hill
(another walking workout), olive oil tasting and wine tasting. The shops are adorned with home made leather
bags and shoes, ceramics, linen and paintings.
The town also has old and interesting medieval buildings. The Piazza Grande is surrounded by Palazzos
(Palaces), a Duomo and a Communal building with a stunning view from the tower
(cost €2 each) over the Piazza and the surrounding countryside. Winding up the day there in a wine bar to
taste 3 different olive oils, with a few cheeses and bikkies (of which little
Emma ate the most), followed by the tasting of 3 local wines, we then descended
the hill back to our car and headed along the narrow roads and laneways back to
our Villa Melody.
