All posts tagged: Tuscany

Another hot day…

Published by

Tuscany, Italy Another hot day in the Tuscan sun that started with a run up and down the hills in searing heat. Straight into the swimming pool after the run so as to avoid heat exhaustion, and to give the body a jolt back to normalcy. With that done we got ourselves ready and headed into Siena. This town is a lot bigger than we had anticipated, and being amongst the tourist groups again, was an indication of what crowds we were in for. Grabbed a copy of the local map, which of course set us back €1, nothing for free when tourists are involved, and set off to explore Siena. The map was a relic of ye olde days and looked like it had been drawn using crayons, but managed to get us through. The main road Banchi Di Sotto, was packed with tourists and lined with the ever increasing popular souvenir shops, suffice to say this was going to be a quick visit for Hughy and I. We walked to the local Duomo …

Under a Hot Tuscan Sun

Published by

Tuscany, Italy Ah, the serenity. After what seems like weeks, actually it is weeks, we finally have the sounds of silence. No traffic, garbo’s at dawn, drunken yobbo’s, crowds…..did I mention traffic? Tuscany, quiet, peaceful….and a pool! Have I talked about the heat? Hot! 32-34 every day lately, and humid. Sweat city. We haven’t mentioned breakfast much, but our morning diet lately has consisted of bakery/cake/bakery/bread…repeat! This morning we had muesli. Muesli, with MILK! Thank God for self contained accommodation. We got a few tips from people, thank you, and after getting provisions for dinner (i.e. beer!) we headed off to the Chianti region and a few reds. First stop Greve in Chianti, yes GPS that is GREVE in Chianti…..GREVE, not San Polo!! Nice place San Polo, just not Greve, and 20 minutes further away. We reach Greve in Chianti, and a lovely place it is. We wander around the main piazza looking at the shops, checking out the tourism info joint, enjoying the sunshine, and come across the most incredible shop we have ever …

Hello Tuscany

Published by

Tuscany, Italy This morning we woke to the remnants of the previous days storm, with a hazy cloud cover over Assisi. As now was not the time for panoramic photos of the city, we headed to brekky followed by a walk into the centre, all up hill of course, for a coffee overlooking the Basilica of St Francis. By 9.30 the cloud began to disappear and we made our way to Rocca Maggiore……or so we thought. Following the map we headed down a path that we believed was leading us to this medieval building, before deciding it was actually leading us up the ‘garden path’. Back tracking down from whence we came, we asked for directions before heading off on a different path, through the city lane ways of Assisi, before finally coming across the Rocca Maggiore, but not before drowning in a sea of sweat. Parting with our standard €5 we entered the medieval building which was erected as a German feudal castle in 1174. During a popular rising the Duke Conrad of Lutzen …