Day Trips in Tuscany

My final week in Tuscany was a whirlwind of food, festivities and quick day trips.  The time seemed to slip away far too quickly.

My week started with the final day of the Bravio delle Botti.  A long day of celebrating, starting with the blessing of the barrels, ending about 12 hours later with the victorious team celebrating late into the night.

the blacksmith checking the barrels & branding them

the teams lined up and preparing for mass

processing out of the duomo

processing around town (for the 3rd time that day)

the start line

glimpses of the winners rolling by  (I’m pretty sure the lady with the cellphone got a great picture of them!)

poggiolo wins! viva poggiolo!

I knew that I would want to do a few day trips from Montepulciano, and many friends and family suggested I try Siena for the day.  I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go  – the whole town is very cute, but the duomo was worth the trip alone.

lunch break (I had some of the best pizza here)

piazza del campo

side view of the duomo

My pictures are just glimpses into how amazing the Duomo is.  I took so many pictures just of the floors and ceilings; there is no inch left untouched in this Duomo.  It has been the most beautiful church that I have ever visited.

Another side trip I took was to Pienza, a cute little town not far from Montepulciano, where Pecorino cheese is made.  The main town center is very small, but very quaint, and definitely worth a visit.

i was very “fortunate” to stumble across this street

My final little trip was to visit La Foce.  Many people, including myself, would not recognize the name La Foce, but you would definitely recognize the iconic tree-lined, windy road.

Unfortunately because of the time of year (hot hot Summer), things weren’t as green as they normally might be.  But nevertheless, it was still beautiful.

But in the end, it’s like they say, “all roads lead home.”  Or is it “all roads lead to Rome?”  Either way, back to Montepulciano I went for a few more delicious meals, wine tastings and wandering.

visiting the cantina’s

the daily farmers market inspired my lunch later that day…

pici with fresh mushrooms

And for my final meal in Montepulciano?  My husband would say, go big or go home…so I did.

bistecca with a side of broiled pecorino & pears

and of course, chocolate cake