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.

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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.

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the blacksmith checking the barrels & branding them

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the teams lined up and preparing for mass

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processing out of the duomo

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

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the start line

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

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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.

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

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piazza del campo

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side view of the duomo

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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.

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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.

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i was very “fortunate” to stumble across this street

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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.

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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.

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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.

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visiting the cantina’s

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the daily farmers market inspired my lunch later that day…

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pici with fresh mushrooms

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

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bistecca with a side of broiled pecorino & pears

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and of course, chocolate cake

3 Replies to “Day Trips in Tuscany”

  1. Lovely pictures!
    xx
    Mademoiselle Coconath
    http://mllecoconath.com

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