Tuscany

Rocca d' Orcia

It's hard to believe it was just a little over a month ago that we were in this beautiful place. September is a great time to be in Italy. It was not crowded and the weather was perfect. Something about the air is incredibly soft and caressing. It may be the rolling landscape filled with vineyards and olive trees. Whatever the cause, I now fully understand the romance of Tuscany. What beautiful colors and heavenly sky-scapes. Just like you see in the paintings !

We spent our first few nights in the small town of Pienza . The hotel was originally a convent. Pienza is where Zefferelli filmed Romeo and Juliet. (A film I have in my Netflix lineup so I can re-live the charming streets and beautiful vistas. The English Patient was also filmed in this locale)

Here's an early morning view from our window.This is the little chapel for the nuns in the church next to the hotel.
Notice the blue "sky" in the arches.
We spent a day in Sienna.
The wonderful piazza is shaped like a scallop shell.

Here's a view from our lunch table looking out.Oh ..and here's the end of one of my many delicious lunches....The Duomo in Sienna had this wonderful libraria "piccalomini." with beautiful illuminated books and walls covered with frescos. Unfortunately it was a narrow space so you could not get a straight picture. This painting had both a rainbow and a storm.
And there again... beautiful skies.

And here's a picture I got from the web that gives you a better
feeling for the paintings in the space.

Here are two more treasures from the museum in Sienna.

This is a sculpture by Della Robbia.We also went to the 12th century Romanesque Abbey St Antimo. A winding road past many vineyards led us to this pristine and quiet spot. It was so quiet I did not feel I could take pictures. We could hear through a wall, the chanting of the monks. A truly heavenly place.

Bagno Vignoni was recommended to us and we ended up spending several nights at a lovely hotel with a spa and hot baths as part of its accomadations. The art and overall decor of the hotel was lovely. The waters were wonderful. The colors in the room were totally in tune with the area.On the last day we stopped at an agritourismo where you can rent an apartment for a week!
Look at this driveway!And this is my new hat! Looking out from Montepulciano.For more pictures you can see my album on Facebook or go to Flicker... Ciao!