Today was going to be a long day as we planned to drive south of Sienna to the Val d'Orcia area, considered one of the most beautiful in Tuscany and which includes several areas which hold UNESCO World Heritage status. So we were up breakfasted, rolls oven baked and filled and the cool bag packed and on the road by 0800 hours.
Mostly this post will just be photos, but if there is anything of note to report I'll mention it (if I remember!). Some of the views I've seen on the internet and we've been deliberately looking for the "tripod holes", others are just random.
We were driving along out of Buonconvento when we saw this lovely delightfully tumbledown farmhouse. Luckily there was somewhere to turn round and a driveway to park on.
This was a tripod holes shot I was looking for (internet image)
Except when we stopped where I read about, there were no trespassing notices and warning signs of guard dogs everywhere. Luckily we could stop just a few hundred meters along the road, so a slightly different angle and not yet processed - although it'll never look as good because of time of year/day.
As always, we haven't really picked the best time of the year, photographically. The crops are over so instead of green and golden fields, all we're seeing is brown and brown buildings. Also there is the constant blue hue to the scenery.
Another well known shot is of Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta, which as you can see was heaving with tourists (first lot we'd seen anywhere)
6 kms further along is a unmade road which goes closer to the Cappella, so we bumped along for several kms, then parked up intending to have a look round but there were just too many people for our liking so we turned around and bumped our way back to the main road.
We weren't sure about the hire car rules for unsealed roads, normally you are given dire warnings not to go on them but in this area there any many Strade Bianche (white roads) and they even have official road numbers and grades (from which you can ascertain what type of vehicle is appropriate).
There are many wonderful looking properties, firmly shut off behind closed and padlocked gates.
This area is part of the Crete Senesi (Clays of Siena), a large area to the south of Siena, which gets its name from the distinctive white clay soil. The views all along the road are breathtaking, but sometimes they are just better enjoyed rather than photographed as they seem to lose something.
Small vineyards are often surrounded by olive groves, presumably to provide shelter.
We then drove to the town of Pienza, considered to be probably the MOST beautiful in all Italy. Mindful of the ZTL we followed signs for parking and found ourselves in a backstreet unsure quite what the restrictions were. Whilst we ate our lunch and debated whether it was safe to leave the car, several people came close and took a photo of the street sign, so I did too. From what I can find on the internet English born Alfredo, along with his brother, fought as volunteers in the fields of Lombardy in 1848 during the Risorgimento wars having moved with the family to Pienza a few years earlier. Presumably there is another street nearby named after Gervasio.
Fortunately the owners of the car parked behind us
returned and were able to confirm that it was free parking in that street.
Pienza is indeed a lovely town but, for obvious reasons, it didn't really feel "open". Whereas we'd seen pictures of beautiful floral displays outside most buildings, these were limited and many restaurants and shops were closed, which of course pleased Ian no end as he dislikes tourist "tat" shops no end.
There were quite a few of these hooks embedded in the wall, not sure what for?
There was one tourist shop open which I went into and bought something for Wendy and whilst I was waiting I noticed many plates with this kind of design and thought how simple, but effective, they were. I can't paint or draw for toffee, but I fancy trying to copy this.
Pienza was designed and built at the request of Pope Pius II and I'm guessing this is him - and a wicked old devil he looks too!
Despite the uneven lighting/shadows, this is somehow such a typical Italian scene.
This LOL (Little Old Lady) was just walking past with her punnet of grapes. I took a couple of grab shots - out of focus - then plucked up the courage to ask her to pose for me, which she was happy to do much to the amusement of her friend.
We'd planned to stop for a drink here but with so few places open there were very few empty seats around so we decided to head off.