When we went to Italy with Grandpa decades ago, we had never heard of Tuscany. During those days, in India we all thought the main tourist cities in Italy were Rome, Venice, and Florence. Of course, now many years later, I was well aware of the famous rolling hills of Tuscany, the region’s food, and the famous wines. Since our Italian dream vacation was for a mere 8 nights during which we were staying 5 nights in Rome, I decided to book a day trip from Rome to Tuscany with City Wonders.
The first stop was through the quaint, hill town of Montepulciano. The streets were steep and narrow, and the cars I saw passing by must have been expert drivers. There are many shops throughout the town where you can buy local pasta, cheese, chocolates, and wine. There’s a church in the town center with nice artwork. The main attraction in the town are the beautiful views of the rolling hills and homes of Tuscany from one of the many scenic outlooks.
Montepulciano Town (left), View from Scenic Outlook in Montepulciano Town
After Montepulciano, we headed to Sant’Antimo Abbey right in time to hear the monks’ peaceful, yet mystical Gregorian chants. The area surrounding the abbey is a photographer’s paradise, and the best for portraits with the rolling hills and olive groves of the Tuscan countryside in the background.
Sant’Antimo Abbey (left), View of Tuscan Countryside Surrounding Sant’Antimo Abbey (right)
Lunch was at the Tenuta Poggio Il Castellare Vineyards wine cellar in Montalcino. The friendly proprietor served the dishes and helped pick out wines we wanted to buy, she spoke very little English, so knowing a few Italian words/phrases would definitely come in handy. The appetizer course had bread salad, fresh tomatoes with olive oil and herbs, pesto on bread, and local cheese paired with white wine. The main course was Bucatini pasta with spicy tomato sauce paired with red Brunello di Montalcino wine. Dessert was biscotti with their white port wine. We were told the biscotti should be dipped in the wine and eaten, and not to drink the wine because it was so strong, of course no one listened, and by the end of lunch it we had a very happy tour group.
Tenuto Poggio Il Castellare Wine Cellar (left), Appetizer Course (top-right), Main Course (bottom-right)
Pienza was the last and final stop on the tour. Pienza town like Montepulciano, while not hilly, offers lots of shopping options for local pasta, cheese, wine, and art. The tour gives you more shopping time at Pienza than at Montepulciano.
Travel Muse Moumita 