On Friday, we made the almost 4 hour drive to the Rome Airport, waiting for our traveling companions to arrive on Saturday. After a very long rental car pickup process, we were on our way to Tuscany. The ancient villages appeared into view the further we traveled from Rome. After getting lost in the Tuscan hill towns, we finally arrived at our villa for the week.
Podere Pisinano is an old farmhouse at the base of a hill, with the medieval village of Montepulciano at the summit. The home is filled with antiques, modern upscale bathrooms, a nice kitchen, and tons of outdoor space to enjoy the scenery. As I work on this edition of the blog, I am seated outdoors in a covered portico with olive trees, vineyards and cypress trees in my view.
We spent the first evening unpacking, settling in and sampling some of the most famous part of Montepulciano, the Vino Noble.
Sunday, we had a relaxing morning at the villa, then made thee quick 5 minute drive to Montepulciano. What we thought would be 5 minutes, turned into 30+ as we found parking is scarce on a Sunday and we had two cars! After several attempts and splitting up, we all made it to the village.
Montepulciano is one those places that ooze Tuscany! The ancient narrow streets, all going up and up, are lined with wine bars and shops, restaurants and local artisans selling their goods. We had lunch on the main walkway, called the Corso. Some of us tried the local pasta, Pici, which is a thick, long and somewhat curled pasta, which was fantastic.
We continued walking through the village, visiting some churches along the way. We found a overlook, considered one of the best in the village, which looked directly down to our villa! We continued up until we reached the top of the hill and the Piazza Grande. The Duomo and town hall, which have been used as a backdrop for some films and TV, made a circle of medieval architecture.
In the Piazza, we stopped at Cantina Contucci, and two thousand year old winery! We quickly toured the caves under the city where the winery was based and sample six wines! Montepulciano is a red wine drinkers paradise (not super easy for a white wine drinker like me)!
We continued walking through the town and visited another ancient winery for more tastings. After shopping for some wine and expensive pecorino cheese, we went back to the villa to relax in the gardens and pool.
We were able to get a reservation at a restaurant our new Ischia ferry friends from Canada recommended, and this time found a parking spot for dinner. We dined on the terrace overlooking the Tuscan hillside. Some of us tried another version of pici, this time carbonara style, and ended with shared tiramisu.
Monday, our plan is to visit the neighboring town of Pienza, and possibly stop by a vineyard on the return. We are all excited for Monday’s bonus gift: a private chef preparing dinner for us at the villa!