Montepulciano, Monticchiello, Monticiano, Montalcino. Let those roll off your tongue a few times if you want to feel like a local. But here’s a hint: Don’t put Montepulciano in your Google maps when you really mean Monticiano. Because you will do some extra miles and also owe the Google lady a big apology for your profanity.
But, what a day! Perfect weather, quiet roads winding around the idyllic countryside, and all day to explore villages so charming they looked they had been Hollywood staged. Most times, no cars are allowed in the city centre and so, once you have found a parking spot small enough for a wedge of cheese and managed to park the Fiat in it, you then hike directly up a long cobblestone hill, always heading for the tallest church spire you can see. Because that will be the piazza, the happening spot where the sights and sounds will define the beauty of the day. Every church is worth a visit and a few minutes of peace, and they are all unique in both history and style.
This pageant of ancient Heraldry was a complete mystery to us, but watching them was pure delight. They wore perfect period costumes as they marched to the drums with complete seriousness. Sound and sight provided a direct pathway to the Medieval period hundreds of years ago. History, alive!
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