This morning I experienced the raptures of the overcrowded Italian bus line. We were packed in like sardines and I employed a vice like grip to hang on to my backpack, my purse, and my suitcase. Using my 4th arm, I locked myself to the pole, since there were no seats to be had and a constant sea of humanity cheerfully flowed on and off at every stop. It wasn’t a long bus ride though, only to the train station in Firenze, and like the professionals that we are, we managed to purchase our tickets to Siena and be seated on board the train in less than 7 minutes. Not bad at all!
As we left the delights of Florence behind us, the vista became quintessential Tuscan - long, rolling, gentle hills, Cyprus trees and tiered vineyards. It is much more heavily forested than I imagined, and the trees are not yet showing a single sign of autumn, still being vibrantly green and lush. Siena appeared about 90 minutes later, and a helpful taxi delivered us to the Eurocar rental office and in pretty short order, we found ourselves meandering along the country roads in our Black Fiat Panda - a cute and versatile little car, perfect for the narrow, winding roads on the 35 km drive to Monticiano. Google maps was unfailing and the scenery was breathtaking along the way. Dave’s driving is masterful and confident and I think we are in for a wonderful week, having wheels under our feet!
Our home here is in a traditional Italian villa, and we were met by a smiling, non-English speaking Nona whose face became even brighter when she realized that Dave spoke pretty good Italian. Lively discussions ensued while the official house tour was given. My job was to nod enthusiastically and make effusive gestures of delight and gratitude, all genuine, because this home for the next week is a treasure beyond description. Classic, clean, quiet, with a beautiful terrace and two full bedrooms, living room, kitchen. The garden beneath us is full of roses and unique shrubbery and the view of the village of Monticiano from the terrace is breathtaking.
After settling in, we motored back into the village to pick up provisions and enjoyed an Aperol in the quaint little plaza in front of the church while waiting for the Co-Op to open. A tiny store for a tiny village so, after picking up a few items and paying dearly for same, we decided to save our major shop for our trip back into Siena on Saturday (which is actually today, since this post has taken a couple of days to write). I slept deeply in this quiet countryside until the church bells woke me this morning, along with a few village dogs that were busy insulting each other. Just now I managed a pretty good improv cup of coffee, my first in more than a week, and that will be joined by a slice of the amazing pear tart made by our hostess. With the hustle and busyness of the travels to the great cities behind me, this peaceful, bucolic countryside is exactly what I longed for.
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