Back in New Zealand some time before our adventure began,
there was an excited realization that I could possibly overlap a small part of our
trip with that of friends travelling from NZ too.
With a bit of pushing and shoving itineraries around we
managed to coordinate a small cross-over in beautiful eastern Tuscany. Such a great opportunity to share something wonderful together.
Kay, Grahame and Connor had already spent two nights at Casa
Usignoli, before we joined them. Casa Usignoli was a restored old manor house
dating back to 1759, located a short distance from the medieval town of
Castiglion Fiorentino.
We had agreed to meet outside the supermarket Coop in
Castiglion Fiorentino, so that we could get some supplies and then be led by
Kay and Grahame to the somewhat hard to locate accommodation completely
enclosed down a private road, 4km from the town.
Easily spotted in their clean white and sensibly packed car,
we pulled up beside them in our large dirty and overly full land rover. It was a strange experience coming across
familiar Kiwi friends in such an unfamiliar environment.
By now we had been alone in our adventures for quite some
time. There were lots of hugs and kisses in the scorching hot carpark before we
made a dash to arm ourselves with plenty of goodies, anticipating the next few
days of joint indulgence under the Tuscan sun.
Castiglion Fiorentino |
We then drove on through the beautiful Tuscan landscape of
sunflower fields, vineyards, olive groves and Cyprus trees to arrive at the
very secluded villa, Casa Usignoli.
We took in the beautiful views over the Val di Chio as we
walked to the front door, up the outside terraces past the hillside pool and
pergolas.
Inside the 300m stone villa (we weren’t used to such space)
were huge chestnut wooden beams, an ancient fireplace, 5 bedrooms and 2
bathrooms. I suspect the style was Tuscan, slightly old-fashioned country-style
interior, but fabulous.
Casa Usignoli |
Most noticeable of all was the heat, boy it was hot, a
little cooler than outside but still overwhelming! The upstairs windows that
opened through shutters onto the most beautiful Tuscan views had to remain
closed to keep out the heat.
Kay had excitedly opened them up, as we all would to be
mesmerised by the views, to then be advised by the manager not to. You must keep
them closed to keep the heat out.
We hadn’t checked for air-conditioning in the villas
description, not something too important in NZ, but very important here in the
peak of summer, 40+ Celsius.
The boys found fun and relief by plunging straight into the
large pool which sat on the outside terrace alongside the hill. Jarvis and
Connor picked up where they had left off some 7 months ago as did we with Kay
and Grahame.
There was a lot to catch up on along with some humorous
tales from Kay and Grahame of their escapades at Casa Usignoli so far.
Strangely in one of the loveliest rooms we stayed in during
our trip we had one of our most uncomfortable nights, sweating it out under one
mosquito protective sheet in the extreme still heat.
The following morning, we all made our way to Cortona, a
popular hilltop town located in the eastern part of Tuscany near the border
with Umbria. We travelled in two cars both of which we were unable to park on
arrival.
We shouldn’t have expected anything else, it was peak season
in one of the most visited towns in Tuscany, well known for the setting in the
movie Under the Tuscan Sun.
Sacrificially, Grahame and Chris made a drop-off and we
agreed to meet later, with the aid of mobile phones.
With no idea where to start, Kay and I lead the boys further
up the hill then through a walled entrance into the small town. We wandered
through its popular medieval streets in search of the best gelato stop to
appease the boys.
Sugar fuelled and now altogether, we climbed, cameras
clicking, almost to the top. Enclosed by stone walls dating back to Etruscan
and Roman times, Cortona’s dominant position offered spectacular views over the
Chiana Valley.
Cortona |
Chris took the underwhelmed boys back to the villa while Kay, Grahame and I stayed on for a little more meandering. Various small shops on the main streets of Cortona offered local handmade items and gastronomical products.
I bought some brass animal stud earrings and a ring made by
a brass artist. I would have loved to buy the full scaled items, but small was
necessary in our yearlong adventure.
Kay and I spent a disproportionately large amount of time
looking at ceramic painted bottle stoppers and fridge magnets. We even
surprised ourselves at our indecision.
We were disappointed on our descent to note several outdoor
escalators so people could avoid walking upwards. Well, this is what I assumed
they were for.
Grahame drove us a little further downwards and outwards to
a church we had spied from above, the Church of Santa Maria Nuova. Built in the
16th century following the project of Cristofanello, Vasari later modified it.
We poised outside one of the three identical facades of this
Greek cross plan church. Above was a beautiful baroque dome. From the outside
plateau, we looked down upon a remarkable cemetery, the Cimitero della
Misericordia.
Santa Maria Nuova |
Cimitero della Misericordia |
Kay, Grahame and I also managed a trip to a recommended
local potter, Edi Magi, in Castiglion Fiorentino. Purchases were made with
considerable difficulty.
The next day Grahame and Kay headed off to explore, ending up in Montone, a municipality in the Province of Perugia in
the Umbria region.
Montone wasn’t their originally intended destination, but
they came back with rave reviews and suggested we visit also.
To ease some pressure on our car space, Chris and I visited Arezzo to post some excess luggage home.
To ease some pressure on our car space, Chris and I visited Arezzo to post some excess luggage home.
After a huge effort locating the post shop it was
disappointing to find that the Italian postal system wouldn’t allow us to post
personnel effects to New Zealand.
We sent some things on to our friends in the UK who were
thankfully storing boxes for us until our eventual return to NZ. On the upside,
we got a short explore around Arezzo.
Arezzo wasn’t particularly touristy, which was good, but
despite its medieval centre being destroyed during WWII it still had many
monuments and churches remaining.
The city’s beautiful central square had appeared in the film
La vita bella (Life is Beautiful). We did a quick climb from the bottom to the
top where we stopped to admire the dominant Cathedral.
Arezzo |
Dinner was enjoyed in one of the small cobbled lanes - fried
vegetables with tonino cheese in the centre, vegetables included fried
radicchio and other lettuces ...
A gorgeous deli caught our eye where we purchased a selection
of Italian desserts to take back and share over a drink with Kay and Grahame on
our final night.
The next morning Kay, Grahame and Connor made a slightly
panicked departure. They were to drive to Rome for a flight to London, timing
was crucial.
I missed chasing them as they left to hand them a parcel
they had left, fortunately they realised and returned making for an even more
panicked second departure.
A bit of additional panic was Ollies morning encounter with
a scorpion. While carrying his swimming togs from the villa to the pool a black
scorpion crawled from them up his arm, then dropped onto the outside stairs and
fled.
This story could have ended more spectacularly if Ollie had
managed to put the togs on. Some say a holiday in Tuscany isn’t complete
without meeting some of the residents.
Marie and Bob were to arrive later that day. With a bit of
time on our hands till their arrival we decided to visit the local town of
Castiglion Fiorentino.
Scholars believe that this small walled town was founded
around the 4th century BC. It was all surprising quiet here on a Thursday
morning in July.
We located the Piazza del Comune where we paused to admire
views over the valley while under the nine-arch loggia (Logge del Vasari),
constructed by Vasari in 1513.
We headed to the Castiglion Fiorentino train station
becoming a little panicked when we failed to correctly locate it. Soon we were
back on track making a dash for the station to ensure we got there on time to
greet Bob and Marie as they arrived from Florence.
We started off a little baffled by the lack of their
arrival, there weren’t any signs of any trains arriving or leaving, no assistant
was on hand to ask. We made our first mobile text to Marie to say “We are here”.
“So are we” she responded.
Oops, the penny dropped, we weren’t at the same station. ‘Can
you spell where you are?’ I texted back. CastelFiorention Marie replied. A
quick google maps located CastelFiorention a 2-hour drive from Castiglion
Fiorentino.
Bob and Marie had been incorrectly advised, an easy mistake.
When we returned a few hours later to meet them it was all smiles and big hugs,
life in the Tuscan countryside was hardly conducive to stress . Besides cold
prosecco and a coldish pool were awaiting back at the Tuscan villa, life was
very sweet.
Hummingbird Moth, Casa Usignoli |
Having previously visited the tourist attractions of nearby
San Gimignano, Montepulciano and Siena we decided to follow Kay and Grahame’s path
and head off early to Montone.
Fortunately for us Montone was hosting the Umbrian Film
Festival, held annually in July, initiated and supported by film director Terry
Gilliam.
So, as well as being voted one of the prettiest hamlets in
Italy we got to see it all spruced up, immaculately clean with a large silver
screen hung in its centre square where presumably films were watched during the
warm summer evenings.
Montone seemed the perfect size for us to wander through,
enjoying the stunning views in all directions, surprisingly crowd free.
We choose a spot for lunch, Tipico Osteria dei Sensi, which
ended up being a wonderful meal of regional products with a full description
given by our waiter. They certainly
lived up to their moto Eat and Live Consciously.
http://www.tipicomontone.it/
We spent our final sweaty sleep deprived night
before heading to our next destination, North Florence. Logistically impossible
to fit into the one car we had planned a split two team mission to reach this
destination.Montone, Umbria. |