The beginning of the final part of our trip in which we were all together found us hurtling (well not initially, as we crawled at a snail's pace through peak hour Roman traffic, which actually suited me fine as I was pooping it a little) towards Pienza. It took us about two and a half hours, but once we arrived we were again delighted to find our little villa was everything we'de hoped for. You can see the lounge room below.
As we'd left Rome in the afternoon, our first and most urgent mission was to find something to eat for dinner, as it was now nearing 10pm. Fiona, Luke, Nic and I took off in the car, with Bob and Bron staying back to cook up some GF pasta for Bron, who had unfortunately taken ill in the car, no doubt the result of my wayward driving! We only had rough directions, but luckily with a bit of good guess work we stumbled upon San Quirico D'Orcia, a small village near Pienza, in which we found, after some desperate searching, a little trattoria in which the local male population had congregated to watch the football. The nice lady behind the counter helped us empty out their remaining supply of pizzas, pastries, flans, etc etc, which were promptly dispatched on our returned to the house.
Pienza the next morning, seen on the road from 'our place'. The next morning we piled back into the car and headed up to Pienza, which turned out to be a real surprise for me. Not as dramatic as many Tuscan hilltowns, it was nonetheless a lovely place to be - its beautiful, quiet streets, and understated architecture making it easy to linger.
Breakfast on the other hand, was a little difficult to come by, and saw the first (and only, it has to be said) appearance of 'Angry Hungry', with Luke nearly imploding from hunger after being denied a snack at a well-to-do ristorante down the way. After a long search, he and Nic finally found satisfaction frustratingly back where they began their search! Fee, Bob and I opted for the very un-breakfasty, but nonetheless awesome Panini con Porchetta - the Porchetta you can see above. Salty goodness....
A pretty girl on the outskirts of Pienza.
Pienza panorama, seen from the property where we were staying.
The photos above and below are from the cellar of the Pulcino winery, makers of the Montepulicano region's famous Vino Nobile. We kind of discovered this place by accident, having made a wrong turn out of Pienza on our way to Cortona. We .sample the wine, brought a few very nice bottles, and continued on our way.
The Church of Santa Maria Della Grazie, seen from the outskirts of Cortona. Cortona is a predominantly medieval town, and was founded by the Etruscans, who were around in the days before ancient Rome. We had a nice, relazing stroll through the town, before stopping off at a little cafe for a spot of pasta.
In Cortona, we picked up supplies for a feast back at the aparment. Pasta, tomatoes, some extraordinarily expensive porcini mushrooms, some nice cuts of campanello (which I'm asusming is beef...it was kind of lost in translation that one!) were packed into the boot and shipped home. We all had a bit of a lay about, I took some more photos, as I do, and we sat down to a brilliant dinner, which you can see below. We laughed and talked and ate - it was just like old times. We polished off a few Vino Nobiles, and after a game or two of poker, settled down in front of the fire before another well earned night's sleep.
Morning dawned a bit drearily, but our spirits were certainly not dampened as we set off once again, this time en-route to Montalcino (or so Luke thought). What we actually had planned, and had ardously kept from Luke, was that we were going to one of Italy's finest wineries, the traditional Poggio Antico, for a tour of the cellars and a tasting session of Italy's undisputed best red wine, the Brunello di Montalcino. The tour was interesting and engaging, however the tasting was even better. This was followed by a awesome 5 or six course lunch, with some of the most delicious pasta, and THE most beautiful chocolate gelati I have ever had. 
The Poggio Antico Brunello vineyard.
We were massively full afterwards, so we waddled instead of walked through the wet, misty streets of Montalcino itself. Usually, you can see for miles from the ramparts of the fortezza at the top of the town, however visibility was only good for about twelve feet, and it was really cold, so that was out of the equation.
Luke and Nic wandering down a street in Montalcino.
Montalcino on the way out of town.
Althoug the weather was pretty rubbish for most of the day, it did happen to clear up just before sunset, and so afforded me the opportunity to go out and take yet more photos of the area surrounding the apartment.
I had about five inches of caked onto my good Ben Sherman's at this point....Fiona thought it particularly funny.
No Angry Hungry here! The world's best cappucinos accompanied by crossiants, which weren't shabby either. We needed our strength, because we were planning a big drive out to San Gimignano and Siena on our last full day in Tuscany.
Despite the longish drive, it was a pleasure to return to San Gimignano again. The skies were back to blue, and the city was as beautiful and busy as always. We took in the streets, and the main piazza, before ascending the largest, and only open tower in the town, the Torre Grossa.
At one point there were over 70 towers in San Gimignano, now only 14 remain.
Fiat 500 in its homeland.
The view from the tower.
It was so nice being here, it was so peaceful and relaxing, we had really settled in to our holiday nicely!
On returning to ground level, we tucked into some of the biggest slices of perfect margherita ever....I would've had two if could've.
Afternoon, and we arrived in Siena. Without a map, we aimed for the distant tower until we emerged in front of the Duomo.
This was a really great time in the trip. Everyone was totally relaxed (if a little tired) and spending an hour or so in the sun in Siena's Piazza del Campo, with a little Sienese gelati was just perfect.
Our day finished in marvellous style, watching the sunset over the walls of Pienza. By this point it was starting to get cold - yes I was only wearing a T-shirt! That made our search for the restaurant that Bob and Bron had found a little more urgent. Again, we wandered all over the town looking for this place, before finally being informed that it was in fact just off the main street. We hurried in, and were welomed warmly by the waiter, who sat us down and proceeded to bedazzle Bron with there selection of gluten-free Tuscan delicacies. Bread and pasta were all on the menu, which were all apparently good, so I think this visit really made her trip.
While Bron delighted in her meal, we were all equally impressed by the food, me especially by the pumpkin ravioli which was easily the best pasta I've ever had. Creamy, sweet, substantial.....I've just finished lunch and I'm drooling just thinking about it!
Outside our place, on the morning of our sad departure.
The church of San Biagio, just outside of Montalcino. We didn't have much time, but we spent our last morning wandering through nearby Montalcino which, despite the classic car rally (alas we wouldn't have time to stop for that one!) was relatively quiet. I think everyone was a little sad at that point, with the realisation that we'd soon be gone from this beautiful place. (If they weren't they should've been!)The drive back to the airport was long and uneventful, and sadly we bid our farewells to Luke and Nic, who were heading south for a week on the Amalfi Coast....lucky buggers. Bob, Bron, Fiona and myself however, had a date with British Airways for quick flight back to Heathrow before beginning our slightly longer journey to New York.
The next phase of our adventure saw us getting up early on the Monday morning for a somewhat convoluted taxi ride to Stansted airport for our flight to Roma. We were delighted to find sunny blue skies when we arrived. After bussing into town from Fiumicino, and trying to figure out exactly where to go next, we caught an 'adventurous' Roman cab to our little apartment near the Forum and Colosseum, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise -spacious, nicely decorated, and central.
Bernini's baldicchino inside St Peter's.
