Thursday was the day we chose to take an exceptionally scenic drive from Tuoro to and around the Tuscan towns of Montepulciano, Pienza, Quirico d’Orcia, and Montalcino – and back. This route overlooks the Val d’Orcia area that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to some of the most famous wines of Italy.
Google Maps said roughly an hour and a half to get to the last stop, so we knew it would take at least an hour longer. We left just before noon and knew we needed to eat a bite of lunch since we didn’t know where any food was along the way. We stopped at a roadside hotel/restaurant combo just before the autostrada (highway) and went inside. After working out the Italian menu and getting a little help we decided to share a bowl of small raviolis stuffed with ham and cheese, and each have a small mixed salad. We didn’t always know what we were getting but thought if we were close we could make it work.
Lack of adequate translation prevailed this time, and pretty soon the owner came out with two bowls of ravioli and two big salads. We ate what we wanted of each and took the rest of the ravioli to go. It was homemade and really good!!
It didn’t take long to be in what is arguably the most beautiful countryside in Italy. It is everything you read about rolling hillsides, deep green wheatfields rippling in the wind, olive groves with trees that are hundreds of years old, grape vineyards with vines growing in neat rows that go on for acres and acres – pruned a few months ago and just now putting out new shoots and leaves, villas and castles built hundreds of years ago, tall cedars lining driveways or standing on the tops of hills, and the beautiful stone pines that spread their umbrella tops and stand out against the sky. It doesn’t matter whether you drive through on autostradas or back roads, you will always drive along the side of a hill that opens up to the scenes below and takes your breath away, or climb to a hilltop and have a vantage point that enables you to see to tomorrow. You just can’t get enough – or too much.
On the way back that afternoon we took a slightly different path for a portion of the way, but continued to drive along slowly when there was no traffic and pull over and let folks pass when there was. The highway speed limits were 90 and 110 kph (roughly 55 and 70 mph) where there wasn’t construction. The backroads were 50 (31) and through towns 30 (19). The hilly backroads were like driving in the Smoky Mountains multiplied by 5 and not quite as high up, just lots more twists and hard turnbacks.
Along the way we were watching for the Chapel of the Madonna di Vitaleta between San Quirico d’Orcia and Pienza. It is a small chapel built sometime before the early 1500’s and restored in the 1800’s to mark the spot where legend says that the Virgin Mary appeared to a shepherdess. It is said to be the most photographed spot in Tuscany due to the landscape.
We continued toward Montepulciano until we could see it off in the distance.
Many hundreds of years ago there was no “Italy” anything like today. There are thousands of years of history, but to way oversimplify it, there were wealthy families that could hire or train armies, or groups that banded together to fight off marauders and bandits. In many cases a wealthy family would build a villa or castle on a hilltop in order to take advantage of the rock base and to better defend it. Sometimes cities grew around these naturally or as the lords attempted to build their wealth, often taking advantage of the working peasants in exchange for protection. These cities both fought against each other and formed alliances against greater enemies.
It is crazy to be driving along and look up to a hilltop and see what appears to be a castle or villa sitting on top! Here is an example.
Many of the old cities are still intact even though nearly a thousand years old, and newer sections have grown up above, below, or around them. Tourism makes up 64% of Italy’s GDP (which tells you why it was so hard hit during COVID) and many of these hill towns play a part in that.
It is unique for us Americans to drive or walk around the outskirts of a city with jaw-dropping scenery on one side and forbidding stone walls on the other, to enter through archways at prescribed locations and walk ancient, narrow, cobblestone streets and steps that wind up and down, and up and down.
It is not difficult to stand at the edge of the wall and look out over the vast distances and drift back in time to imagine what it may have been like with no cars, no radios, no electronics or cell phones with people rudely blasting music or watching videos in a public space or holding “personal” calls on a speakerphone. It seems so peaceful. And then the sun goes down and I want to turn on a light or an air conditioner, take a shower with hot water, drive down to the lake for dinner, look up an Italian word on the internet or read a book on my phone, and I come to my senses, walk back to the car, plug in the map app and head for “home”.
We decided to eat in that night, stopped at a grocery for some things including fruit and veggies, and waited in line to pay. When it was our turn the cashier, Alberto, started pulling out the bags of produce and saying something in Italian that we took to mean, “weigh”, “weigh”, “weigh”, for each item. Turns out, instead of weighing at the register we were supposed to weigh and tag in the produce department. Hmmmmm, no instructions- in produce or from him, so Genny paid for the other products while I started asking customers what to do.
Turns out you have to find a number between 1 and 200 that is printed on the same sign that shows the price (not the code that typically shows in our stores, although that is there too) then take your item to the scale. There are four groups of numbers displayed on the scale, 1-50, 51-100, etc. Choose the group with your number. Then 50 pictures of items and their numbers will appear. Find the corresponding number to your item, choose it, the scale weighs and prices your item, the machine prints a ticket, and you stick it on your item or bag and head for the counter to pay.
I waited in line again, Alberto began ringing up my four items, and when he got to the grapes, apparently did not believe what he saw. He grabbed the bag, took off to produce, and weighed it for himself. When he returned he looked up the item in a booklet and finally rang it up muttering to himself the whole time. I have to admit I felt a little vindication that I had gotten it right and his grumpiness couldn’t be directed at us. Since he didn’t know me personally I decided he had the best interests of the business at heart and I do respect that.
We returned to our little kitchen and prepared Bruschetta and salad for dinner, eating with the doors open and listening to the geese honk.
There is a TV in the kitchen but not the “relax room” and there are no English channels anyway. We do not miss that except for wondering about the news, but can see more than enough on our phones as the wifi is good. We spent the rest of the evening with me writing posts and Genny working on a puzzle or reading, and played word of truth radio hymns over the internet. See, we can find rest and peace in the modern world!
And with that, we’ll leave Tuscany behind for Umbria and Perugia.
May you know peace and rest wherever you are today. May you know Jesus who tells us in Matthew 11, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Walk in the yoke with Jesus and let Him do the pulling. Find rest there. You can trust Him.