We had gone to the local CooP store in Montalcino to stock up, so breakfast, snacks and wines were set while we stayed in this cottage. This first morning, we woke up to a blinding sun. Absolutely, stunningly binding as the red orb was directly rising up from the horizon, right on the other side of our one tiny window in the bedroom, its brightness cut right through the flimsy curtain material and set out eyelids on fire. Turning away and put pillows on our heads was futile. We were in the center of the Circle of Light.
Gosh it was bright!!
S made me some awesome coffee to get me over the grumpy mood... She always does have a way :-) After breakfast, we set out to explore our neighboring villages.
The drive here was different than on the drive from Siena to this region. The small local roads led us through more lush and green aura. Vineyards abound. We stopped and took a picture back toward Montalcino from a far.
S mentioned it was perfect for a biking trip. Hhmmm... No! I thought... too hilly for me. :)
We arrived at Monticchiello, a tiny tiny village on... what else, a tall hill. As small as SQd'O but a lot, a lot more charming. Someone mentioned to me his father-in-law could settle in here. And considering this person is in his mid 60's... Hahaha... I can imagine his FIL would be a lot older than us, but I gotta agree with the man, this town is cute with lots of charm.
As we walked through town, workers were setting up the stage for a local stage play later. S was telling me they were setting up for a public execution. I love her imagination and humor. But it was time to get out of Dodge as I was the only Non-White there. Hahaha...
We headed off to Montepulciano. A short 20 minutes drive away. It was amazing how close these small villages are away from each other, yet each retains its own charm. Montepulciano laid out similarly to San Gimignano, but was a lot smaller and quieter with less tourists and tours. As we were walking and getting hungrier, I noted a line outside a restaurant. I suggested we get in line, as the place was not going to be open until 1PM. It was 8 minutes away and we had a short wait. (These Italians were on time :-) and we were seated in one of many long communal tables. Soon food were ordered and served. We had a fabulous meal of soup and pasta, but soon I couldn't help noticing the locals around us were getting the Florence steaks.
So, patrons would say something to the proprietor, he drew a few lines on their paper place mats. Then he went in the back, which was 20 feet away, chopping sounds reverberated through... then he brought out a piece of porterhouse steak for approval.
And each of these steaks was bigger than Susan's head.
We were glad we didn't order because one of those would have lasted 5 days for us. But we were happy for the experience.
We took some pictures of the surrounding areas after lunch.
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