Tuscan villages

Whilst the countryside in Tuscany was amazing, its beauty was completed by the quaint old towns and villages that were dotted among its hills.

Over the space of a few days we got to see Bagno Vignoni’s thermal baths, Siena’s candy-striped cathedral, the tiny walled village of Monteriggioni, the medieval high rises of San Gimignano, and Montepulciano, which for those who are interested, is the town where Twilight New Moon was filmed*.

It was great to see in each of the villages numerous authentic craftsman still practicing old arts such as mosaic, pottery, leather work and traditional wood work.

Tuscany also revealed to us a different type of craft – that of cooking. Whilst delicatessens in Australia typically sell high-priced ‘gourmet’ food, in Tuscany delis replace supermarkets and sell an abundance of fresh and locally made pastas, sauces, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Our mouths were permanently watering.

Yes, we did give in – how could we not? We had a delicious lunch in a 19^th century tearoom where we enjoyed a plate of the regional Pici pasta with the local Ragu recipe, as well as bruschetta brushed with olive oil and garlic, washed down with a glass of Chianti wine. Yum yum.

*No, we did not know this in advance, and never intended to mention Twilight for a second time on our blog. With this said, Monique did seize the opportunity to do a self-guided walking tour using a special New Moon tourist map kindly provided by the town’s tourist information centre. Yes, we did get to see every key location….thank goodness for that map.