Saturday snaps

The weather continues fair, so we were able to enjoy a stroll down to town on Saturday for a cappuccino, and to buy some provisions at the market.  Back home, some gentle gardening seemed appropriate ...

On the way down to town

Still some leaves on the trees, and some autumn tints

"Our" house, zoomed in from the cathedral in town

Positively the last cut!

A climb in the marble hills

We're trying to make the best of a good spell of weather while it lasts.  Yesterday was a beautiful day which we spent on a walk between villages on our side of the valley.

Today we decided to tackle one of the high peaks (Monte Sumbra) on the east side of the valley, although we never intended to go right to the top.  It appears in a book we have for our area called "A Series of Relaxing Nature Walks".  However the article on today's peak is accompanied by pictures of fit young helmeted climbers tackling a "Via Ferrata" near the summit!

Barbara in Bargecchia yesterday

The lake of Isola Santa shows its wonderful turquoise colour

Barbara liked the flowers on this little roadside shrine

Barbara and a goat eye each other up near our highest point

Looking back to one we climbed earlier (Pania della Croce)

From our lunch spot - hard to tell the slope, but the Lego houses in the village of Arni at the foot give some sense of scale ...

A wrong turning, lunchtime grappa and a deserted village

Super day again, though it is getting steadily colder.  A lot of wind on Sunday has brought down a lot of tree debris - strange because last year the lack of wind was a feature of our stay.

We have been wanting to climb a nearby hill - the Pania di Corfino - for some time, but have found all maps and instructions unclear on the subject!  Our last attempt was thwarted by a swollen river; today we fared no better, partly due to a fallen signpost.  We had to give up on driving up the approach road due to the depth of beech leaves causing our wheels to spin.

However a delightful meeting over lunch al fresco with a group of happy mushroom gatherers absolutely put a spring in our steps - was it the home-made grappa?  We walked on to the deserted shepherd's village of Campaiana before making our way home just before nightfall.

Pania di Corfino - the side we didn't want to climb!

A company undaunted by finding no mushrooms!

Barbara kicks up her heels among the beech leaves - the Tai Chi obviously paying off!

Despite being deserted, Campaniaia is nice and trig and used for summer stays

and a nice sunset to come home to ...

A dull day enlivened by chestnuts ...

A dark, foggy morning for us today - unlike Jedburgh and Stromness apparently!  A bit colder too - around 12 degrees, compared with 15-20 which has been the pattern lately.

Finally made ourselves go out to Barga where there was a low-key Sunday fair going on with bric-a-brac and produce stalls, and a tent selling chestnutty things - fritters and pancakes filled with rocotta.  Roasted chestnuts too,

The day was clearing up as we went up to the viewpoint at the duomo, giving good views of the Pania della Croce, which we can now proudly say we've climbed, and a lovely light inside the cathedral itself.

Barbara enjoys a fritella di castagna

Did I mention the mulled wine?

The Pania in all its glory

In my continuing series of lions - her is a less grumpy one - but then, he's just eaten a christian ...

Florence in the sun

It was high time for a visit to Florence.  Just being in Florence on a  good day is quite a tonic.  We had a very relaxing lunch outdoors, at a restaurant in a small square where we took Betty in the summer.

Our sightseeing was a bit fruitless - partly because we arrived a bit late (slow train syndrome!) partly due to winter opening times on this summer-like day.

The duomo which never ceases to amaze 

Firenze police in their natty white accessories

At the Pitti Palace - grumpy lion and tourist who can't get in

Quite a setting for an afternoon row

Not so clear in Barga today ...

Bearing up in the park

Day dawned sunny, so we decided to go up the valley to the Orecchiella National Park which we never got to last year.

We had a lazy drive up there - having cappucinos in two of the villages along the way - what decadence!

The park itself is very extensive, and is home to wolves and bears in addition to the less scary, but more common wild boar, deer and mouflon (wild sheep).

We had a good woodland walk, but had to turn back prematurely, as we couldn't easily ford the river which is probably a bit high due to the season.

Returning to the visitor's centre, a park ranger directed us to some enclosures which might be of interest ....

Lovely morning, just before 8am

Cappuccino with the Apuan Alps in the distance

Barbara and wolf

He didn't want to get his new boots wet!

One of five bears - very well contained, we were glad to see!

Home days and pizza time again ...

Had a couple of rainy days but today was sunny, and the lawnmower was got out - first and last cut I think.  Lunch outside, and some wood sorting and chopping - for the pizza oven as well as the fires.

Last time the oven was not hot enough, and the pizzas took 15 - 20 minutes to do.  This time the I built a huge fire, and the oven got up to 400 degrees C and the pizzas took all of 2 minutes to do - which is the correct time.

An awful lot of wood for just two pizzas though - we will maybe try roasting a chicken or something with the spare heat next time!

pizza maker gets busy in the light of the big fire

"hubble bubble toil and trouble"!

A nice crispy product this time ...

By Jove - it's Monte Giovo!

Despite being a bit weary after our drive back from Montepulciano via Arezzo (the parking!  Mamma mia!), the weather forecast dictated we do something useful the next day - Friday.  We settled on a trip up the hills behind us to the col of Porticciola, and the mountain of Monte Giovo (1991m, 6532ft), which we had thought to climb last year, but early snow beat us to it.  Being in the relatively gentle slopes of the Appenines (a bit like our Scottish hills) it is a less demanding climb than our last effort in the limestone Apuan Alps.

It was a relatively easy climb, first up through the beech woods above Renaio, then a ridge walk up to the summit.  Quite a lot of strands of mist around, giving us some anxiety, but in the event, they all cleared and gave us superb views from the top.  This being the feast day of Ognisanti (All Saints), the summit was every bit as busy as when we climbed the Pania della Croce, and we were able to find a cheery young climber to take our photo at the top.

On the way home stopped at the mountain refuge of La Vetricia, where we had wonderful tarte mirtillo (blaeberry tart) and excellent cappucino.

Nearing the ridge, on left, snaking into the mist 

Setting out 

Is it closing in ... or clearing?

It was clearing!

Bill, with the valleys of Emilia-Romagna behind him

Some crags

Beech trees in the sun on the way down

Montepulciano - not just a pretty wine

Next day, we went back to La Foce to do a woodland walk, as we hadn't been in the country for a bit.

Later we had an enjoyable, slightly eccentric - " it is our custom to drink our water and wine from the same glass ... " - and excellent meal in one of the local osterias, and a dander around the night-time streets of Montepulciano.

At La Foce - the eternal cypresses ...

... but also this apple tree growing wild - wonderful crunchy tasty apples

Etruscan escutcheon on wall in Montepulciano (two thousand years old-ish)

Non-Etruscan grumpy lion on the same street

Time to leave - Barbara outside our hotel - it was very old, but very nice inside

Through wheat and wine lands to Montepulciano

On Tuesday, we made our way from San Gimignano, through the classic Tuscan countryside of the Val d'Orcia to the wine town of Montepulciano.  On the way, we stopped at the farm and castle at La Foce described in Iris Origo's book War in the Val d'Orcia - a dramatic account of the days in 1943 when the battle front slowly moved through the area.  The farm played host variously to refugees, German deserters, Italian partisans and both allied and German troops.  A remarkable story.

British prisoners of war were imprisoned in the castle for a time. The castle is not open to the public, but by chance, we met two local women there who showed us round.  Both had tales of the war to tell, and one of them was born in the castle.  Fifty-eight years ago, the other had planted the tree now growing outside the castle gate, seen on the right hand side of the photo of Barbara.

From La Foce it was only a few miles to our destination, the walled hill town - of course - of Montepulciano.

The view from the farm of La Foce

Hilltop farm with ploughed land

Barbara in front of the castle

The ladies outside the former prisoner of war barracks

The vineyards - source of the famous wine

One of the fanciful sculptures gracing the square in Montepulciano