Iconic Cypress Lined Driveway

Rocca di Tentennano Fortress

Hill Town of Pienza

Monte Amiata in the Mist

From Chianti we’ve driven south to the hill town of Montepulciano.  The last part of our drive including our arrival into town was during a huge thunderstorm.  By the time we got our bags into the B&B, which was about 3 blocks away, we were totally soaked.

Today we got out for a drive around Val d’Orcia (Orcia River Valley) before the late afternoon rain set in again.  The Val d’Orcia boasts of the best scenery in Italy.  We got a fine photo of one of the iconic cypress lined driveways in Tuscany.

We stopped in Bagno Vignoni which is a charming, medieval spa town with a small, main piazza and a thermal spring fed pool with small, steamy canals.  After a short hike, we had a nice lunch on the piazza.  From town, we got a nice photo of the Rocca di Tentennano Fortress on the nearby hill.

On the way back to Montepulciano, we took a nice shot looking back at the hill town of Pienza,   There were also views of Monte Amiata (5700 feet), the tallest mountain in Tuscany but it had it’s head in the mist most of the day.