Across to Italy
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Our drive further east in southern France saw us weave up a tight mountain path into the Parc naturel régional de saint baume with a dramatic cliff face to our south. Nestled high in the cliff was a small grotte with religious buildings around that could be seen towering over the forest below.
The next morning we woke and joined the groups of hikers in the short journey up to the Massif de la Saint Baume (said Grotte). The path wound up through the forest, dappled sunlight glimmering through the leaves across a scene straight out of Tolkien’s middle Earth. The views of the valley from the Massif were stunning and after a while here as the service started in the Grotte itself, we made our way back down through the forest.
We stopped for a delicious lunch (obviously, it’s France!) at the little restaurant at the bottom and then packed up the van ready to head on eastward.
On the way we stopped at decathlon again for another look at bikes, as we’re now really starting to wish we had a better way of getting into places from some of the park ups. Whilst we still didn’t buy any, we did manage to buy some walking poles and a smaller table for outside at least.
Further east along the coast, past Cannes and Nice until we eventually stopped for a break at the Monaco viewpoint. We are very much not welcome down in Monaco, they wouldn’t let a campervan in even if we tried!
So, once more on the road and onto the tightest windiest roads up the southern alps we’d on our way up to the small town of Sospel. Here we spent a lazy Sunday wandering its lovely streets and along the river ending with lunch at a restaurant, where of course we were yet again relegated to the tourist zone despite our fairly decent French.
Heading back to the van for an afternoon chilling in sun, I got the hammock out and after a nap, Ellen then went for walk around the wider area. This is when she realised she had left her new vase back at the restaurant! (The olive oil one we bought in Barcelona smashed on a tight corner a few weeks earlier… remember to secure everything properly!) Thankfully, after a bit of confusion at the restaurant she managed to get it back and returned to the van for a chilled evening and to figure out our next moves.
Monday morning our plans kept changing, but eventually we decided that we would just spend the whole day driving the tolls down through Italy and all the way to Monterrigioni near Siena in Tuscany.
Onward we rolled then, into Italy. First observation crossing the border: The Italian toll roads are terrifying! Yet at the same time thrilling to drive on. You’d be stuck in a lane closure, then contraflow, then released to 110kph on the narrowest, windiest dual carriageway bridges with tall barriers separating you from a 100m drop below. Then blast into a claustrophobia inducing tunnel diving up or down and round twists and turns.
Round the next bend, BRAKE LIGHTS! Whole queue of traffic for the next lane closure. Repeat again. Released into 110kph, bends, bridges, tunnels, near death experiences.
Next bend, 90kph, 80kph, 60kph (that no one is doing) lane closure, contraflow, released into 110kph, 200m, 90kph, 80kph… you see where I’m going. For 6 hours straight. Exhausting, but it kept you awake! (You dare not fall asleep!)
Missing a turn off the tolls near Florence we swung back around through some of the chaotic city traffic and finally head south and into a ferocious hail storm. By the time we made it to Monterrigioni it was almost dinner time but the sun was back out and we could park up at the aire with a modest but gorgeous view out the back.
The next day was supposed to be full of storms but we awoke to glorious sun albeit with a bit of cloud here and there. We knew that all we had to do today was go get some laundry done and then check into the hotel we had booked for our wedding anniversary that afternoon. So we decided to take the short walk around from the aire and into Monteriggioni itself for an hour or two. This is an amazing hilltop fortress, originally not intended for habitation but for a garrison. But now the few buildings there are lived in and a beautiful little square with cafes and touristy shops exists by the small church.
We wandered the streets, and walked on the walls, dodged American tour groups, visited an interesting museum on the military history of the town, including some extravangant suits of armour, and I had my first Italian coffee.
Back at the van we then pressed onward southward toward Siena for a much needed laundry run whilst we ate lunch in the van.
As we had finished packing away laundry and packing a hold-all for the hotel we had booked into for our anniversary, the heavens opened. We killed some time by getting fuel then on to the hotel in the heavy rain and hail. We outran it briefly so when we arrived in the beautiful tiny village of Stigliano, the sun was shining again (though it wasn’t to last).
It was a very tight squeeze into the car park at Relais Le Macine di Stigliano but I just managed it and we checked into a beautiful junior suite with a private garden area next to the pool.
Unfortunately the storm finally caught up with us and so we spent the afternoon relaxing in the room before heading down for a drink before an incredibly delicious meal. Although, some minor complications at the hotel (out of their control) had resulted in us getting a discount on the extra night we had decided to book last minute and a free bottle of Prosecco. The latter we had decided to have on the terrace before dinner. So by the time we got to dinner we were already a bit tipsy. This was made worse by our decision to have a full bottle of Montalcino Capanna 2022 red wine. It was worth it, I have very few wines on my little “must remember” list, and this recommendation by the Maître-D went straight on there. Still, we paid for it the next morning!
We spent the morning in the hotel until I had finished a meeting (feeling a little worse for wear). Then around midday we jumped in the van, navigated her out of the car park again and headed out following some fantastic recommendations from hotel reception toward Val D’Orcia.
First stop was Montalcino, source of the morning’s hangover. However, there is an aire here but it is up a very tight and steep track a long way from the town centre. We decided to stay to eat lunch in the van and that was it. Very unfortunate, and we are now getting more and more onboard with the idea of getting bikes.
After some driving around trying to find a wine shop with parking and having little joy other than one or two specific wineries. And not wanting to do any tastings this afternoon given the headaches we were nursing, we decided instead to head on toward a suggestion from the hotel. A little hill/cliff top town called Pienza.
Pienza, also had an Aire, but this town it was actually in decent walking distance to the town. Best of all there was a single space remaining (ignoring the guy who pulled up in his car and parked in one of the motorhome spaces!)
What a gorgeous little town!
The old streets towering overhead, yet still light and welcoming, full of colour. First stop was a little wine shop to get a couple of bottles of last night’s red. One for the van wine rack whilst we travel, and one to take home. Then we stumbled out onto the terrace overlooking the valley below. What a view, the green undulating fields shimmering in the sunlight, the blue haze over the snow tipped mountains on the horizon. Somewhere amongst it all sat the villa used in the film Gladiator. It was out there perched upon a hilltop, though we weren’t exactly sure which one of the many! We sat here with this fabulous view for a while and had a drink in the baking sun.
Getting a little too toasty, we got up and we wandered the town, around the piazzas and into artisanal shops such as Ceramiche Bai Linda and then for my first experience of proper Italian gelato. Not the tourist trap piled high with decorations ice cream. No. We mean the proper stuff, covered with lids and just signs with the flavours. Ellen knew this already and explained that’s why she wanted to try Bolas in Seville a couple of months back as that was the same. I would have been none the wiser. And my God was she so right! Absolutely to die for!
So, when in Italy, don’t go for the fancy looking ice cream all piled up with little decorations on top.
Go for the proper custard based Gelato hidden in covered tins. The reason is that it has a much lower melting temperature, it’s more creamy and smooth, no grainy texture or ice crystals. As such it has to remain covered and cooler.
Moving on, we had a drink and nibbles at the palazzo stables bar before heading back to the van to return to the hotel for the evening.
Next day at the hotel was a pool morning. All morning, I managed to get sun burned as usual, but missed my neck as I was reading for most of the time. As a friend put it: I looked like “Neapolitan ice cream” 😅 you'd think I'd learn one day.
Ellen had some meetings in the afternoon and so I went for a hot walk around the village followed by a well earned couple of beers by the pool and finally finished the book I’d bought back in Arizona in January! I’m just a slow reader, the fact I finished it at all is actually praise for Nick Offerman’s engaging prose in “Where the deer and the antelope play”. (Available here if you're interested)
When Ellen had finished she went for a wander round the village herself and then we prepped for our private evening in the wellness area with hot tub, spa and a bottle of Prosecco. The latter of which amusingly was served in the hot tub on a floating heart, which even the Maître-D upon serving to us found funny.
The views from up here were spectacular, looking out across the valley as the sun lowered further in the sky. A fantastic way to end our time here and to cap off our anniversary break.
After our relaxing session in the hot tub and spa (and some heart pounding cold plunges in the pool below) we returned to our room to shower and change ready for another meal at the hotel restaurant. Although, this time having paced ourselves on the Prosecco before and drank a bit more water.
The restaurant has two menus, one traditional Tuscan, one modern. As well as offering tasting menus with pairings. The tasting menus we are sure were lovely, however tonight was for trying the modern menu after the traditional on our first night.
The food was yet again, spectacular. Ellen even said her first course was the best Risotto she has ever had!
We decided to skip dessert tonight though, just to save ourselves a little. However I did have a small glass of Moscadello from the same vineyard as the Montalcino we had had two nights prior.
A lovely floral dessert wine followed. And then the Maître-D appeared with a Semi Fredo for us to share as a happy anniversary from the hotel! What a lovely gesture from a lovely team and Hotel, and obviously it was bloody delicious!
It was a shame to be moving on the next morning, but after our final breakfast on the sun soaked terraced we bid our farewells, squeezed the van back out of the car park and hit the road for nearby Siena.
Eventually, we found a paid Aire that the French would say « il a le mériter d’exister » (it has the merit of existing). €20 for a spot at the end of a coach park in the middle of a stretched roundabout on a busy road. Great. But, we’re well insulated and that has the added bonus of some sound proofing.
We locked up and then tried to find a way up the ridge to the city. We tried the bus stop, that’ll be a while. We tried uber, third party taxi firm, they cancelled. Tried to walk one way, busy road, no paths. Tried the other road, no paths, narrow, dubious. Tried the bus again, waited with a coach driver, bus looked at us and just drove past…
Brilliant.
We waited for the next one for a bit, then just said screw it, and walked up the narrow road into town toward the public escalators.
We did eventually make it into Siena and the towering buildings in the narrow streets dwarfed us immediately. We wound round the streets until we were spat out into the open air of the Piazza del Duomo.
The Duomo was a spectacular, towering building with an intricate facade and beautiful tiled tower. We have noticed that the churches here tend not to have stained glass windows. Of course we have only seen a handful whilst here, so it may not be the norm, but it’s interesting nonetheless. Unfortunately as with many places in Tuscany there were a lot of tourists in the square and so we avoided going into the Duomo itself. Instead we headed into the Santa Maria della Scala museum.
We assumed this would be one of those little museums with a couple of exhibits that you could do in an hour. Oh boy were we wrong... This building was an old hospital that slowly grew and grew over the years, finally encompassing parts of the wall, swallowing a whole street lower down the cliffside.
As a result, the museum is an absolute warren and by the time we reached the National Tuscan archealogical museum in the lowest level we thought we might never escape! The real time pressure here being that Ellen had to be back at van for meeting in half an hour! Thankfully, we just made it in time.
After her meeting we headed back into town for the evening and spent time sat in the sun in the Piazza del campo. After an ice cream and drink we then wandered the streets for a bit until finally relaxing on a bench next to the Basilica Cateriniana di San Domenico, with views across to the opposite ridge and the Duomo.
As the sun was setting we headed back to a wine bar near Il Campo for a pre dinner drink. Then we wandered round to the restaurant Enoteca I Terzi. Yet again, what a delicious meal we had here and I had to try some more Moscadello of course.
The next morning, we navigated the chaos of the coach park to try and drain the grey tank. Where we discovered we had a blockage, fun. We would have to leave it for now and head on. We pushed north into Chianti and after a brief shopping trip and then van lunch in the small but relatively non describe town of Castelnuovo Berardenga, we pressed further north. Eventually we came to the more interesting town of Gaiole in Chianti and a beautifully located Aire provided by the municipality.
We managed to clear the blockage on the grey drain, fill with water and get set up overlooking the town. This would turn out to be an absolute gem of a find and I’d happily stay here for a long time. But maybe more on that next week!
