We travel by bus From Siena to the small hill town of Montepulciano and Tuscany reveals its unparalleled countryside as we drive through its mountains, vineyards and cypress groves. We walk the entirety of the still sleepy town, stopping to appreciate the churches, Palazzos and overlooks.
We then drive to Pienza, famous for its pecorino cheese. All we eat for lunch is cheese: cheese grilled with honey, cheese grilled with bacon, cheese melted on bruschetta drizzled with truffle oil, and I even take a culinary leap and try pecorino cheese flavored gelato. I sit and enjoy this in the little Piazza Pio in front of the town’s main church, blue sky and mountains to the left of me, old Italian men talking to my right, reminding me of my Nonno so much I tear up a bit.
Tuscany is steeped in pure Italian charm, the smell of fresh cheese, oil, rich red wine in every street; cypress trees sporadically interrupt a grand view of vineyards, olive trees, and farmland for miles.
Our last site-seeing endeavor of the trip is a visit to the Palazzo Piccolomini, a villa belonging to the Italian noble family of Pope Pius II and III. The 1968 film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet was filmed here.
by Margaret Groton
photography by Lauren Peters