9 August-To Tuscany

9 August.

This morning Maurie and I set off by bus to get the rental car. All started well and we were dropped off right on the corner of the street. However, we both failed to notice the Hertz sign on the corner and walked about a metre down the road before we turned around and retraced our steps.

Finally the car was organized and we picked up Dallas and Leigh and set off for Pisa and Tuscany.

Arrived in Pisa without too much trouble and parked just outside the city and caught a bus into the centre. Walking inside the walls of the old city and catching the first glimpse of the leaning tower, the cathedral and the baptistery all together in their very white stone, made an impressive sight.

We had lunch and then went through the cathedral, a very well preserved church of impressive alters, paintings and carvings. Time did not allow us to look through the other buildings, as we had to be at our villa in Central Tuscany by 8.00pm.

Back on the road we headed towards Sienna and then turned off towards our villa in the heart of Tuscany, arriving in Radicondoli, the little village where our villa is situated, about a kilometre beyond the village. The whole area is exactly what one expects of Tuscany –rolling hills with large wooded areas, fields of sunflowers, cropped fields and beautiful medieval villages.

We were met at the villa by Graciano, the manager of the complex which includes about five different accommodation areas, but all well appointed to ensure privacy and individual quiet spaces. The pool is something we will certainly appreciate over the week as the temperatures will be well in the 30s.

We settled in and then went into the village to buy some supplies. These were from a very small “COOP” full of people who all seemed to have the same idea at the same time. However, we managed to get the essentials, beer, wine, cheese and a bit of food for dinner, and returned to the villa.

After a quick swim, we settled into a couple of nice bottles of red wine (Morellino di Scansano and Epibios-Colombaiolo) and a meal of prosciutto, blue cheese, salami and bread. We watched TV for a while before heading for bed, trying to make sense of the Italian commentary accompanying the Olympic Games – coverage of course is heavily weighted toward Italian athlete involvement. Our interpretation of what the panel was saying (based on their expressions and the occasional semi-familiar word) was probably completely awry.