This second day of Road Trip through Tuscany It would have a great protagonist: Siena. But he would not be the only one, he would be joined by a few secondary characters who eventually made this tour one of the prettiest of the entire trip.
We start early waving from the distance to the towers of San Gimignano To, shortly, make the first stop:Colle di Val d'Elsa. The truth is that we did not have it programmed, but we saw that great portico of entrance to the old city from the highway, that we could not resist. The town is nice, it is not too touristy and everyday life involves everything, which is sometimes appreciated. Especially if you eat breakfast like a champion for half of what you would pay elsewhere!
The structure is like that of most Tuscan villages, a main street on a high, seconded by very robust Renaissance palaces and other historic buildings. The novelty of this is that it was very long. We arrived at the Duomo square and decided to turn around, then we would check the road around it that we had a whole world ahead of us.
The fields in the Val D'Orcia region are characteristic for being full of vineyards, from where they later draw a rich wine. Well, going through fields of vines, we reached Siena. Beautiful Siena, artistic Siena, imperishable Siena ... but the fuck, the only place where we pay to park! After a few laps we had no choice, it was that or spend the rest of the day consuming gasoline up the street down the street, waiting for someone to release a site.
We knew we couldn't miss Piazza del Campo and Piazza del Duomo. The rest came unintentionally, wandering through its worn cobbled streets. Here we let you see and do a day in Siena.
From Siena we will take a special souvenir: the moment of the meal on a little balcony on the Piazza del Campo, with our sandwich and our takeaway pasta. There climbed to that tiny projection of the facade of one of the palaces of the square, while under us followed the typical hustle and bustle of one of the most beautiful cities in Italy, it was a momentazo!
But we were running late and we still had a lot to discover (we also paid parking for hours, did we mention it?). We saw from a distance the villages ofMontalcino, San Quirico d'Orcia Y Pienza, and the fields of vineyards gave way to green green cereal plantations as a scenario. And we kept freaking out.
Our destiny was none other than Montepulciano, a not so small medieval citadel elevated on a hill, which in recent years became fashionable for having been the scene of the film new Moon of the saga Twilight… For the fans of these vampires, the Piazza Grande will be familiar, with the Palazzo Comunale and the Duomo. It is the heart of this town, but not the center: from here it is best to kick north, up and down slopes, to enjoy the beautiful town and its buildings such as the Chiesa di San Francesco, the Palazzo Cervini, the Chiesa di San Agostino and the Palazzo Avignonesi. Until you reach Piazza Savonarolla with its Colonna del Marzocco.
If your visit coincides with the August holidays, you are in luck! Congratulations if you like to see a few big men taking a run pushing empty wine barrels that weigh about 80kg. And it is that Montepulciano has a lot of wine tradition, in the Palazzo Contucci, before entering the Piazza Grande, there is a canteen open to the public with lots of wine barracks and exhibitions.
In this quiet walk, if you have the possibility to leave the main road for a moment and exit to one of the side terraces, you will be a spectator of wonderful panoramic views.
Our day does not end here, the next stop was a supermarket to buy some bread, a packet of speck, some mozzarellas, some beer and, now if finally, finish with an impromptu dinner in our hotel room.
Useful information
:: Sites through which the route passes
San Gimignano, Colle di Val d'Elsa, Siena, Montalcino, San Quirico d'Orcia, Pienza and Montepulciano.
:: Kilometres:130km approximately.
:: Where to eat in Siena?
To eat something fast and cheap:
La Piccola Ciaccineria:Pizza portions at € 1.5-2.Via San Pietro, 52. Web.
- Salumeria il Cencio: Bocateria in Piazza del Campo, the panino with the porchetta (€ 3-4) is a must. The best thing about this site is that you can go upstairs to enjoy one of the best panoramic views of Piazza del Campo from your balcony, yes ... if you suffer from vertigo you better sit on the balcony steps! Piazza del Campo, 70
- Pasta & Enough: a small place next to Piazza del Campo with pasta to take from € 5. Via del Porrione.
To eat something more elaborate:
- The taverna di San Giuseppe:For many it is one of the best restaurants in Siena, quality dishes with medium-high prices € 8-10 the first, € 12-20 the second.Via Giovanni Dupre 132. Web.
- Osteria il Bargello: first between € 6.50 and € 7.50 and main between € 7.50 and 8.50. Via di Città, 55. Web.
:: Where to park for free in Siena?
We arrived by car so we had to find our lives to find free parking in Siena. We found it, but it was full, and after 3 or 4 laps we decided to leave it in the payment area ... proof not achieved!
The free parking area in Siena is in Viale Vittorio Veneto, next to the Parcheggio della Fortezza and the Parcheggio dello Stadio (both paid). This entire street is a free zone, almost to the stadium. We went 3 or 4 laps hoping to find somewhere, but we had no luck. In the end we leave it in a cross street, in the payment area, with the rate of € 1.50 per hour.
From Viale Vittorio Veneto to the center of Siena is a 15-minute walk, passing through the stadium and the huge Basilica of San Doménico. Also from here there are beautiful views of the city.
:: Where to park for free in Montepulciano?
As in other villages in Tuscany, they have enabled several parking lots around the historic center, some paid and others free. The closest and free is the N7 car park, going up Via di S.Pietro, just leaving the Porta delle Farine on our left, where the road becomes Via dell'Oriollo. From here to Piazza Grande it's 10 minutes walking.
There is another free parking but further away, it is the Autostazione, it is number 4/5.
:: Where to sleep in Montepulciano?
We slept one night at the Panoramic Hotel, 7 km from Montepulciano. It is cool, with a pool and beautiful views of Montepulciano hill and on the other side you can see Lake Trasimeno.
:: Other articles on the Road Trip through Tuscany
- Day 1: Chianti and San Gimignano
- Day 3: Val d'Orcia and Maremma
- Day 4: Termas, Volterra and Pisa
