Cycling from Montepulciano - La Foce - Bagno Vignoni - Pienza - Montepulciano

We put our detailed ' road book' to the test today. Terence was the map reader with his map startegically placed in a clear map bag on his handlebar. I was the bike computer reader and operator. This proved to be a difficult task as the bike comput has been temperamental - the magnet has been turning around the spoke and not registering any distance or the other bit attached to the frame has moved away from the magnet. Whatever malfunction is going on does not help the situation. Although we think that we may have figured it out. Despite the bike computer hiccup, the rest has been rather smooth sailing. The 'road book' has been quite easy to follow and we managed to get through day 1 without getting lost. We left Montepulciano quite early - 830 am seems to be 'early' in these parts. The sky was blue, air was dry and crisp and sun was shining. We could not have asked for better conditions. Although there is a direct route from Pienza, our road book took us off the beaten track. Soon after we set off we were riding on a gravel road. In Italy they call this 'strada bianca'. As we made our way along the gravel road towards The towns of Cassia and Contignano, we admired the fields that rolled on forever - wildflowers everywhere and windbreaks of cypress trees. It's hard to believe that you ride by castles and farm houses that have been here for almost an eternity. And the locals don't seem to blink an eye. Our first short stop was at Bagno Vignoni - natural thermal springs which is now a hydrotherapy/thermal spa retreat. A local told me that the pools were closed but we still managed to dip our feet in the warm thermal water in what looked like thermal troughs. We sat down with our feet soaking in the sulphur smelling warm water and admired the views of the valley and fortified towns in the distance. We left Bagno Vignoni and made our way to Pienza. The ride was magnificent. The road side red poppies turned into fields of dotted red. Photos cannot capture the scene, so you'll just have to believe me. Yellow canola flowers shower sections of land into what I would describe as a paintbrush that has been dipped in both yellow and green paint. Every farmhouse or agriturismo (farm stay) tells a thousand stories. They look so old and quaint and I wish that I could see what they looked like inside. The church bells are ringing upon our midday arrival in the renaissance town of Pienza - so romantic and so fantasy-like.Pienza is a UNESCO world heritage site with gorgeous cobblestone streets, salumi and pecorino cheese shops everywhere. We were overwhelmed by the smell of cheese. We have a small stash of pecorino that has been coming with us on our outings and tides us over when we are peckish. I enjoy an awesome tipico Italian lunch of panini with prosciutto, cheese and sweet tasting tomato with a macchiato and a apricot filled croissant. I asked for a ricotta filled croissant but they must have heard ' albicocca' rather than 'ricotta'. Oh well :) we chat to a German guy who is also traveling by bike. However, he is doing the hard yards! He has cycled from Germany with all his belongings in panniers. I take my hat off to him! After lunch, we wonder through the charming town, have a little look-see in the shops and take in the views of the Val d'Orcia. We have 22 Km of cycling before we are back in Montepulciano. As we get closer to 'home', we can see it perched up on the hill. It truly is stunning. I admire the old tone from the back of it and I especially love the church that sits in the valley below Montepulciano. I'll have to find out the name .... My eyes are failing me so time for me to call it a day. Tomorrow we are leaving Montepulciano for Cortona. As lame as it sounds, I am tempted to find Frances Mayes house in Cortona. I am reading her book at the moment and I'm thankful for her detailed stories of this magical place. Buona notte x