Magical Montepulciano

Yesterday was another great day in Rome visiting the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Vatican Museum. The line for the Vatican Museum was fairly smooth sailing compared to memory from 15 years ago. I realize that my memories of Rome from then are very faded as the Vatican Museum and the Cistine Chspel was nothing like I remembered. Or maybe age makesbyou appreciate things more and take in the experience. The 3 highlights for us were experiencing our first stand-up coffee at a bar on Via del Corso and admiring the panoramic views of the entire city of Rome from the Garibaldi Monument. I am hooked on the concept of standing at a bar, ordering your espresso or macchiato (if you dare to have some milk!), sinking it back, standing shoulder to shoulder with a local and listening to all the passionate conversations going on. This has become our routine too ... We left Roma Trastevere this morning by train and made our way out of the city to greener pastures and fields of wild red poppies. The urban landscape soon became farmland and green rolling hills. The tall, cramped apartment buildings became farmhouses with terracotta roofs and old clay-colored rendered walls. The experience was great until the ticket lady arrived and fined us 10 € for not validating our ticket beforehand. So much for making an exception! We arrived in Chiusi and then found the bus to Montepulciano waiting outside. The bus driver seemed to take his time meandering around bends and allowing us to soak in the sheer beauty and lushness of this region. It is so picturesque and all we see is a jigsaw of various shades of green - grape vines perfectly aligned in rows, olive trees laid out in perfect symmetry, cherry trees fruiting, fig trees ready for the ripening. I love this place already!!! After a 20km gently rolling bus ride, we arrive in Montepulciano. The bus driver points up a cliff and indicates that our accommodation is up there. We enter a tunnel and find one lift after another until we get to the top. From there, we walk uphill some more. A sandstone arch lies ahead of us. It has just rained and the place had an airy mystical chill to it. As we walked through, it felt like we were stepping into a medieval fairytale. I cannot describe how breathtaking this place is. It oozes charm and everything is so charmingly old. Terence says that if won the lotto, he would buy a place here. I am not complaining! Like the author Frances Mayes, I can truly understand how her purchase of a 'holiday' home turned into home for the next 20+ years. We have walked the cobblestone streets of the old quarter and with every turn of the head, we are captivated - by the views, the architecture, the grand arched doors with brass handles that tell a story, the gorgeous boutiques, the azaleas and geraniums hanging from window sills, the local characters. It wasn't until we booked Osteria del Conte for dinner (thanks Chris Pearce for the recommendation! I have a reallly good feeling about it) that Terence remembered that it was our 2 year anniversary. Both of us forgot this morning ... doh! And what atruly memorable anniversary! As we walk down little alleys, we are blessed with the most incredible views of the valley below. It is picture perfect Tuscany. In fact, I never realized that it would be this stunning. It is clean and crisp and green, a real contrast to Rome which is grunge, dirty with an element of seediness. Don't get me wrong, I love Rome but this place is heaven. We are now sitting at a local enoteca (wine bar) passing the time and watching the day come to a close. The locals continue to enter the bar and gossip with the staff. We are the only customers so are savouring every second. We are sitting outside at the intersection of 3 narrow streets. The conversation of locals echoes and we privy to it all. Welcome to Italy where no conversation is kept quiet! Until tomorrow ...buona sera xx every second.