Stepping Out From Behind The Tweed Curtain: Central Tuscany (close to Siena)

After a fairly epic day searching for a campsite in central Tuscany, we finally found one on Monday evening in the famous wine growing region close to Montalcino. We were happy to find it since we were very tired, and we had been worried that perhaps the signs we were following was a wild goose chase! Despite the long journey we were thrilled with the location and the layout. It is a classic Italian Camping Village set-up with a crazy amount of amenities -- three different pools, volleyball, a soccer pitch, ping pong, fooseball, a cafe and a restaurant, and a huge quantity of sites for camping in every manner. That said, the place is family owned and they have proven to be very friendly and generous in how they have helped us settle in. We think we will stay here for awhile and use this as a base from which to explore the entire region. It actually turns out that it is just 25kms away from Siena and it is very easy to access the city from here. The kids are also loving all the other kids and the fun stuff they can do here!

We came to this region because we were looking for the quintessential Tuscan experience. Also, this area is particularly renowned for its wine. The wine that this region is most famous for is called "Brunello" and it tends to be quite expensive. The bottles above are "out-of-control" expensive, but we can buy great bottles for around 5 Euro's . . .

The town of Montalcino is at the heart of this wine country. It has a great old center and we stumbled on our favourite pizza to date: a thin, chewy crust with tomato sauce, boccancini, fresh arugula, parmesan shavings, and cherry tomatoes. Wow! What an amazing, mouth watering combination.

As you can see, the MASSIVE pool is a hit with the kids.

This is a little buddy the kids made whose name is Stephano. It is great to have some other kids for Kai and Pippin to hang out with after a long dry spell. Stephano is the grandson of the woman who runs the camp ground and his dad is one of the chefs at the restaurant -- it is obvious he loves coming to this camp every summer.

A typical rural Tuscan driveway. The Cypress trees lining the road in this way is very common and makes for a distinct Tuscan feel.

We are still finding all these funky little cars. We would kill for one of these tiny little numbers for Victoria. We could practically park three of them next to our boat of a vehicle.

It took us a few days, but we finally made it to Siena. We were amazed how easy it was for us to get in and out from where we are camped. We are literally 25 kms away and the amazing thing about the south side of Siena is that there is no city sprawl. One literally drives right to the edge of the old city, goes to a parkade, walks out of the parkade and is in this stunning ancient city. It truly is one of the most beautiful cities we have visited yet. It will be interesting to visit its counterpart/rival -- Florence. We intend to do that on Sunday and brave the city in a vehicle. We will just get as close as possible and then bus if need be.

For those who have never been to Tuscany. There has been a rivalry between Siena and Florence for centuries. They are only 80 kms apart and for many centuries each city was dominated by strong families who warred with one another for control of land. The result is that even today there is quite the rivalry between the two cities and people seem to have strong opinions about which of the two cities is better than the other. We shall see which side of the fence we stand on after experiencing both!

The shops everywhere are beautifully laid out, and we could easily get carried away if we had a few extra Euro's. Instead we have been happy to just shop with our eyes and take in the visual feast.

The central church in Siena is world class. It has the same kind of impact that Notre Dame has when one approaches it. It is a stunning piece of art. It is ornate as all get out, and all done in marble. We didn't go in -- not only was the line-up to get tickets long, but it was pretty pricey per ticket. We've seen so many spectacular churches on this trip, just seeing the outside was enough for us, this time.

It is hard to get away from the gelato theme in these blogs. They still tend to be a central theme in our days. The fun thing is having a new flavour everyday and comparing how the Gelaterias are different from one another.

The central plaza in Siena is also quite something. It really evokes a feeling from one of those E.M. Foster novels. One can so easily imagine people in dress from other eras walking the streets of this marvelous square.