Italia: Day 8
Today it was an early wake up for the train ride from Rome to Florence where we picked up our rental car for the drive to Montestigliano by way of Siena.
The problem with rental cars, of course, is always to get out of the lot (in this case downtown garage) and on your way. "Take a right, a left, a left along the Arno River, right across the bridge and follow the signs to Siena", the attendant said. OK. After the bridge there are signs to Siena pointing right and then left. Good. And, then the street deadends with no signs for Siena. Hummm. We retrace our route. Three times. No sign to Siena. Then we notice a small road sign indicating "Si-Fi-Li". Everyone in Italy, of course, knows that stand for the Siena-Firenza (Florence) Superstrata. Must be some kind of practical joke the Italians play on foreigners.
Anyhow, we arrive at Montestigliano without further complications. What a beautiful place! At an elevation of about 1000 feet, it provides a terrific view of the valley below and on to the Apennine Mountains beyond.
We drove through the olive trees along a walled street from the center of Montestiglaino ...
... then along a tree-lined alley to the house where we would spend the week.
It was a former farmhouse/barn combination that has been beautifully converted into a five-bedroom house.
Here's a view of our bedroom.
I'm home. Let the good times roll!
The problem with rental cars, of course, is always to get out of the lot (in this case downtown garage) and on your way. "Take a right, a left, a left along the Arno River, right across the bridge and follow the signs to Siena", the attendant said. OK. After the bridge there are signs to Siena pointing right and then left. Good. And, then the street deadends with no signs for Siena. Hummm. We retrace our route. Three times. No sign to Siena. Then we notice a small road sign indicating "Si-Fi-Li". Everyone in Italy, of course, knows that stand for the Siena-Firenza (Florence) Superstrata. Must be some kind of practical joke the Italians play on foreigners.
Anyhow, we arrive at Montestigliano without further complications. What a beautiful place! At an elevation of about 1000 feet, it provides a terrific view of the valley below and on to the Apennine Mountains beyond.
We drove through the olive trees along a walled street from the center of Montestiglaino ...
... then along a tree-lined alley to the house where we would spend the week.
It was a former farmhouse/barn combination that has been beautifully converted into a five-bedroom house.
Here's a view of our bedroom.
I'm home. Let the good times roll!
Comments
Post a Comment