Montisi Day 3 & 4

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#111111" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="044fd5a1dyxtip.jpg"> <div> <B>Montisi Day 3 & 4</B></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Anders Adventures Italy "><U> Anders Adventures -Italy </U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Milan Day 1 2"><U>Milan - Day 1 & 2</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><B>Montisi Day 3 & 4</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Siena Day 5"><U>Siena - Day 5</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Castelina in Chianti Day 6 7 "><U>Castelina in Chianti - Day 6 & 7 </U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Florence Day 7"><U>Florence Day 7</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pisa Day 8"><U>Pisa - Day 8</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cinque Terre Day 8"><U>Cinque Terre - Day 8</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cinque Terre Day 9 The Hike!"><U>Cinque Terre - Day 9 The Hike!</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Portofino Day 10"><U>Portofino - Day 10</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Gallery"><U>Photo Gallery</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gallery 1 Trip Favorites"><U>Gallery 1 - Trip Favorites</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gallery 2 Cinque Terra"><U>Gallery 2 - Cinque Terra</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gallery 3 Tuscan Landscape"><U>Gallery 3 - Tuscan Landscape</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U>Contact Us</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Travel Links"><U>Travel Links</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FF9900" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="1a4c0900.jpg" border=0 width="192" height="144" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.andersadventures.com/id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.andersadventures.com/id27.htm"><U><I><B>The Foods Of Italy</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><I><B>Contact Us</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Travel Links"><U><I><B>Travel Links</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Anders Adventures Italy "><U><I><B>Home</B></I></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFCC00" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="631" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFCC00 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FF9900 HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="625"><div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Milan Day 1 2"><U><B>Milan</B></U></A><B>, </B><A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Montisi Day 3 4"><U><B>Montisi</B></U></A><B>, </B><A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Montisi Day 3 4"><U><B>Pienza</B></U></A><B>, </B><A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Montisi Day 3 4"><U><B>Montelcino</B></U></A><B>, </B><A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Siena Day 5"><U><B>Siena,</B></U></A><B> </B><A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Castelina in Chianti Day 6 7 "><U><B>Castelina In Chianti</B></U></A><B>, </B><A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Florence Day 7"><U><B>Florence</B></U></A><B>,  </B><A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pisa Day 8"><U><B>Pisa</B></U></A><B>, </B><A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cinque Terre Day 8"><U><B>Cinque Terre</B></U></A><B>, </B><A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cinque Terre Day 9 The Hike!"><U><B>Cinque Terre Hike,</B></U></A><B>  </B><A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Portofino Day 10"><U><B>Portofino</B></U></A><B>, </B><A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Portofino Day 10"><U><B>Santa Margarita</B></U></A><B>, </B><A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Gallery"><U><B>Photo Galleries </B></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 686 WIDTH="625"><div> <B>Day 3 - MONTISI</B></div> <div> <B> </B></div> <div> <B> After two days in Milan, we packed up the rental car and headed to southern Tuscany. We were looking forward to breaking away from the city and getting into wine country as soon as possible. We were scheduled to go </B><A HREF="http://www.ballooningintuscany.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ballooningintuscany.com/"><U><B>Ballooning in Tuscany</B></U></A><B> the next day! We traveled south on the Autostrada at a very high rate of speed and made it to our little hill town of </B><A HREF="http://www.montisi.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.montisi.com/"><U><B>Montisi</B></U></A><B> within a few hours. We were greeted by a fantastic views and friendly people at the hotel </B><A HREF="http://www.laromita.net/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.laromita.net/"><U><B>LaRomita</B></U></A><B>, one of only two hotels in the town of Montisi. The entire town has one road and it's about 1/1/2 kilometers from end to end. We met with our English ballooning guide Robert and his wife Liz that evening in their 12th century home.  After a "proper spot of English tea" in their home,  we agreed to meet them both later in town at the only bar in Montisi for some wine and cheese. Due to the uncooperative weather,  we discussed the "wait and see" plan for ballooning the next day and then at Robert and Liz's recommendation we had a wonderful meal at a </B><A HREF="http://www.lalocandadimontisi.it/locanda_montisi_eng.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.lalocandadimontisi.it/locanda"><U><B>La Locanda Di Montisi</B></U></A><B>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Day 4 - PIENZA, MONTALCINO</B></div> <div> <B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>A bit too much wind made ballooning too dangerous so we set out on day four armed with a new map and some suggestions from Robert on the best places to visit in the area. We started with a short drive to the town of </B><A HREF="http://www.pienza.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.pienza.com/"><U><B>Pienza</B></U></A><B>. Pienza is a small hill town with a Piazza big enough to be in a large city. It was one of our favorite hill towns. After a quick breakfast we spent the morning visiting the Enotecas (wine shops) and cheese shops along the main square. We purchased some fresh salami, Pecorino cheese (local sheep's milk cheese) and Prosecca to take back to our room for later. We had a fantastic lunch at a local restaurant before leaving town and heading for Montalcino and our southern Tuscany wine tour. After a quick drive we made our way to the Enoteca La Fortezza inside Montalcino's fort. This was a great place to start since they had selections from most of the wine producers in the region. We tasted several wines and made our plans to visit two before we headed back to Montisi. We started at the </B><A HREF="http://www.castellobanfi.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.castellobanfi.com/"><U><B>Castello Banfi</B></U></A><B>  Banfi produces some of the regions best Super Tuscan and Brunello wines. The drive in was incredible and the we were able to taste and purchase a number of fantastic wines and vinegar. Banfi  has its own Balsamieria where they produce and age Balsamic Vinegar according to traditional methods dating back to the ancient Etruscans. A quick trip in the car and we were at </B><A HREF="http://www.poggioantico.com/english/index_e.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.poggioantico.com/english/inde"><U><B>Poggio Antico</B></U></A><B>, another highly rated producer in the area. When we arrived they looked closed but we were lucky enough to find someone who opened up the wine room and gave us a private tasting. A few more tastes and a few more bottles to bring home! </B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 513 WIDTH="625"><div> <B><IMG SRC="0aa58c20.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="450" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Just a short hop off the Autostrada and we were in the Tuscan countryside. Scenes like this were over every hill and around every turn. </B><A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gallery 3 Tuscan Landscape"><U><B>Click here for more Tuscan Landscapes</B></U></A><B> Click you back button to return.</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 475 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="0ab58c20.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="450" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Just arriving at hotel </B><A HREF="http://www.laromita.net/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.laromita.net/"><U><B>LaRomita</B></U></A><B> in Montisi for our two night stay. </B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 475 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="0ac58c20.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="450" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Cindy armed with her "Speak Italian In Ten Minutes A Day" book in hand.</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 475 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="0ad58c20.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="450" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>View from our hotel balcony. Welcome to the Tuscan countryside!</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 513 WIDTH="625"><div> <B><IMG SRC="0ae58c20.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="450" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>View of the only road in town from the front of the hotel. The fresh produce delivery cart announced his arrival over a loudspeaker on his cart as he drove through town making deliveries.  </B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 494 WIDTH="625"><div> <B><IMG SRC="0af58c20.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="450" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>We were greeted with a sunny day on day four. View from our balcony looking down at the hotel grounds.</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 551 WIDTH="625"><div> <B><IMG SRC="0b058c20.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="450" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Robert and Liz, our new friends and ballooning guides at their home just down the hill from Montisi. Too much wind for ballooning left our day wide open to explore. Robert was a huge help to us by suggesting some spots to visit and maximize our time. Liz is an accomplished artist with a gallery in Motisi. You can visit her web site here </B><A HREF="http://www.lizgy.com/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.lizgy.com/index.htm"><U><B>Liz Graham-Yooll</B></U></A><B>  </B><B>and the ballooning web site at </B><A HREF="http://www.ballooningintuscany.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ballooningintuscany.com/"><U><B>Ballooning in Tuscany</B></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 475 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="0b158c20.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="450" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Typical street/alley in </B><A HREF="http://www.pienza.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.pienza.com/"><U><B>Pienza</B></U></A><B>. This was one of our favorite hill towns.</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 570 WIDTH="625"><div> <B><IMG SRC="0b258c20.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="450" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Cindy was truly in her element here. Surrounded by wine, cheese, vinegar, olive oil, meats and pasta she said it was time to sell everything and move to Italy. We wanted to bring the whole shop home but customs laws made it impossible. As soon as we got home I tracked down some importers so we could purchase a lot of the items we fell in love with. I have added some links to this site if you are interested in ordering food from Italy. </B></div> <div> <B>Click here for </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Eurostile" ><A HREF="http://www.andersadventures.com/id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.andersadventures.com/id27.htm"><U><B>The Foods Of Italy</B></U></A></FONT></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 825 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="0b358200.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="800" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Breathtaking  views around every corner in Pienza.</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 844 WIDTH="625"><div> <B><IMG SRC="0b458200.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="800" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>My artistic side kept pulling at me to photograph doors and balconies. This door and the balcony below are some of my favorites.  </B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 456 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="0b558c20.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="450" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 476 WIDTH="625"><div> <B><IMG SRC="0b658b00.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="432" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>After a nice lunch in Pienza we were off to the  </B><B> </B><A HREF="http://www.castellobanfi.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.castellobanfi.com/"><U><B>Castello Banfi</B></U></A><B>  </B><B>in Montalcino</B><B> </B><B>for more wine and balsamic vinegar.</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 533 WIDTH="625"><div> <B><IMG SRC="0b758b00.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="432" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>After doing some serious tasting at Banfi and spending most of the money we saved on ballooning we made another stop at </B><B> </B><A HREF="http://www.poggioantico.com/english/index_e.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.poggioantico.com/english/inde"><U><B>Poggio Antico</B></U></A><B> </B><B>to taste more wine and spend some more money. Fearing a long stay in an Italian prison for high speed DUI, I kept my wine consumption to a minimum and kept  lookout from this balcony for any Polizia that may be following us!</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 504 WIDTH="625"><div> <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Siena Day 5"><U><B>Click here for Day 5 Siena >></B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>