Tuscany, Italy, Day one
Morning in Florence saw us straight to the train station again, this time heading to Siena. We got there around 10am and eventually found the car rental place, where we were served by a guy with Sideshow Bob hair and the most awesome accent you’ll ever hear. He handed over the keys to the Fiat Punto and we set off to look around town. Siena is beautiful, a common theme around these parts, and it has a main square surrounded by restaurants that we stopped at. Katie recalled drinking coffee at Cafe Sienna in Chapel Street, only to now be drinking cafè IN Siena :)
We then set off to find the place we were staying at in the Tuscan hills. Katie drove, and did a marvellous job of negotiating the right-hand side of the road, the torturous curves and the frankly random nature of regional Italian drivers. However, it’s not an easy place to find your way around, and we first ended up overshooting the place by about half an hour. Things didn’t get any easier when we found ourselves, as it turns out that there are at least three Via della Grelliaes, all on the same hill. The one we had found was a very loose gravel road climbing at an alarmingly steep angle. Katie and the Punto perservered and somehow made it to the the end of the road, to be greeted by a private property sign. If going up was challenging, going back down was hair-raising! With the Punto still more or less in one piece, we thought we’d try again because, hey, it says it’s the right road. While spinning the tires and denting pretty much everything underneath the car, it became apparent that were not in the right place, so we pulled up and conceded defeat, calling the place and having them come to find us. Turns out we were climbing the wrong side of the hill and, led by the owner on his dirt bike, we found our way safely, although some of the roads weren’t much better than what we had just been on!
As we were pulling in, after being lost for 4 hours, we could see that where we were staying was just amazing. Perched on top of a hill, looking over valleys and villages in all directions, Castello di Montegonzi is made up of a number of brick cottages, some with tables out the front with a view and some, like ours, with their own private scenic lookout area. We dropped our bags and jumped straight into the swimming pool, the stress of the drive washing away in seconds. It was still quite warm and we could relax in the sun and look over the hills after swimming. Tuscany just takes your breath away, it is more stunning than any photo can do justice and I had to keep pinching myself to make sure the sights were really there.
Refreshed, we found a small paved area with tables and chairs that we could watch the sun set behind the hills from and popped opened a couple of cold beers and some chips. It just doesn’t get any better, trust me!
With the sun down, we swapped the beers for a Chianti Classico and moved to look out the other side of the hill, to our own little table and chairs. We watched the big full moon come up brightly and the lights slowly come on across the valley.
The place, the setting, the mood; everything was perfect. I gradually worked up the courage and, taking Katie’s hand and the ring (that I had smuggled around half of Europe), I asked her to marry me. With a grin, she said yes!
Elated, we stayed out in the night for a while, talking, laughing and finishing the wine. By this stage, it was early morning in Australia, and we started to call and message people with our news. Needless to say, I think the Optus Christmas party will be funded with our roaming charges! It was great to talk to our parents and receive many congratulations from friends.
Finally, we crashed in bed after a long, draining and exciting day. We have three nights in stunning Tuscany and, now that we are engaged, we will be sure to enjoy every second! Simon
