Archive for 'Day Trips'

There is more to Italy than meets the eye, and there is certainly more to Italy than Florence, Rome and Venice as we all know. But do you really know what the real, rural Italy is like?
For starters, you could take a look at the area of Orcia Valley. There are some pretty little villages in this area of Tuscany which  are situated among some of the most beautiful views in Italy such as Montalcino, San Quirico D’Orcia and Pienza.

There are many properties here that you can rent and while you enjoy the beautiful scenery of the countryside, you can also take day trips out to get a taste of the history of the area, finishing the day in a lovely restaurant with beautiful traditional Italian food.

Volterra is such a beautiful town and personally I prefer it to the close by San Gimignano.... Less crowded and so much atmosphere.

This magic city has its roots in three thousand years of history and you will find evidence and traces from every historical period. The imposing Porta all’Arco, the Necropolis, the ancient city walls and the numerous archeological finds conserved in the Museo Etrusco Guarnacci like the famous "Ombra della Sera" (evening Shadow) with its unique profile, the funeral urns and the finely crafted jewellery, bear testimony of the Etruscan period.

Each time one of my friends or relatives from abroad come to visit me in Tuscany during the spring I always take them on a tour through the panoramic and spectacular hilly landscape called the Crete Senesi.

Make sure to drive along from Siena to Buonconvento and continue on the SP451 and after that from Asciano back towards Siena on the SP 438 and DO NOT forget your camera. What views, what light...


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Stop on the way to visit the Abbazia di Monte Oliveto (1313) with paintings of the Sodoma and have lunch in the Locanda Il Paradiso in the cute little village of Chiusure close to the abbey.

I wanted to write about some famous Tuscan people for a while and now Pinocchio comes to my mind.... I think Pinocchio is actually one of the most famous fictional characters in the world !!!

Pinocchio (pronounced [piˈnɔkːjo] in Italian) first appeared in 1883, in "The Adventures of Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi, and has since appeared in many adaptations of that story and others. Carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a small Italian village, he was created as a wooden puppet, but he dreamt of becoming a real boy. Pinocchio is often a term used to describe an individual who is prone to telling lies, fabricating stories and exaggerating or creating tall tales for various reasons.

There is a popular conception that Pinocchio's nose grows only when he lies. Under this condition, the Pinocchio Paradox is an analogy for the liar paradox, expressing the dilemma of what will happen if Pinocchio says "My nose will grow now." If he is lying, his nose should grow, but if his nose grows, then he is actually telling the truth. On the other hand, if he is telling the truth and his nose starts growing, then it will violate the condition that his nose grows when he is lying.. hence the paradox.

I believe that every person that loves Tuscany must go and see the the little walled village of Monteriggioni.

It’s very close to Siena and Monteriggioni is famous for its ancient city walls, a splendid example of medieval architecture built by the Sienese in 1213 as a front line in their wars against Florence and maintained – to this day – virtually intact.

The Tuscan poet Dante Alighieri used the turrets of Monterrigioni to evoke the sight of the ring of giants encircling the Infernal abyss.