Another night in paradise
Trip Start
Mar 17, 2012
1
74
80
Trip End
Jun 26, 2012
Civitella in Val di Chiana, Tuscany, Italy
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
We decide a detour is in order and take the exit ramp off the A1 toward Cortona. The GPS is reset with the new destination and we motor on guided by the instruction of our talking smartphone.
In no time we arrive at a large car park perched half way up the hill, but directly below where Cortona sits.The sun is streaming upon our beads of perspiration as we head off on foot up the hill to the village. We come to a set of steps with a sign pointing to what appears to be an escalator. We take the steps and voila! - an escalator that will take us the remainder of the steep slope to the start of the main shopping strip.
The prevailing character of Cortona’s architecture is medieval with steep narrow streets. From various vantage points, and certainly the higher one goes up through the township, magnificent views can be embraced of the whole of the Valdichiana (an alluvial valley of central Italy).
After spending the best part of the day exploring this fabulous village, we decide to head back toward our B & B oasis. Meandering back along the countryside we take a side road toward the Castle of Montecchio Vespone. Unfortunately it is closed so we continue on and arrive back in plenty of time for a cool dip in the pool and a glass of wine before heading out again for a meal in one of the many Tuscan restaurants in the area.
