Visit Tuscany: Pienza, Monticchiello and The Gladiator

The gloom and doom of the Covid was now behind us (knock some wood) and it was time again to break the shackles and head to what we love the most – wandering. We did have loads of plans for travel with little Addy, but Covid derailed all our plans, confining us to the dark skies of UK. Audrey was almost 2 years and what best to celebrate this milestone in a country known for good food, amazing wine and some of the best football – Italy. As we fly out of the UK for our first international vacation post Covid (as 2+1), join us to Visit Tuscany and explore Pienza, Monticchiello and The Gladiator shooting locations while awing at the Cypress alleys, patchwork fields and crumbling Castello’s.

Tuscany Arrival

We landed at Pisa and the plan was to see the Pisa tower before driving our way towards Tuscany. But well Addy had different plans – A 2-year-old without a nap and cracking ear drums in a turbulent flight can go crazy 😊. And first rule of thumb – Adapt! And so, we did! Picked up our Jeep to start our Italian Road trip and we headed straight to Tuscany – en route stopping to stack up on various essentials for our road trip across Italy. As we entered Tuscany the sun set in the far west and the view was magical – Rolling hills and beautiful crimson skies – couldn’t help but stop and awe at the beauty.

Checked into our apartment – Agriturismo Il Macchione– A holiday farm surrounded by swathes of greenery and olive trees – our base for Tuscany.

Tuscan Towns

The next morning, we were up and above, but the weather was quite cloudy and cold – the only day in our road trip wherein the weather gods disappointed us. After our breakfast, the wheels rolled and off we went. Tuscany is a perfect place for those postcard picture perfect views, but honestly, I feel no picture can do justice to the timeless stone paved streets and endless waves of green set-in front of you.

As the weather was not at its best we decided to stick to the rustic and rugged old towns within the Tuscan region. We made our way towards Monticchiello in the heart of Val d’Orcia. Walking around Monticchiello was quite subtle and peaceful – A village which has successfully conserved it glorious and powerful past including parts of its medieval fortress and sturdy walls.

Monticchiello parking – https://goo.gl/maps/qFNMsKQRX6K1EPRb6

After a lazy stroll through the village we head towards Pienza – a slightly bigger town as compared to Monticchiello. Pienza is a perfect utopian city with a right mix of Architecture, food and tradition. All these small to mid-sized villages are on top the hills, have a fortress around them, stone paved – giving them the priceless look of being stagnant in time.

However, Addy was quite cranky as it was very cold, and wanted to shop from every vendor she saw in Pienza – ended up buying a tiny little Cypress tree for 10 Euro! (Parenting goals 😊) So again we had to Adapt! We drove back to our base and Addy had her well-deserved nap. That’s an advantage of having a road trip, giving you the liberty of changing plans. As we say a happy kid is a happy trip.

Addy was all charged up after the nap and was buzzing to go out – we head straight back to Pienza again. This time we wanted to see the Gladiator Point. I’ve always been a movie buff and how can one not remember the epic movie – Gladiator. The beautiful and serene landscape of Tuscany was the perfect setting for idyllic scenes that contrasted the chaos and violence of the gladiatorial battles of the film.
Gladiator Point parking- https://goo.gl/maps/9wbpiWCKJY7UV45LA

This is a free car park next to the church at the top of the hill. You then walk a steep downhill through an unpaved road and takes about 10 mins to reach the spot. One must get the obligatory Gladiator shots here and do did we. Addy dint want to sit in the baby carrier and was quite enthusiastic to walk all the way back up the hill and was quite tired by the end of it – Well she asked for it

We then made our way back to Pienza and Addy was all happy, chirping and jumping around this time around – second time lucky I believe. We strolled around Pienza before settling in at the café at the northern end of the village to have some great local wholesome cakes – absolutely delicious.

Pienza parking – https://goo.gl/maps/JYNYWZ7DHLcZvsmJ8

The Sun was fast setting, so we decided to turn our wheels around and take a drive around the Tuscan countryside. It turned out to be an absolute delight – we just followed the road, nothing planned, driving into the unknown and it was one of the highlights of our stay in Tuscany.

Addy’s newfound passion is ‘Doors’ – She wants to open them, close them, latch them and not have bath, not eat or sleep. Even in the car she was asking to go home to play with doors – Truly hope she gets over the obsession for doors soon enough 😊

Tuscany View Points

The next morning was completely a contrast to the previous day – the sun was shining bright and high. This was our postcard viewpoints day – trying to capture all the picture worthy spots around Tuscany. It was going to be a relaxing day, driving around and probably a little walk around the Tuscan hills.

The first stop on our photo trip was Chapel of the Madonna di Vitaleta – A tiny church on the top of a hill with cypress trees lined on either side. This is one of the most photographed spots in Val d’Orcia. There is some construction going around this with cranes put up which absolutely destroys the beauty of it – I did hear there is a café or restaurant being opened right next to it – hope it’s not true!

Chapel of the Madonna di Vitaleta viewpoint parking – https://goo.gl/maps/R7U6h6yu9UUWPjZ37

The next stop en route after a 5 mins drive was the view of the Podere Belvedere farmhouse – very much loved by tourists.

Podere Belvedere viewpoint parking – https://goo.gl/maps/F3R3Bu2yMAXxWN9A7

Another 5 mins drive and we were at Genna Borborini Maria Eva – Another of the famous gladiator movie locations. You cannot get inside the farmhouse walls, so can only capture images at the gate

Genna Borborini Maria Eva viewpoint parking – https://goo.gl/maps/E4jEEdk28wnHHwyL8

Next in our photo pilgrimage were the famed cypress trees with views across rolling countryside – Cipressi di San Quirico d’Orcia. We were quite lost as google map would take you right next to the tress on a dirt road and the access was restricted, but we needed to find the viewpoint to get the right picture which is a layby on the highway which runs past it.

Tuscany Cypress Trees viewpoint parking– https://goo.gl/maps/mJqrStFV4MsXK7456

We drove further from here through the highways and the narrow countryside for the last elusive picture of the Zig Zag cypress road. The drive itself was quite beautiful following the green rolling hills on a bright sunny day. Again, the viewpoint as per google takes you nowhere. So, we found an apt Parking from where you can just walk down the hill, cross few bushes and have the best view of the famous zig zag cypress road.

Zig zag cypress road viewpoint parking – https://goo.gl/maps/uvYVEjnZJW3iWWdJA

The good thing about these viewpoints and about travelling at the start of the season is that you can enjoy all of these within the comforts of the car. That meant Addy and Li having a drink and snack in the car and me jumping bushes to click that right pic 😊

We wanted to stretch our legs a little and do one thing we love doing the most while at any countryside – Walk . So off we drove to the same Gladiator point which I mentioned earlier, and this time walked past it into the heart of the green rolling hills. While Addy enjoyed a nap in the baby carrier, we did the 3.5 miles Pienza – Anello del gladiatore Loop

We spend the afternoon at the farm strolling around the property which was an absolute delight. Addy enjoyed running around as we were the only occupants and had everything for ourselves.

Needless to say, ‘wine’ was another of the highlights of our stay in Tuscany and Italy– very cheap, great taste and different varieties. Tuscany has been an absolute delight, after seeing the perfect landscapes in various movies and documentaries, you would think that you’d be disappointed in real life, but not so.Tuscany, Venice, Lake Grada and then Dolomites – What an amazing road trip it has been..