Our last day in Monte Carlo. We were sad to be leaving today because we have just loved the opulent lifestyle and fast cars of this Principality and it has been like a holiday away from our holiday; being pampered in a beautiful resort hotel. We woke late and took our time getting ready because we didn’t really need to check out until 2pm however we had had an email from Francesco in Montemerano saying that it will take at least 6-7 hours of driving to our destination.
We went down to the hotel lounge and had a cappuccino (and milkshakes for the kids) and languished there for a while and then decided to head off just before 1pm. The weather was lovely and certainly glorious to be driving up around the mountains above Monte Carlo on our way to Italy, stopping to take photos along the way.
It wasn’t long before we crossed the border into Italy, only a matter of a couple of kilometres, and we followed the coast for a couple of hundred kilometres admiring the towns crouching amongst the valleys and hills as we passed them on the freeway. The views were incredibly scenic of the coastline and often you could get a glimpse of towns far in the distance on the coast as we rounded a headland. The freeway for the couple hundred kilometres we travelled on, consisted of bridge over a valley, then a tunnel through a hill/mountain then onto another bridge over another valley and so on. We didn’t seem to actually drive on flat ground until we had got far around the Italian Riveria and had started down ‘the boot’. The bridges themselves were construction marvels with looming pylons in the valleys below supporting them. We loved that we could get incredible views of all the towns from these bridges on either side up and down the valleys that eventually joined the coast.
Finally around 6pm we made it to the town of Pisa, for one thing only, to see the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. I remember coming here in my 20’s and today was of course thrilled to still see it standing (at a lean) but amazed that they were letting people climb in to the top which didn’t happen when I visited last. We drove around and around the city trying to find the tower until we finally did find it but when we parked the car in a side street, there were African men trying to sell us everything from hair wraps to watches to replica leaning towers and they were very vocal about where we had parked and it made us quite nervous about leaving the car with all our current worldly belongings inside. Jack was particularly concerned about leaving the car, worried that they would break into it, so we hurriedly went to visit the tower, have our photos taken, admire it as we should, buy the pin and then back to the car. Corky was just happy to ‘tick’ that one off his tourist list. We got back to the car and were happy to see it in one piece and our belongings still belonging to us. It was getting quite late by this stage and we had told Francesco we would be in Montemerano between 8-9pm but our Sat Nav lady told us it would be more like 9.30pm so we hurriedly began our journey south again down the boot.
Before we left Pisa however, we needed to fill up with petrol. We pulled into a service station and the kind old man filled our tank for us. Corky went inside with him to pay on his credit card, he took an awfully long time. By the time he came out, again with the man, he told me that they didn’t have the facility for him to sign for the payment on the credit card but he needed a PIN number instead which we didn’t have. Therefore, Corky had to go with the man in his little car to an ATM to get the cash out. It was quite an amusing site to see Corky in the passenger seat with the little old man driving off down the road with him. We sat and waited and it wasn’t too long before they were back and the transaction was complete. I asked Corky if there was much conversation and he said ‘Nope, neither of us could understand each other!’
Of course along the way hunger pains started to remind us that we hadn’t had dinner yet and trying to kill two birds with one meal, we decided that McDonald’s would be the easiest and quickest fix and also we could use their free internet service to send out our remaining emails and check some from home. I put into the Sat Nav the nearest McDonald’s which took us slightly off our path to the coastal port town of Piombino, mainly I think to service the nearby island of Elba. One thing about McDonald’s, at least it is always quick and the kids get a bit of a ‘leg-stretch’ in the playground before we get back on the road again. Unfortunately we encountered the ‘lovely’ Italian hospitality from the Maccas check-out chick who didn’t want to help us with the WiFi connection despite our computer prompting us that yes, indeed we could get a connection here and also she waved her hands madly around in ‘no’ gesticulations when we asked for 2 more straws for our drinks despite the fact that she had herself forgotten to give them to us in the first place. Hmm, my opinion of the Italians wasn’t upbeat at this time especially since I was so sad to be leaving France and all the lovely things that France is. I do love Italy and have always enjoyed my visits, but I have sensed quite a gulf in hospitality between the two countries so far, maybe I am just biased a little towards my wonderful time in France and all I had hoped it would be and the fact that we have just visited a port town McDonald’s in Italy. Yes, maybe I am being a little too harsh and quick to criticise. I am sure time will heal all in Italy!
Time did start to heal as we sped down the A10 motorway and through the glorious Tuscan countryside. I found it more beautiful to admire than Provence perhaps mainly because it was flatter where we were currently driving and there were little mounds of hills with towns perched on top with sprawling vineyards stretching down below them. I am also sure many places in France are similar but it just gave me a content feeling here, unless I was overcompensating for my first initial ‘Port McDonalds’ feelings. I doubt it. Tuscany is just so lovely. The sun was just starting to set to our right over the Ligure Sea (Mediterranean) as we started to head inland more and off the A10 and onto smaller country roads. By this time after our stop in McDonald’s, our Sat Nav predicted that we would arrive at 10.30pm in Montemerano and I had imaginings of Francesco pacing and wondering if we were lost.
We have met Francesco before, in Sydney about 6 months ago. It is quite a funny a story as to how we secured this place in a small town in Tuscany. During the extensive research of all our accommodations for all our cities in all our countries for our 4 month trip, I found a website via Google of long term rentals around the world. I of course narrowed it down to Tuscany and our criteria – family of 6 on a certain budget and a certain amount of weeks and it gave us a few to choose from. I came across one and contacted them. Soon enough I received a reply from a lady called Sabina about her property for rent in a town called Montemerano. We emailed back and forth about staying at her property and even chatted about perhaps setting up the opportunity for the kids to attend the local school that her children had attended at one stage. All seemed well and we both were happy with the arrangement we had worked out. However about a month later I received an apologetic email from Sabine saying that unfortunately we were now unable to stay in her property because her neighbour had been evicted and she offered to put them up in her rental accommodation for as long as they needed, therefore we were now unable to stay. However, she had chatted to her neighbour Francesco, a lovely Italian man in his late 60’s who would be happy to chat further with us about perhaps staying in his property instead. I seemed happy with this and emailed Francesco straight away explaining our situation, our family and that we were from Sydney, Australia. He replied within the next couple of days saying yes, he would love to have us stay and if we liked, we could contact his wife who happens to be Australian herself and currently in their Sydney home. I rang Alison and funnily found out that they lived only 15 minutes away from us in Ryde. Oh my goodness, what an incredibly small world! It is amazing how these little things happen; from one little town in Tuscany, Italy to living only minutes away from our home in Sydney. Alison and I chatted for quite a while and agreed that their place would suit our family fine and then she invited us over for morning tea as Francesco would also happen to be in Sydney (as he does every year for 4 months over Christmas thus never having a winter in either hemisphere) and we happily accepted. Soon enough, we were over at their house sipping tea and eating croissants and discussing our adventures to Tuscany. We were very happy and comfortable with this arrangement and had been looking forward to this part of our trip.
Finally at 10.20pm we crept up into the hilltop town of Montemerano. The kids gave a cheer when they realised that indeed we were staying in a proper town rather than a rural abode like we did in Provence. It was safe to say we were all giddy with excitement because this town looked just as we had imagined, just perfect! We wound up as far as we could in the car and then had to park and walk the rest of the way into the Piazza because it was car free. Corky stayed with the car because Harry was asleep and Jack, Sophie and I went looking for Piazza Del Castello, 5. We wandered along in the dark and found the Piazza and because I had seen photos, I could recognise where our house would be. We found No.5, opened the main door at the bottom of the stairs and then climbed them to be confronted by 3 doors at the top; one to the left, one to the right and one straight ahead. We knew we had the right place because firstly it was No. 5 doorway and also because Francesco and Alison’s letterbox was just down the bottom of the stairs. I knocked loudly and called out ‘Bonjourno Francesco’ but realised it was futile because no-one came to answer so after a few minutes and Jack getting very nervous, we headed back to the car which was parked out next to the town’s bar. In the meantime Corky had made himself familiar at the bar and told me that of course they knew Francesco. I had Francesco’s mobile number so the owner of the bar called him and sure enough, 2 minutes later there was Francesco. We apologised for our lateness but he didn’t care and was just happy to see us all. We left the car and grabbed what we could and he took us to our home for the next 5 weeks. We were certainly pleasantly surprised but also amazed by the layout.
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| Madi above the front door and Jack in the living room |
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| kitchen and living area |
Alison had extensively described via email the layout of the house so we had a rough idea of what to expect and we certainly loved what we saw however as typical in these villages, the layouts are a bit bizarre. When you enter the main door off the Piazza, you climb some stairs to 3 doors at the top. Our door is the one on the right. It opens up into a large living room with a kitchen off to the end. Above the kitchen via a ladder is an open landing with a double mattress there however we won’t be using it because it isn’t terribly safe without a railing and also it is exposed onto the kitchen. Off the living area there is a window which looks down into the Piazza and to the side there are some stairs around the corner which take you up to the next level. Through a door straight ahead there is the main bedroom with an incredible view down across the Tuscan countryside. This room has a double bed and a single bed however we decided to make this the kids bedroom and we put an extra mattress on the floor for Madi. We also have kept all our clothes and belongings in here, it is a large room. Off this room is a bathroom and laundry.
Back at the top of the stairs is a door to the right. This leads into a short but wide hallway (for want of a better term). Immediately off to the left is another bedroom which also looks out to the Piazza and I guess this sits over the neighbours flat downstairs as would the main bedroom. This bedroom that looks over the Piazza however has a narrow step stair that leads up to an open loft space with a double mattress up there. We also didn’t want to use this because even though it has a railing, I didn’t like the kids getting up and down there at night and also at the end of the bed is a little window which has lost its perspex pane and therefore is open and looks straight into Francesco’s apartment next door – and vice versa, he can look in as he climbs the stairs in his apartment. Bizarrely though, off the ‘short but wide hallway’ at the end is a long curtain and that is the only thing that separates Francesco in his apartment and us, so basically if we had all the doors open upstairs, we would invariably be sharing the same apartment as him. We weren’t too happy about this however the solution was to not use the front bedroom and therefore shut the door to the top of the stairs which now separates him from us. Yes, all very confusing! As for Corky and I and where we are sleeping, we have pulled the sofa bed out down in the living area.
Francesco happily showed us around explaining everything in detail and then kindly left us to it but before he left, he added ‘oh, and every hour and sometimes the half hour, the church bells just outside chime in particular at 7.30 in the morning when they chime for about a minute, goodnight’. Oh great!
FRIDAY 10 JUNE –MONTEMERANO, TUSCANY, ITALY
We woke late to a beautiful day and of course the bells chiming on the hour (and once on the half hour). I actually like the chiming, it really completes the lovely Tuscan village feel and sounds wonderful and I didn’t even hear the 7.30am ones!
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| view up through arch to our Piazza |
I looked out into the Piazza and there was Francesco having a chat with another man. He looked up and saw me and waved. Soon enough there was a knock on our door and Francesco was seeing how we all slept and was keen to show us around. We were keen to be shown around.
One thing I love about arriving at a destination at night is that next morning waking to discover your surroundings that you couldn’t see the night before. We had no idea of the view out of the bedroom window and of course all the alleyways surrounding the house etc and we were keen to get going. Francesco is clearly very passionate about his town and clearly well known because everyone greeted him on our travels. He is also a historian and a tour guide for the area so extremely knowledgeable. He showed us around some alleyways and how to get places like the bakery and shops and also to where we parked the car. There are 4 ways to get out of the Piazza where we are staying and all gradually wind down the hill. Montemerano is a very ancient once-walled town that still has some of the walls intact that are now lived in. The Piazza is car free so it is safe for the kids to play in.
Once we had had the tour of the town, we hopped into the car for a drive to be shown a few local sites. Our first stop was about 5km away, the natural hot springs near Saturnia. We had a view of them from the hill overlooking the area and you could see the springs cascading down over levels which people lay in. We drove around to them and went for a look. You could smell the sulphur that was coming from them which was a bit off-putting but we were excited to come back one day for a bathe.
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| hill up to our Piazza |
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| bakery |
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| playing soccer with Francesco in the Piazza |
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| square with shops and bakery |
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| view from our bedroom window |
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| view of Montemerano in the distance |
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| view of Hot Springs |
We then headed to the main town of the area, Manciano, where we did a grocery shop and then back to our house. Francesco left us to get on with some chores so we thought we would head down to the Springs for a bathe. It was about 6pm when we got there but there were still quite a few people though apparently on weekends it is recommended not to come because it gets too crowded. The springs gushed with such a force out of the bushes above and down the cascades which were like little pools you could lie in. The bottom of the pools were made up of small, extremely round pebbles, there were also some large rocks in the pools you had to be care not to stub your toe on. The temperature was lovely, in the 30-something degrees and of course the higher you got to the waterfall the hotter it was.
The natural springs are reported to be at least around 5000 years old and we were amazed at the continual strong flow that came out and how it had managed to maintain such a force after so many thousands of years. It was funny watching the Italians enjoying this luxury, there were large women in bikinis and old men sitting under the waterfalls in the hope that the healing powers may grow their hair back and children, some with floaties. Most would lie back lie goddesses in the sun enjoying the smell of sulphur and steam rising around them.
After about an hour, we believed we were adequately ‘healed’ and pruney none the less, so we hopped out to change discretely (unlike some of the Italians) and headed off up the hill for about 2kms to the town of Saturnia. It is a beautiful town and like all the rest, a main square with restaurants surrounding it. I have to say, I still haven’t found many friendly Italians yet (Francesco excluded of course), no-one seems to smile at you like they do in France and even at the restaurants when you approach to look at their menu, they don’t seem interested. I have even already noticed in our little town of Montemerano that no-one greets us or smiles and often I will say ‘Bonjourno’ to someone and won’t get a reply. Everyone seems to just sit and watch us go by, not a comforting feeling really but I guess we are foreigners to them in their little community.
We found a lovely restaurant in Saturnia to have our dinner in the courtyard outside. After a while the there was a light wind and the evening was getting cool and because we had come from the springs, we were feeling a bit cold and Sophie still had some wet hair. I asked the lady in my best gesticulating language ‘can we please move inside?’ but ‘no’ it wasn’t possible. I thought maybe there weren’t any tables but the courtyard was just it. It wasn’t until later when I went inside to go to the bathroom that I saw there were plenty of tables. Never mind, we enjoyed our meal, Jack & Corky having the lamb cutlets, Harry and Sophie having a pizza and Madi and I had pasta. I enjoyed some lovely local red wine with my meal. After dinner we did what we did best, went for ice cream.
SATURDAY 11 JUNE –MONTEMERANO, TUSCANY, ITALY
When we arrived back from Siena, we went for dinner in one of the restaurants in Montemerano. We sat outside under a covered terrace with views down the hillside and out across our Tuscan area. Often on our trip we have to stop and realise exactly where we are and what we are doing and now was one of those times, we marvelled at each other that here we were in a little Italian restaurant, eating their local food and drinking the local wine with views of Tuscany around us, and all as the sun set for the day. We haven’t been travelling long enough to become blasé to these moments.
After dinner we wandered up to the main bar which seemed to be the social centre of the town. Being Saturday night it was packed and again when we entered, all eyes were on us. We crossed through the courtyard and into the bar where we ordered ice creams (does that surprise you?) and a coffee for me (1 Euro, what a bargain). We went outside to eat our ice cream and listen to the keyboard singer in the corner who could definitely pass as an Italian Neil Diamond (complete with a glittering light show around the courtyard). I just don’t know how people maintain this lifestyle, it would do my head in after a while. I loved watching all the different people. There were the old men having deep meaningful conversations, sipping their grappa and chain smoking. Then there were the old couples who just sat there. Not talking, not drinking, not doing anything really but I am sure deep down they were so excited about the Italian Neil Diamond. However the most interesting and funniest to watch were the teens/early 20’s on their Saturday night out in downtown Montemerano. The girls had their tight jeans and stilettos on (how they managed the cobblestones I have no idea), jewerlly, jackets, heavy makeup and hilarious hairdo’s. One girl had all the hair on the top of her head standing up straight but the weight made it bow down again towards her forehead. The boys were all cool dudes, smoking away trying to impress the girls but the funniest thing is when they all eagerly jump up to greet another mate when he arrives, with kisses all around, Jack just squirms.
SUNDAY 12 JUNE –MONTEMERANO, TUSCANY, ITALY
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| Village of Pitigliano |
We wound back to our village a different way to the way we came so we could explore the area a little more. We stopped for ice cream on another hilltop town that overlooked the lake and then we headed home. Unfortunately we were held up on one windy narrow part of the road where an accident had occurred between a car and a motorbike and both looked extremely damaged.
Tonight we stayed in and cooked dinner. Jack and I went for a walk and after dinner Corky and the kids played soccer in the piazza below. Whilst Jack and I were on our walk however, Corky had the task of cutting up the vegetables for the meal I was making. When we returned, he looked at me and said ‘How far is it to St Tropez from here?’ I looked quizzically at him and he turned around and showed me his shorts. He had dropped a piece of vegetable on the floor, bent down to pick it up and split his shorts from the waist band right down one leg, and it wasn’t even on a seam! He had only had them just over a week. We were both quite hysterical about it but in all seriousness we needed to send them back to the shop to exchange them.
Once it was dark, we headed down to the local bar for a ‘night-cap’ ice cream and to watch some of the Canada Grand Prix race. We didn’t stay too long because we were hoping Francesco would be back from Pisa so we could see him before we headed off to Venice tomorrow. It was about 10pm but he had just arrived home and we sat with him and all watched the final laps of the Grand Prix before we all headed to bed.
Till next time .... x
