TUSCANY

An alley in Montepulciano ending with a panoramic view of Tuscany

My program starts in just a few short hours, but I can officially say my family accomplished way more than we had time for before my send-off!

We went  to THREE Tuscan hill towns in ONE DAY: Montepulciano, Siena and Volterra. Unheard of. They are about a 3 hour drive out of Rome and very hard to access being that they are all medieval cities enclosed by humongous stone walls. But we did it, and had a good time doing so! Here's the summary...


Stop #1: Montepulciano

I am in love with it - and not just because it is where part of the Twilight series "New Moon" was filmed! We had to walk in through what I believe is its one and only entrance, a large stone archway in the wall. It was an uphill climb from there, but boy were the views of the Tuscan countryside worth it. I felt like I had stepped out of present day and into the days of knights and kings. Montepulciano is a magnificently preserved little city, filled with history. It is no wonder that its side streets and largest square were used in the scene where Bella stops Edward from revealing himself...and the city the Volturi inhabit (if you are not a Twilight series fan, ignore these references and just know it is a spectacular place to visit and worth the hassle of getting there).

The Grand Square (can you picture Edward here?)

Mom and I 

Tuscany :)

Stop #2: Siena

I could have spent a week here...it is huge and full of history. It used to be a powerhouse before the plague hit the city and Florence was able to take over.

Il Duomo di Siena

You can definitely tell by its breathtaking Duomo that it was a city of great importance. It's large square (Piazza Campana) is where they hold annual horse races, and is supposed to be quite a draw for many. We had lunch in this square and toured the Duomo, picking up prayer beads and post cards. It is a shame we couldn't see more of the city because what we did have time for was INCREDIBLE. I guess we'll have to go back for those horse races!

Piazza Campana

Piazza Campana's clock tower (with no foundation)

The chapel of the Duomo

Inside the Duomo

Stop #3: Volterra

This originally Etruscan city is famous for its alabaster. It is the most medival (or at least what I picture to be "medieval") of all the cities. It looked like a huge castle on hill as we approached, and all the buildings seem to have that look to them as well - many are adorned with family/knight crests.

Wall around the city

Again, for Twilight fans (I know a lot of you readers are), this is where the New Moon incident with Edward and the Volturi is set. Although most was filmed in Montepulciano, they did use some clips of this city as well. We walked around marveling, and we also went into the Museo de Tortura....Torture Museum. Bad life choice on our part. I was HORRIFIED. The owners apparently found all of these devices within 100 meters of the location (questionable). Regardless, they were devices once used on actual human beings (some are still used), and even the simplest of tools accompanied with descriptions and photos were enough to make us all feel sick. Aside from this, it was still quite an amazing city and a real time warp. At the base of the hill were the ruins of a Roman amphitheater which were pretty cool to see as we drove away.

A dated tower in the middle of the city

Inside Il Museo di Tortura...DISLIKE

Old old old pathway

All and all we packed in a ton!!! I am impressed as I hope you are after reading this. :) Now the adventures in Italy with my lovely parents end here until December (sad), but I hope to have many more to share once I start my program (and when I see the other SCU'ers who are inhabiting Europe).

Ciao for now!

Brianna