Italian Adventure 2023

Leaving Val d’Orcia our plan had been to head up to Finale Ligure on the Italian riviera for Dave to do some mountain biking, before heading home. Sadly though the weather had really changed now, and torrential rain forecast. This was no good for biking as the trails would be closed and the biking shops not doing uplifts. Unfortunately it also looked like rain in most places for the week ahead, so with sadness, we decided to start our journey home, slowly, and hope to pick up some dry weather somewhere on route.  Our first stop was just north of Florence, where we took he opportunity to get Rubes seen by the vet for her return home. This then freed us up to take the journey flexibly, and stop when we wanted to. Also a bonus that the cost was less than half the price we usually pay in France 😃 Weather looked to be good around Susa, just west of Turin, so we stayed the night. A really interesting small town with much Roman heritage and remains. The weather had turned quite cold now,...

The weather was really starting to change now -becoming a bit more grey and blustery (but thankfully not storm Babet) as we headed back into southern Tuscany, to explore the beautiful and enigmatic Val d’Orcia region. The area is iconic Tuscany, and known to have inspired artists of the Renaissance. The landscape is enchanting, and changes with the seasons. Val d’Orcia Early morning mist  Beautiful landscape Agriturismo Il Rigo, just outside of San Quirico d’Orcia, was our base for a few nights - a lovely old farm building renovated as a guest house, run by an extended family for over 30 years. A few nights of luxury for us 😃 We actually stayed in their second house Poggio Bacocaon the hill opposite. Il Poggio - a truely Tuscan scene Relaxing 😎  Ruby very much feeling at home 😃 Early morning mist at Poggio Bacoca Il Rigo - lined by the famous Tuscan Poplars Resident dog 🤣 Il Rigo was a great base from which to explore Val d’Orcia. We set off on our bikes, ended up in Pienz...

We were keen to explore Umbria, often referred to as the Green Heart of Italy, dominated by medieval hilltop towns, dense forests, and local cuisine & wines. The region is quite small, so short distances between places meant it was possible to nip around 😃 Assisi was our first stop, a stunning hilltop town steeped in history. It’s truly magnificent, perched high on the hill, with stunning buildings and history. Primarily associated with St Francis, who originated from here, is now very much a site of pilgrimage and religious tourism, so not really our scene 🤣 Did seem ironic though that St Francis, having chosen to lead a very frugal life and devote all his energies to supporting the the poor, is celebrated so lavishly within the city, at vast expense! Interesting to see though, but also keen to get away fast!  Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi Wandering through the porticos Beautiful Assisi Assisi in the distance  While in the region we were keen to visit San Pietro a ...