I thought I might give everyone an "inside" look at one of my tours.  It gives you a chance to be an "armchair" traveler without leaving the comfort of your home. 

All aboard!

My friends and clients, John and Barb, were living in Cortona for the next two months and had asked me to take them on a custom designed private tour.  They had another friend who was visiting them for a week and wanted to show her around while she was here.

We had planned the route for quite a few months, something that we all had fun doing via email and something they really enjoyed looking forward to before arriving.

Well, let us begin!  We started off promptly at 9:30 a.m. from Cortona and headed out on small country roads towards Montepulciano.  It was a gorgeous day out; I think that mother nature was showing off just for my guests.

We stopped at a special church in Montepulciano that I like to bring visiting guests to. Not only is S. Biagio a visually stunning structure but it also has a patron saint called Maddona della Buon Viaggio.  I am not Catholic but I still think it can't hurt to have a saint dedicated to good travels!

We headed on towards Pienza, stopping here and there to take photos of the beautiful countryside.  I have had the wonderful opportunity to get to know quite well many of the "strade bianche" (dirt roads) in the area which really put you deep into the heart of the land of endless green fields and sprawling villas dotting the hills.

The poppies are in season and this was the first large grouping we spotted.





We couldn't stop for too long though, there were WAY too many kilometers of countryside to discover!



This area really is the quintessential Tuscany with cypress tree lined roads and flowing green fields.



We drove up to the little hamlet of Monticchiello and stopped for a short walk around the town.



This town is charming to say the least.  Those of you who follow the blog are probably sick of me talking and blogging about it but it really is just about as cute as a button.





My guests really enjoyed it as well.  There are so many beautiful little houses in this tiny medieval city.  This time I had prepared a bit of history and information in case they were interested in hearing it.  Come to find out, this little town had quite a tumultuous history.  Besides being feuded by neighboring towns over the years, during the second world war they almost lost all of their citizens.





Some Fascist had reported activity to the Germans and when the Germans finally arrived they lined up all of the town's people in front of the main wall, intending to kill all of them.  A German woman, wife of an Italian landowner, pleaded for their lives, along with a local priest.  The town was saved.



Most of the little villages all over Italy have similar stories.  Many weren't as fortunate as Monticchiello.



Soon we were off again, travellling on another "strada biancha" as we skirted Pienza and drove up to S. Giovanni d'Asso for lunch at a little trattoria there. 

We had a fantastic meal sharing crostini and cheese plates along with a few other tasty dishes.  We actually had to take a little walk through town after lunch just to encourage our full tummies to settle down for another drive.

Back on the road again we drove towards Pienza and stopped for a photo of one of my favorite country church vistas.



This church is quite popular and is found in many calendars and photo books of Tuscany.  I just love seeing it and have taken many pictures of the little chapel in almost every season and time of day and I still never tire of seeing it again.





We stopped in Pienza for a nice stroll through town and a chance to browse the many cheese and touristy shops.  I think Pienza may have been the first master planned community as it was an old hamlet until in Pope Pius II, a local who made it big time, returned and had the hamlet made into a verified city in 1462.

The cathedral he also master-planned was a welcome respite from the hot sun.





I honestly never get tired of going in churches.  Each one has their own character and beautiful pieces of art.



No rest for the tour!  It was time to hit the road again, dirt roads, and head south, deep into the countryside.

It really was glorious and I can honestly say my guests were amazed by the breathtaking vistas.



This is the "I really am in Italy!" pose...



Here are my delightful and happy guests...



We continued driving, now heading south towards La Foce, and just happened on a HUGE field of poppies!





I wish I could say I plan for these sorts of things but we just were extremely lucky and all of us were ecstatic to have such a photo opportunity.





We drove up towards La Foce and pulled over for the vista across the valley from the hamlet.  Iris Origa, along with her husband, were wealthy landowners of most of the villas in the area, planted these cypress trees years ago in order to have a prettier view.





Iris wrote the fascinating account War in Val D'Orcia 1943-1944: A Diary, which I highly suggest reading if you are interested in a detailed account of the history of the area during World War II.

We drove up closer to enjoy the view.  One of my guests, Barb, had also read Iris's book and it was very meaningful to her, as it was to me, to be able to see where the events written in the book took place.



I discovered a wonderful picnic spot for my future tours although with only two tables I have a feeling that it is often occupied.



La Foce isn't open to visitors unless you are staying there but their gardens are open on Wednesday afternoons at 3:00 p.m.  We all made a promise to return in the next few weeks to view the gardens.

Across from La Foce is Casteluccio, another part of the Origa estate.  Now, along with La Foce, it is also rented out and is a really beautiful hamlet where you can almost believe that time stands still.



At this point it was starting to be late and time to head back.  We stopped at a winery in Montepulciano for a little wine tasting before returning back to Cortona.

I can say that I think I properly wore everyone out but I saw big happy smiles on their faces and I had hugs from everyone when I dropped them off so I think they just might have had a full and enjoyable day.

And THAT, ends our tour!

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