The hike from one Monte to another Monte!

Sunday’s weather marked the end of our string of gorgeous, sun drenched days in Tuscany. The sky was cloudy, and temperatures were about 10 degrees cooler (52), and we seriously thought about abandoning our plan to walk across the valley from Montepulciano to Montefollonico, the next hill town to the west. Our proprietor had suggested the walk, and told us it was about 7 kilometers each way, but we had no clear idea of the vertical dimension…how far the valley descended from our starting point, and how steeply it would climb as we approached the next town, how hard it would be. One thing was sure, if the walk proved too much or too long, there was no taxi service to shuttle us home!

Nevertheless, we decided to give it a go, and what a happy choice that was. Our route followed little used gravel roads, and led us through a beautiful and quiet tour of rural Tuscany. First treat was a tiny farm house and barnyard, right at the roadside. This guy had everything: three geese who honked a lively alarm when we approached, a small herd of sheep, chickens, turkeys, ducks, a Shetland pony, and a big pink pig that we smelled before we saw! The farmer himself was standing on a ladder against one of his olive trees, harvesting his olives. We passed several quintessential Tuscan villas and acres upon acres of vineyards, and eventually reached the creek that marked the base of the valley. The walking was very easy, as it was all down hill!

The ascent to Montefollonico, however, was challenging, and was punctuated by repeated stops to remove our layers of cold weather clothing. We were passed by three mountain bikers at one point, on the steepest leg of the hike. These guys were powering up a slope of about 15-20 percent, moving barely faster than we could walk. It was impressive.

Slowly and steadily, we made our way up to our destination, and were gratified not only by the accomplishment, but also by the charm of the town. Of course, there was a fine little restaurant with an amazing wine collection in the “centro storico” (historic center). What a great way to reward ourselves for the morning’s work…far better than the water and granola bar that most hikers get! We were recharged for our hike back to Montepulciano.

The whole walk ended up taking about 4 hours, excluding lunch. Not so bad at all. And the memory of walking hill town to hill town, a concept so out of the ordinary for these two flat-landers, was worth every bit of effort.

Hike from the southeast to the northwest. And back.

That is our destination on the right hand side.

The sheep, with shepherd and their dogs going out to pasture in the morning.

Fall color is still hanging in there.

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These are not blueberries. Well, not the type you eat at least.

Making us look bad. They were working pretty darn hard at this point.

For a guy like me who has to have a project to work on these abandoned farmhouses are a magnet. Oh the possibilities.

Might need some new paint on the doors.

Love it.

This will be the garage.

What are ewe looking at???

This one is either too far gone or just a bigger challenge.

Ta!! Da!! We made it.

Everything is 11 Km away. This must be the center of Tuscany.

Um?? Anybody seen the olive pickers???

You could never grow a vine this well and natural looking. Don’t move a leaf.

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Heading back home. Our apartment in in the little knob of dark trees just to the right of the church.

The sheep are heading back up the lane for night also.

Oink!

Fresh eggs in the morning.