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L’Italia, Il Mio Cuore - 2022L’Italia, Il Mio Cuore - 2022
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L’Italia, Il Mio Cuore - 2022

septiembre - octubre 2022
  • Debi Shaw
Italy is calling us home. And home is where the heart it. It has been way too long. Leer más
  • Debi Shaw

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  • Debi ShawViajeroL’Italia, Il Mio Cuore - 2022

    Trattoria di Cagnano, Montepulciano

    13 de septiembre de 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    After a big day exploring Assisi and then the car troubles, we realised we had eaten very little so made sure we tried one of the restaurants our host had suggested, Trattoria di Cagnano. It is a lovely restaurant and I think we were lucky to get a table. For once I decided to forgo my usual pasta selections and try the local Tuscan beef with a salad, something I usually don’t eat. I even had my meat medium-rare and not “dead” like I usually have it. It was a nice meal and I enjoyed having a salad after so many carb heavy meals (not that I am complaining about them). Brad finally got to have his first seafood pasta and he was very happy with his meal.

    It was a nice way to end our big day and thankfully the restaurant wasn’t situated too far from the apartment so we didn’t have too steep a hill to hike back up to home.    Leer más

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  • Debi ShawViajeroL’Italia, Il Mio Cuore - 2022

    Caffe Poliziano, Montepulciano

    14 de septiembre de 2022, Italia ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    After yesterday’s exciting day out exploring Assisi and our car failing us, we chose to spend today exploring the steep streets of Montepulciano. One thing I realised this morning is that we actually didn’t need to leave the apartment at the crack of dawn to watch the sunrise yesterday - we can see it from our kitchen window. I will add that I do have to be on tiptoes to see it and I do get a much better view with one foot on a chair and the other foot in the sink. This is the only way I can manage to get my phone and camera out of the window to take photos of the view and not lose hold of my phone or camera entirely. It is worth the effort, believe me.

    Anyway, we are starting to fall into the Italian way of things - breakfast at 11 after a lovely lie in (well for Brad. I was standing in the kitchen sink taking photos as the sun rose). We ventured out for breakfast at Caffe Poliziano where we enjoyed a very delicious breakfast while sat on a tiny balcony with stunning views of the Valdichiana. We certainly put our trust in the supports for the balcony and I was still a bit concerned that the karma gods might still be annoyed with Brad. Thankfully it seems we paid the price yesterday and we survived our beautiful breakfast location.

    We spent the rest of the day strolling the laneways and streets of Montepulciano, admiring the beautiful historic buildings, tasting some local wines, buying a unique piece of art, oohing and ahhing over more expansive views before succumbing to a siesta. With an overcast day it felt just right to embrace the Italian way even more.    Leer más

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  • Debi ShawViajeroL’Italia, Il Mio Cuore - 2022

    Enoteca Palazzo Contucci, Montepulciano

    14 de septiembre de 2022, Italia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Our wine tasting was at the historic Enoteca Palazzo Contucci, a wine bar where we could try the Contucci wines while enjoying a snack or two, sat overlooking the Piazza Grande. The Contucci family have lived in Montepulciano since the 11th century and have been making wine since the Renaissance. We also got to walk through the maze of tunnels under the palazzo, where the wine is stored in huge wine barrels. It is amazing how far underground the tunnels go, and they are everywhere, even in the shops.

    One thing we did forget to do today was have our daily gelato - and we were doing so well. I don’t think we could walk the steep street again for our gelato fix. Our afternoon siesta carried over to a night in and to be honest we were just too lazy to get dressed and venture out again. Probably a good thing for the diet.    Leer más

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  • Debi ShawViajeroL’Italia, Il Mio Cuore - 2022

    Comune di Montepulciano Tower Climb

    15 de septiembre de 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We decided to start today with a climb to the top of the tower of Montepulciano’s Municipal building in the main square, Piazza Grande. This is still their working offices and we actually had to walk through their office and storage spaces to access the steps to the tower. Now that would never happen in Australia. We walked though all their city files dating back many years. It is so bizarre how relaxed they are over here.

    So what did I learn today - do not wear a dress on a windy day, especially when climbing to the top of tower where it was blowing a gale. And two, I have discovered my fear of old stairs has increased causing a minor panic attack as we were climbing century old, crumbly, extremely narrow stairs. I was almost frozen halfway up. Problem is I love the views and am not afraid of heights, it is just the getting there that scares me to death.

    The view from the top was spectacular and would have been even better had the skies not been so hazy and overcast. I am glad I managed to get to the top though.    Leer más

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  • Debi ShawViajeroL’Italia, Il Mio Cuore - 2022

    Tempio di San Biagio, Montepulciano

    15 de septiembre de 2022, Italia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    After surviving the steps for the tower climb, we decided to take the short 15 minute walk to the Tempio Di San Biagio, a 16th century Tuscan Renaissance church just outside the historic city centre. From the top of the tower it didn’t look like it was too far away and would be an easy walk. The exterior of this church is more impressive than the simple interior, especially compared to others we have seen, and to be honest I don’t think it was worth the walk. While the walk DOWN to the church was steep and not too stressful on the knees, the walk/crawl back up felt even steeper, and my knees were no longer communicating with me. They did not enjoy the LONG walk back up to town. As we passed by the cemetery I did wonder if that was where I was going to end up. I was too tired to even walk through the cemetery, and I love exploring those as much as I love checking out churches.

    Once I had finally slowed the heart rate, wiped off the sweat and cleaned myself up a bit, we wandered a bit further (God, Montepulciano is a town of hills) and found a great place for lunch, Il Teatro Cucina Toscana, where I finally got to enjoy my first gnocchi of this trip. Accompanied with a glass or two of delicious Italian wine and followed by a gelato. I think my body may be forgiving me for what I did to it today and at least I feel like I earned my gelato.    Leer más

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  • Debi ShawViajeroL’Italia, Il Mio Cuore - 2022

    Pienza

    16 de septiembre de 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Today we awoke to stunning blue skies so headed out to the nearby town of Pienza. And wow - Pienza is Pretty with a capital P. It is a stunning UNESCO-listed town and is known as the first Renaissance town in Italy. It was the brainchild of Pope Pius II. While it may be small it certainly had a lot for us to see and love. The beautiful laneways were filled with potted plants and flowers in bloom, with beautifully staged window displays and shop fronts enticing us in. It is the perfect “strolling” town.

    Being famous for its Pecorino Di Pienza cheese, the shops are filled with all the different types. It was quite overwhelming, so overwhelming in fact that I thought I had bought a small piece of cheese to have for dinner, only to discover it was Panforte. Next time it might be useful if I wear my glasses while I am shopping.

    We started our morning with our favourite Italian breakfast, croissants, coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice, sat in the main square just watching the world go by.    Leer más

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  • Debi ShawViajeroL’Italia, Il Mio Cuore - 2022

    Pienza Cathedral

    16 de septiembre de 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Of course we checked out the Pienza Cathedral, Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta Pienza, and while it is a pretty church, the most fascinating part is that it is still standing. You can feel where the rear of the church has “dropped” and the cracks in the wall are not hard to miss. Knowing that Brad has recently offended the gods, I did not spend too much time standing in the rear of the church… just in case. Restoration work has been ongoing to prevent the church from further collapse and this was evident by the supports and documentation on display in the Church of San Giovanni, which is also known as the Crypt, as it sits under the Duomo. There was also a labyrinth under the church, which although it didn’t have much in it, explains why the Duomo above has started collapsing. It was all very interesting.

    I think the most surprising and interesting place we visited today was the Diocesan Museum. Usually museums are overfilled with so many pieces that they become very overwhelming. This one was perfect and had some stunning pieces of ancient art and antiquities dating back to the 13th century. It was just enough and well-spaced out so we could appreciate each piece.    Leer más

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  • Debi ShawViajeroL’Italia, Il Mio Cuore - 2022

    La Vecchia Bottega, Pienza

    16 de septiembre de 2022, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    To end our visit to Pienza we decided to enjoy a glass of wine and a meat and cheese board. Brad somehow managed to communicate our order in sign language (as very little English was spoken here) and we were very surprised with what we received, a platter of cheese, olives, spreads and more, under a “clothesline” of different meats. It was a very unique presentation, so much so passers-by kept asking if they could photograph our food. We should have charged them for each photo so they could contribute to our lunch, especially as it was some time before we could actually eat it. Thankfully it tasted as good as it looked and we somehow managed to eat most of it. Suffering from the meat sweats (there was a lot of meat), we decided to call it a day and head back to our apartment for our Italian siesta. It was a fantastic day playing tourist and getting to explore yet another beautiful town. Pienza is another town on my list to revisit as I think it would be the perfect town to enjoy some down time. We just loved it.Leer más

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  • Debi ShawViajeroL’Italia, Il Mio Cuore - 2022

    Ristorante Degli Archi, Montepulciano

    17 de septiembre de 2022, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    With the weather being overcast we decided to have a relaxing last day in Montepulciano. We enjoyed a last stroll through town, checked out a few of the shops, churches and wine cellars before having lunch at the very eccentric Ristorante Degli Archi, a restaurant that has been operating for 126 years under the one family.

    With amazing views overlooking the gorgeous valley, the interior is just as interesting with its bright pink walls, mismatched furniture and decor items, and a very eclectic decorating style. It is a feast for the eyes. It was such a great experience with the owner being a very engaging man with his limited English. Once he found out we were Australian he went on to tell us about the famous Australian actors who had eaten there and even pulled out his phone to show us his photos. Among the past famous clientele were Russel Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicolson, Muhammad Ali, Robert Patterson (for all those Twilight fans) and Sophia Loren, who the owner said was his girlfriend, but he couldn’t tell his wife.

    He also schooled me on how to hold a wine glass and I almost got a smack on the wrist for doing it wrong. He was a brilliant host and added to our experience. And to make things even better our food was amazing. It was the perfect lunch for our last day here.    Leer más

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  • Debi ShawViajeroL’Italia, Il Mio Cuore - 2022

    Chiesa di Sant'Agostino, Montepulciano

    17 de septiembre de 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    With lunch over we planned to wander a bit more but the rain started and it was freezing. Thankfully the Chiesa Di Sant’Agostino was open so we could duck inside to stay dry and warm up, and of course, have a look around - you know we can’t resist a church. Sant’Agostino is the oldest remaining church in Montepulciano and building began in 1285. With its weathered stone facade I was quite surprised by its interior. It is a very simple church and with the simplicity is a touch of elegance, until you start looking at some of the art and statues. There are some weird art and statue choices, and a nativity scene that takes up a stage in a side room that just seems out of place. The fairy lights and pile of cords and plugs really don’t add to the overall look. It is unusual to say the least.

    On the high altar is a wooden crucifix attributed to Donatello and even that looked too modern against the elegant backdrop. With the Duomo of Montepulciano being closed for renovations, at least we got to see one church here in Montepulciano.    Leer más

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