A Tuscan Pootle

The coastline along Tuscany was almost bad enough for us to turn around and head back to France. The roads are dreadful, it’s very busy and it was just unpleasant. Luckily we headed inland and all improved massively. We stumbled on a small hilltop village called Murlo; home to a particularly gorge restaurant called Il Libridinosa that serves local organic food. Two meals and two bottles of wine later we slept in the car park and I visited the Etruscan museum there the next morning.

We were excited to hear of a nearby site that boasted a sword in a stone but, sadly, it had nothing to do with King Arthur. At the Abbey of San Galgano the 12th century saint himself had thrust his weapon into the rock as a sign of peace and redemption. The abbey is now a deconsecrated ruin but still stunning. The small hermitage, home of the aforementioned sword, is still used as a chapel and we got a rapturous telling off by the ancient woman gatekeeper for taking Hugo inside. He had been allowed at the ruin but not the chapel - the fact that it was swarming with cats didn’t seem to count.

From there to Montalcino. Unfortunately Graham was still recovering from too much wine the night before to sample any of the local wines but I rallied and tried a hint of the grape. I must say we’re getting a bit of a taste for Italian wine - we’ve not been great fans before but I think we just hadn’t had the right ones - and at £3 a bottle who could say no?

We’ve decided to hang around this area and visit small hilltop villages, eating pasta and drinking wine (well, me at least). Mr Fluffy always said he didn’t like Italian food but he seems to be having a great time shovelling copious quantities of pasta and gelato into his personage.