Bagno Vignoni

After leaving the Abbey, we continued to drive up and down the hills, with gorgeous views everywhere. We saw many homes like this one, usually situated on a small hill. The cypresses surrounded most of them. 

Almost every town was on a hilltop. I lost track of which one was which. They were all stunning.

One thing we did not see was any livestock. No cows, sheep, pigs, and just one horse. The area is known for its pecorino cheese, which comes from sheep. We couldn't figure out where they all were!

The picturesque town of Bagno Vignoni is known for its hot springs. In fact, the town is centered around an enormous hot-water pool. There were signs saying no swimming, and there was nowhere that you could get in or out of the water anyway.

One end had a nice sort of pavilion. We walked all the way around the pool (not far!) and found two restaurants open. That was a nice surprise after the previous towns where it seemed that everything was closed.

We chose a restaurant a few steps down from the street. It was rustic and charming.

We started with the pecorino cheese crostini with dried figs and drizzled honey. Totally delicious!

Dan had pork medallions with mustard sauce and radicchio. I had the gnocchi, which was good, but not very photogenic.

As we drove back toward Montepulciano, we decided to make a stop at a supermarket in order to have some food for supper. We ended up with a picnic in our room after a long day.

Thursday morning we woke to another wonderful view, with a heavy fog in the valley. By the time we left (with breakfast at the same cafe as the day before), it was dissipating and didn't pose a problem for driving.

We needed to fill the gas tank in the car before returning it, so headed to a gas station near the airport. It was closed and we couldn't find another, so we headed back to the rental car center. The man there told us we must get gas or we would have to pay €43 plus the cost of gas (which was nearly €50 for just under half a tank). So we headed out again and this time were successful. We were glad that we had come back earlier than originally planned. We headed home via the shuttle, tram to the city center, and walked the last few blocks.

Unfortunately, the heat and hot water were off when we arrived. I phoned our host and she came about an hour later. With the help of a technician on the phone, she managed to get things going again. She has invited us to visit her at her home in Fiesole, a town about a half hour away. We are looking forward to that.