Got off to an early start and hit the road by 0900.
Destination today is Montalcino, home to Brunello wines, certainly one of our favourites from Italy. We made it to the Tuscan beaches in about three hours on the autostrada en route to Montalcino for a short diversion.
I had heard of a beach village called Viareggio and wanted to do a quick drive through. A fire broke through here in ihe early part of the last century and the town was rebuilt in an art deco style which is quite unusual to see in Italy; kind of like an upscale South Beach. As usual the beaches here are lined with bathing clubs that require an entrance fee. I think we will come back here for a longer stay next time.
We made it to Montalcino by 1700 hours, in time to freshen up and secure ourselves a nice bottle of Brunello. We stayed at the hotel Dei Capitani inside the walls. The Dei Capitani is a modest hotel but you can’t beat the location. It has a swimming pool and a view of the Tuscan hills to die for. I recommend a room on the second floor.
We did dinner in tapas style by stopping at three different restaurants for three different courses. Strolling the streets on a Friday night is quite magical. The day trippers have left and the the Montalcinesi come out with their families. We had a nightcap at the main square and were enchanted by the sounds of the village.