Tasty Tuscany
We picked up a hire car and set off for the city of Pisa about 20 minutes away from the airport. Driving in the city was challenging due to the one way system and pedestrian precincts but we eventually managed to find our hotel. There is a wide choice of hotels to suit all budgets in Pisa. We stayed in the 4* Hotel Bologna which was very good and situated close to the main area for bars, restaurants and shops. It was also just a 2 minute walk from the River Arno which bisects the city and a 30 minute walk from cities the main attractions, the famous leaning tower and Duomo Pisa is a charming city with lots of old yellow, pink and yellow-ochre fronted buildings and great for a weekend break or as part of a longer visit to Tuscany.
From Pisa we headed south towards Siena on a very good two lane motorway.The journey of just over 2 hours gave us some fabulous views of the Tuscan countryside before reaching our destination the magnificent Castel Monastero located about 15 minutes south of Siena.
In the 11th Century, Castel Monastero began as a small medieval village. A monastery was built there in the 13th Century which some time later was used as a fortress. The hotel, which opened in 2009 is part of the “eleganzia” group a small chain of luxury hotels in Italy.
The hotel consists of the refurbished monastery which houses 75 bedrooms and suites, reception, lounge with bar and two restaurants all set around the old village square which also has a small church which guests can book for weddings. Two converted farmhouses contain the state of the art luxury spa facilities in front of which are three swimming pools and a large lawn with sun loungers All the buildings are situated on a top of hillside surrounded by woods and vineyards a good ten minutes from any major roads giving a truly peaceful setting.
Each of the rooms are unique and vary in size and shape but each has excellent facilities as well as unusual features. Our room had a large bathroom with stone floors, a large bedroom with sitting area, walk in wardrobe and several windows giving lovely views over vineyards and the local countryside.
Breakfast and lunch was served outdoors in a corner of the old village square.Two options were available for dinner. The Contrada restaurant which our well known chef Gordon Ramsay helped the local chef to set up, offers four courses of gourmet cuisine with a choice of fine wines. The La Cantina restaurant situated in the magnificent old wine cellars provides examples of Tuscan cuisine again with a choice of excellent wines. Alternatively there is a wide range of places to eat in Siena for lunch or dinner as well as a number of restaurants in the surrounding villages.
We spent Sunday morning in the fascinating city of Siena. The main part of the city is traffic free so we parked on the outskirts and walked through narrow cobbled streets lined by quality shops and restaurants to the main attraction the Piazza del Campo. Ths is one of the best known squares in the world and is famous for the annual horse race known as the “Palio” which dates from the 13th Century and takes place every year on the 2nd July and the 16th August around the square.The square features a number of unique yellow-brown buildings (“burnt Siena”) the exception being the Torre del Mangia which has a white stone belfry atop a 268 foot tower. There are bars and restaurants around the square.
If it is a pampered luxury weekend break or longer you are seeking then the Hotel Castel Monastero is a fabulous experience in a truly tranquil idyllic setting.
With a choice of fascinating historical cities to visit or leisurely drives through beautiful countryside Tuscany has much to offer whether it be for a weekend break or longer holiday. Lack of time prevented us from visiting other attractions such as the cities of Florence, Arezzo and San Gimignano and of course the Chianti Wine area, but we will go back sometime soon..