Giro d’ Tuscany

Miles from Home - 5499.3 miles
Firsts / Highlights - Open jaw train-assisted route, Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino and wine tasting with Ron Famiglietti
Miles Ridden - 42.47 miles
Vertical Feet - 3,480 ft
Route - View Today's Route Here.
People - Ron & Lisa Famiglietti

This post is from May 28, 2009.

The 2-train assist was a success – barely. As you know from the plan I described yesterday, I planned to leave Siena by train and go to Montepulciano xxx. From there, I wanted to see 3 Tuscan hill towns that had been individually recommended as well as in the guide books. In order, they were Montepulciano, Pienze and Montalcino. After the last town, I was to ride to a train station in Buonconvento to get back to Siena. I intentionally scheduled a shorter ride because I wanted to have time to spend in the towns along the way.

The first town, Montepulciano, was on my list because I had heard high recommendations, but also because it is where Ron Famiglietti, a pediatrician from Steamboat, has lived for the past month with his wife Lisa learning Italian. Their pre-school son, Primo, is also in a school that teaches 100% Italian. They rented a nice little one-bedroom apartment inside the walled city and have stayed there the entire month, only leaving town by bicycle.

Ron showed me their apartment and gave me a quick tour of the city. After a slice of pizza for lunch, we went to a Cantina (wine cellar) and did a little tasting. I was off to a slow start for seeing 3 hill towns in one day, but it was good to spend some time with Ron.



Next stop was Pienze, another beautifully preserved city. I spent a little time exploring, but not nearly as long as Montepulciano. By the time I reached Montalcino, I felt like Clark Griswold from “Vacation” standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon. I climbed up into the town, took a picture, and said, “Gotta go”. Fortunately, the final 8 miles to the train station were mostly downhill, but I knew that any delay was going to mean that I would miss the train back to Siena. I was in the middle of rural BFE, but the GPS said I was close. I rode into town hoping that the GPS would guide me right to the station without incident. With ½ mile to go, I saw the train-crossing light start flashing and the gate dropping down. Was my own train going to prevent me from getting to the station? I considered sprinting through, but thought better of it. When the gate finally lifted, I rode into the station, and there was my train waiting. I got on and looked at my computer. 3 minutes to spare on a 6-hour ride.



Addendum

I just got back from dinner at the same restaurant where I had the pumpkin risotto a few nights ago. Not only did the waiter remember me. He remembered what I ordered and where I sat. He recommended an antipasto and second course that would be a good contrast to my last meal. This time it was crustini with ewe’s cheese & honey and gnocci with meat sauce. Both were great. The kicker was that when he presented the check, he would not accept a tip. At first, I was afraid he was offended by the size of the small tip (I have been told not to tip like we do in the U.S.). That wasn’t it. He said that I was a repeat customer and he would prefer that I have a coffee tomorrow and think well of their restaurant.