Yesterday morning we tempted fate, hoping to get a bike ride in before the next weather system pelted us with yet another thunderstorm. We succeeded.
We were trying to ride to La Foce…a small village revitalized during the 1920’s by an American woman and her Italian husband. More of that story when we actually get there.
We never made it to La Foce…dead-ended by roads where the pavement ends. Instead, we wandered around and found perhaps the most beautiful ride we’ve yet encountered in Tuscany…which is saying quite a lot.
The ride first went to Montecchiello, a tiny village with one of the two best restaurants in the area.
After leaving Montecchiello, we got our bearings right and decided to extend the ride (it turned out to be 50 km long with 820 m of climbing) with a visit to what Pienzans call “the town with no name.”
Pienza lies at the north-east entrance to the Val d’orcia. San Quirico at the north west. Either can control access to the whole valley. They have been arguing and fighting over it for centuries. The rivalry is so fierce many native Pienzans refuse to utter the name “San Quirico.”
Consequently, we wanted to see what made the town so horrible. Take a look:
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| The main street |
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| The Duomo |
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| The commercial district |
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| The community rose garden |
…and…
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| The view on the ride home. |
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