The Hills Of Tuscany

We picked up a BMW sedan on exiting Florence (I doubt if the owner will mind) and began several days of motoring around the hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria. It was fun to drive these well-maintained roads, although speed limits seem to be respected as mere recommendations by the locals, and not for the faint of heart. But with six gears, I had more than enough to work with.



What eye candy this area of Italy offers. I can try to describe the continuous panoramas of rolling hills of grapes, hay and winter wheat, punctuated by silver groves of olive trees and lines of vertical Italian cypress seeming to stand at attention. A couple of shots here will provide some justice. Many times, I simply had to pull over so that we could experience the impact in repose.



Favorite medieval walled towns, maintaining their protective posture atop tall hills overlooking valleys of greens and gold, included San Gimignano (long, narrow cobblestone streets climbing and falling into intricate mazes of antique beauty), Siena (perennially a favorite, with its bustling, shell-shaped sloped Campo and soaring town hall), Pienza (built by a pope in honor of himself, but unfinished when his successor had other fiscal plans; its main square seems set for a Renaissance play), Montalcino (a great place for a slow, rainy walk, terrific food and its hometown Brunello vineyards) and the incredible Assisi, site of all things St. Francis.

We capped our driving program with an overnight in Orvieto, about 75 miles north of Rome, where I spent two weeks a few Novembers ago. I dined with a collection of friends who reside there, and once again was dazzled by the magic of the place.



This town has a duomo of rare Gothic beauty, and everything about Orvieto is enchanting, from its charm to its inhabitants.

With our arrival today in Rome, the car is gone (one does not voluntarily drive in Rome) and I'm back in the sightseeing mode. We spent a delightful evening walking around some of the nighttime sights of this Eternal City, marveled again at the Pantheon, found a delightful outdoor "osteria" for yet another superb meal and braved the circuitous city bus system. Tomorrow, the Borghese Gallery, some additional antiquity and dinner with a group of friends, including my Bay Area cantor, Roz Barak, who's in town to perform at a papal concert next week.

Location:Rome, Italy