Montepulciano

So much more to see in Rome, but we have to move on. We took a tram to the Termini station, where internal and external trains and metro all meet.

Trains go nearly everywhere in Italy, which makes it so easy to move around. Imagine if we had them in Canada, or the US, how much easier travelling would be! The train took us to a small city, where we got on a bus taking us to Montepulciano. This extra step is probably what makes the town a bit of a hidden gem.

The medieval town (built in the 6th century) is set in the heart of the Tuscan countryside, high on a hill, surrounded by vineyards. We walked, or should I say hiked, from the bus stop up a very steep cobbled street to our hotel at the top. (There is the option to take a taxi up a back way to the top if you’re not up for the hike. But then you would miss seeing the town with its shops and wine cellars!)

The streets are lined with gorgeous shops full of souvenirs and leather. The leather quality is amazing, and prices are a bit lower than most other places in Italy.

There are also a few wine cellars along the streets. These shop fronts lead down to an underground network of caves, tunnels and wine cellars. Here they use Sangiovese grapes to make the famous Montepulciano Nobilo reds.

Our reward for the hike was a wine tasting at the D’Ricci cellars or cantine. The wine tasting was spectacular, complete with appetizers.

I wasn’t even hungry after that, but we went for dinner where wild boar was the specialty, to go along with the rich red wines.

The following day was for wine tasting in the countryside. I had hoped to go for the e-bike option but had to settle for the van tour instead due to an injury. I’ve never been on an e-bike but was told it could be set so that I could coast the whole way, and adjust it if I wanted. But – the walk up to the hotel forced me to change my plans.

For 110 euros (about $165) we drove to two vineyards for wine tastings and lunch. The e-bike option was around the same price. However if you had made your own way to the vineyards, tastings were just 15 euros! So check out your options. The first vineyard was owned by a local whose family had owned the property for generations. The second was an Indian/Swiss/Canadian immigrant who bought the vineyard in 2015.

Back at the top of the town, I checked out a wine co-operative inside the former fortress at the top of the hill. Here you could sample wines from a vending machine.

After dinner, some of us ended up at a cozy little bar right next door to our hotel, where we did our own wine tastings with expert advice from the bartender. Good thing only a few of us went since we took up the entire bar!