Valiagli

I'm posting everything at once as it was impossible to find decent WIFI anywhere in Siena. To tell you the truth it's a very gloomy, cold day in Tuscany. Perfect for hopping in the car and getting lost in beautiful places which is exactly what I did.

Not really lost but rather challenging myself to find Casale San Lorenzo again. See Casale is outside the town of Valiagli  which is quite remote and in the heart of Chianti wine country. So I drove around the outskirts of Siena until (heart beating fast) I see the sign "Foana di chiana" and something rings a bell. Could it be that after 5 years I actually remember how to get there???? So I drive that familiar winding road- 4th gear down to 3rd and quickly down to 2nd as it's a really tight curve, then quickly get back into 4th so the maniac behind me doesn't hit me.

What an achingly beautiful place, even in the rain. Everywhere you look on both sides of the road are lush vineyards. One side produces Chianti Classico and the other regular Chianti, curve after curve after abandoned farmhouse and then you see the sign "Corsignano" and you're absolutely amazed that you found it. 

All the memories from that summer come flooding back and you feel like no time has passed since you were last here. Then you see the sign "Casale San Lorenzo" and that beautiful gate with the long driveway. 

I turned onto the road, went through the gates and stopped the car. In all the excitement I never stopped to think that they would ask me to stay. See, I want to find a charming place to stay before going back home but that house is really quiet and remote and to be honest the last time I was there I left with a broken heart so those feelings were unfortunately flooding back. 

So as their dogs watched me I backed up, drove into Valiagli- walked around a bit-drove past "his" house and got the hell out of there.

Wonderful, intense memories that need to stay in the past. It was still a thrill to pull over because the scenery was so incredibly beautiful , I tried to take pictures of Siena in the distance which was breathtaking but unfortunately you can't see Siena in my pictures .

How I would have loved to stop by to say hello but some things are best left alone. One day when I finally meet someone special I'll bring him to that magical place.

So after all that adventure and driving through Tuscany all day I've decided to stay in Cortona. I'm staying in an adorable 4 star hotel so why leave. I'll use this as my home base and still visit Montepulciano and Florence (even Val D'orcia if I can squeeze it in).

So with a bit of a heavy heart, I sip my wine and dream of a plate of ravioli al limone.