This was the countryside we drove through today to get to Montepulciano, one of the places I really wanted to see while we are in Siena. This is an old medieval fortress that has had a village in place since the 3rd or 4th century. The views from the top were stunning! The light was amazing as the clouds grew thick and it was obvious the predicted thunderstorms would be coming.
The walk up to the village was everything you would expect, statues, stone, window boxes and cobblestone streets. It was very steep but the trip up was worth the work! We walked around checking it all out and then had a very good lunch on the piazza in the duomo (religious centre).
As we finished up near the top our plan was to head the the extensive lower village which is said to have many palaces, churches and shops. Mother Nature had other ideas though and while we tried to wait out the thunder, lightning and POURING rain it was clear that it was there to stay and we decided to run for cover.
What we got to see was spectacular but our day was meant to be a short one. We crawled into the car after having to stop for cover on the way down. The water was raging down the cobblestone street to the bottom of the hill, surging out of the gutters along the way. We were soaked but saw the adventure in it all, had a good laugh and went on our way. Arrivederci Montepulciano!
Wonderful photo collection :)
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