Under the Tuscan Sun; the honeymoon, day 1

Three o’clock in the morning is never a good time to be getting up, but after less than three hours sleep is particularly early. In fact Jools got up at three while I went back to sleep for another half an hour. After feeding the cats, the final task was to pack Molly, my cat from home, into a box as Julie’s sister was going to have to take all the cats to the cattery later in the day; and catching this dark bolt of lightning, especially smelling of dog which Cath does, would have been impossible.
Right on time, Cath pulls up outside and we do a final check that all is switched off and windows locked and we leave through the front door and into Cath’s waiting car. Sleeping whilst travelling is something I could never do, and so it was here. And when Cath opened a window to smoke I certainly woke some more up as the cold wind swirled around the inside of the car.
After just over 100 years of flying Gatwick airport seemed to have realised that to make waiting times shorter when checking in, the key is to have lots of staff on duty. Anyway, what seemed like a long queue resulted in just a 5 minutes wait, and we were heading through security and all ready to fly away with nearly two hours to spare.
There were queues at nearly all places to eat, but a sandwich and a smoothie was all we needed, and that proved to be the easiest option. Just enough time to get a paper and a couple of books, and then walk calmly down to our gate ready to board.
The flight was unspectacular; well, except for the landing at Pisa as the pilot did make the plane bounce quite worryingly on the runway; but we got down safe and were soon in the baggage hall waiting for the luggage.
I could go into detail about the crowds around the carousel, the groups of people gathered around stressed tour reps in the arrivals hall, the queue for the bus to the car hire companies (which was on a bus ride that lasted less than two minutes and a walk would have been quicker than the wait), but I’ll skip those.
In the car hire hall, they had a ticket system like in a supermarket; so whilst the sheep gathered around the Europacars place, we sat at the back and had a cappuccino. Our number came up quickly and after finding all sat navs had been taken, we got the keys and went put to find our steed for the next week.
And then we were free of the sheep and queues and of onto the Autostrada to Florence. Light traffic, clear blue skies and just the two of us; Mr and Mrs H.

Sadly we missed the turning south for Siena, and ended up going through the centre, or pretty much the centre of, Florence. The wide four lane road quickly ended and we found ourselves travelling between high ancient buildings, past wide parks and boulevards. And then the traffic ground to a halt. We inched our way back out of the city, until we finally came to the reason for the jam; a bus had broken down in the narrowest part of the road, and police were trying to get it towed away. But we managed to get past before being stopped and we were heading south again to Siena; on clear roads and through stunning scenery, travelling on a road that was a triumph of engineering, that in Britain would be famous; plunging through tunnels and coming out in the sunshine crossing viaducts of great height. And all the time we were so very tired; less than seven hours sleep in two nights was much too little.
We had directions to the villa, and we turned off the Autostrada at a place called Civitella Maritima, an ancient Tuscan hilltop town, and plunging down the side of the hill on which it sat and down a 6km long roman road. All around us were more ancient towns sat on flattened hills. And then through another ancient town called Roccastrada and the final few kilometres until we turned off onto a narrow single track road, and ended up at some old iron gates. After speaking to the owner through the intercom, the gates swung open and we headed off down a steep gravel track to the old monastery that was going to be our home for the next week.
The owner, Emy, came out to greet us, and took us into the reception; which was once the chapel, and filled with such works of art you can’t believe. We filled out the paperwork; he gave us a each a glass of the wine they make on the estate, and another as a wedding present, along with a bottle of their olive oil(extra virgin); and then to show us to our apartment; the Architect’s House.




Up some ancient stone steps, and into a low vaulted set of rooms with a huge kitchen come dining area, a room with a bed under a tapestry, and a balcony overlooking the plain to the hills on either side and to the Aegean Sea in the blue distance and down below olive groves and vineyards.
Being Italy, all shops are closed on Sunday, so we were told to head out before seven to get any supplies we needed; but the company we booked with had filled the fridge with some essentials.
The local Coop was only a 10 minute drive away, and filled with produce and things that would either cost a fortune to buy at home, or be impossible to find. We bought bread, fine cheese, butter, milk, etc, and were soon back here.



A meal of plump tomatoes, topped with buffalo mozzarella drizzled with the local olive oil, fresh local bread and a glass or two of the owner’s wine was perfect. Outside the sun was going down, the sky turning pink, and the land darkening.
After a lay down, we awoke to find the Milky Way visible above us, and the lights of the Tuscan towns twinkling in the inky blackness. How wonderful it all was.