Arrival in Tuscany and the Castel Monastero...

Well, it's Saturday morning and the sun is shining brightly, although it's the coolest day we've had since being in Italy.  We expected it to be much cooler during our time here than is has been, as they have been having a slight resurgence of summer-like weather the past week.  We did not expect Tuscany to be cooler than northern Italy, but that's the case right now.  Personally, I love the cooler temps, although our weather has been fantastic!!

We arrived here in Tuscany (via Siena train station) yesterday (Friday) evening, around 6p.  Our train travel from Vercelli to Milan to Florence to Siena was remarkably uneventful and easy, making each train in good time and without much difficulty finding spaces for our luggage.  On our final train from Florence to Siena there was a group of 6, 14-15 year old girls who were really hyper and high-strung.  They were running from the back of the train toward the front yelling some sort of chant and then when they got to our car (the 1st passenger car), a few of them ran forward into the conductors car and screamed this chant/cheer into the microphone of the train for all to hear.  The came running back into our train, laughing hysterically, etc.  Then 1 brave soul after another ran forward to use the microphone again to yell the chant.  Leah and I knew the chant after the 4th-5th time through, but were happy when these young ladies exited the train shortly thereafter.

Our driver, Salvatore, picked us up in a Mercedes (nice, eh?) and we set off for the Castel Monastero.  We are located about 20-30 minutes east of Siena, up in the hills and this used to be a functioning monastery, but is now a hotel and spa.  Did I mention they have a spa here?  Clearly this was an intentional plan on Leah's/our part...good plan, I'd say!!

When we arrived we were greeted by many folks, all of whom were incredibly kind and gracious welcoming us to the Castel.  We checked in and then Sara, with whom I have been emailing about our stay, gave us a tour of the grounds and showed us to our newly-upgraded Junior Suite.  Huh???  Oh well...we'll take it.  Not sure why this happened, but as I learned in Vegas a couple of years ago, just go with it!!

Our suite is 2 stories and off of the main courtyard.  There is a living room on the lower level with TV, mini bar, and as Leah noted, a functioning cook-top.  After climbing the stairs there is the bedroom with 2 twin beds (really they are full beds) and a beautiful bathroom.  A lovely space for us to spend our time in Tuscany!!

The stairs...looking down

The bedroom

The loo

So we got settled-in after a small tour to show us how everything works and then got spruced-up for a casual dinner in the Cantina, a lovely restaurant located in the wine cellar, which was just a spectacular space.  I, of course, didn't take my camera last night, but will get photos next time we go which I am sure we will while we are here.

The funny thing when we went to have dinner is that we walked down our stairs and one of the folks who work here said, "Good evening, Mrs. Lerner."  Hmm...how'd he know my name?  We then asked him for the best way to get to the Cantina and he escorted us there and on the way introduced us to the Chef as he was passing by.  We were seated at a lovely table for 2 and took in the beauty of this gigantic wine cellar.  We guessed the monks probably owned a lot of the land (read: grapes/vineyards) and made/sold wine for additional income.

Our dinner was quite good, starting with a trio of Pecorino cheeses, which was spectacular and then followed by grilled prawns with a lovely salad for Leah and the linguini with puttanesca for me.  Simply delicious and just what we wanted.  A lovely Chardonnay with dinner and we were grand.

Slept in a little bit this morning and then went for breakfast.  We walked in and I was instantly greeted by the manager, Stefano, and I have no idea how he knows me or why we are getting such spectacular treatment!?!?  We were seated and then enjoyed the beautiful buffet of fresh cheeses, breads, fruits, eggs, etc.

We were supposed to only spend 3 nights here (as when making the reservation that was all they have available) and then were going to go to a B&B in Siena for the final 2 nights.  Based on our experience here so far and our agreement that this is where we should end our trip, we have been able to extend our stay here at the Castel until we leave for London on the 19th!!  Yipee!!  So happy!!

Here's a few photos of our environs and the beauty of it all...

The view from the bedroom window...to the east.

View of the courtyard, looking west from our room.

The Chapel...services held on Sundays at 1030a...we both had spa appointments at that time.

Leah's lunch on Saturday outside in the courtyard...a lovely Caprese salad.

My lunch...fresh mozzarella with prosciutto.

Freshly-made breadsticks...yum!!

Our new favorite olive oil for dipping bread...recommended by Stefano, the food/beverage manager.  We have the location in Siena where this is sold and will be bringing some home.

As we were eating, this bee kept buzzing around my plate and Leah correctly noted he wanted the ham.  So we took the piece he was coveting and put it on a plate for him to enjoy. 

Courtyard view at sunset

Another view

Today (Saturday) we are taking it a bit easy, enjoying our new digs, as we have been really busy the entire time we have been in Italy and we both feel like we need a day or so to relax.  We checked-out the spa and I just returned from a fantastic massage, which was such a special treat during this trip!!  Leah is getting a mani/pedi right now and I will tomorrow and then she will have a funky scrub/shower treatment which isn't anything we've seen at any of the other spas we've experienced.  Should be interesting.

Tomorrow we are going to get a rental car and venture out and explore Chianti, as we are on the very southern edge of it and it is quite close.  We are going to then travel to Pisa on Monday and explore areas around there, as well as brave the climb of the leaning tower.  Tuesday we are planning on exploring Siena itself and perhaps do a winery tour (or 2) along the way.

This has been such a wonderful trip, so far, and I am so happy to be able to experience Italy!

xoxo
Stacy