Montalcino at 8 am on a Tuesday is quite a contrast to Montalcino on a Sunday afternoon when the Bersaglieri are having their annual celebration in town. But I didn't hang around too long enjoying the peace and quiet of the empty streets; I headed out past the fortress (still locked up) and onto the road toward Grosseto to find the start of the trail to Sant'Antimo and Castelnuovo dell'Abate.
The first 3.5 km of the trail, between Montalcino and Ragnaie, takes you into the woods that were historically the town's primary resource. It may be hard to believe now, but Montalcino was once a very poor village with an economy based on wood, and specifically charcoal-burning: the men of the town used to spend weeks in the forest, cutting down trees, stacking them just the right way and slowly burning them to produce charcoal for fuel. As you might guess, this was a lot less profitable than making Brunello!
 |
| A reminder of what Montalcino used to be all about |
Then you turn a corner and suddenly you are at the Abbey of Sant'Antimo - coming upon it from the back, and from above, so you don't see it until you are almost there!
After a brief rest in the shade of one of the ancient olive trees outside the Abbey, I skirted the abbey grounds and continued uphill to the charming village of Castelnuovo dell'Abate.
The perfect place to enjoy a cold drink and a snack with a view while waiting for the bus back to home base!
No comments:
Post a Comment