Leaving the Amalfi Coast we took two days to get to Lake Como. We decided to stay in Montepulciano for the night. The drive to Lake Como from Amalfi was about ten hours and Montepulciano was exactly half way.



Montepulciano is a medieval and renaissance town in the province of Siena in southern Tuscany. It sits atop a ~2000 ft ridge and is known for it's food and wine. There is a walking street just below our hotel with wine shops, restaurants and artisan shops. If we were staying longer I would have explored the many wine shops and restaurants.

Our hotel, the Hotel La Terrazza di Montepulciano was quite a find. It sits up high in the town and is close to the main walking street. Driving there can be tricky. We had a hard time driving through the small streets and actually had to park the car down the hill and walk up. One we were there we met our host, Roberto, and everything changed. He had reserved two parking spots in front of his hotel and took me down in his car to show us the way back. Following him was a lot better than our navigation system.

Roberto and his wife made our stay very enjoyable. They are both so nice. We met an American from Texas that knew Roberto and had stayed at his hotel seven years ago. He decided to retire in Montepulciano and never regrets the decision. For breakfast the next day we not only had breakfast but we had a feast. We had pastry freshly baked by his wife, meats and cheeses, yogurt, fruit and any kind of coffee we wanted. Roberto takes a lot of pride in his hotel and it shows. I wish we had more time to stay there.

Roberto also showed us the easiest way to get back on the highway by driving me outside the town himself. I don't know where we could have received better service. Please consider Montepulciano and Roberto's hotel if you are in the area. If you want to have a great wine experience Montepulciano would be a great base for a Tuscany vacation.

Views from Montepulciano