sighting of a huge, bright blue+white «Incontriamoci a Pratovecchio» sign was, if I remember correctly, between Caprese Michelangelo and Anghiari; but my response to the sign could only continue to be «Per quale ragione ?!». [<Thinks:> if Roberto Pettini ever gets to read this site, I hope he's feeling strong ... Poor bloke; for his sins, he taught me Italian ...]
We kind of whizzed past Anghiari on our left, a mediæval town hanging off a cliff -- at least, that was the impression I got during our rapid transit. We looked for its access street and couldn't find it. We continued on. (There were times when we got *really grumpy* about being unable to actually find roads clearly marked on the map/s; it's not that they didn't exist, but that the signs pointing 'em out were either too small or too late !)
Thursday 7th March
Travelling: Arezzo - Castiglion Fiorentino - Cortona - Pierle - Anghiari - Sant'Andrea di Sorbello - Trestina - Morra - Volterrano - Santa Maria alla Rassimata - Sant'Agata del Terrine - Palazzo del Pero - Arezzo ..........
Castiglion Fiorentino is a fine town, undergoing
We kind of whizzed past Anghiari on our left, a mediæval town hanging off a cliff -- at least, that was the impression I got during our rapid transit. We looked for its access street and couldn't find it. We continued on. (There were times when we got *really grumpy* about being unable to actually find roads clearly marked on the map/s; it's not that they didn't exist, but that the signs pointing 'em out were either too small or too late !)
Thursday 7th March
Travelling: Arezzo - Castiglion Fiorentino - Cortona - Pierle - Anghiari - Sant'Andrea di Sorbello - Trestina - Morra - Volterrano - Santa Maria alla Rassimata - Sant'Agata del Terrine - Palazzo del Pero - Arezzo ..........
Castiglion Fiorentino is a fine town, undergoing
the usual restoration, and possessed of some ofthose wonderful viewing arches at its crown, giving delightfully onto the surrounding country- side. Cortona is indeed good-looking, and also possessed of a totally excellent little 2-stool (both of which we occupied) pizzeria. As well, I ate my first pici in Cortona -- hand-made pasta; since they're fresh, you can only eat them in situ. And yummy they were, too !
Pierle must have a par. to itself. In spite of our having spent MONTHS Web-surfing for castles in Tuscany and Umbria and Lazio, and in spite of our having found Pierle during said searches, we came upon it all unawares: we drove down a hill and around a right-left bend and *there it was* ! -- huge, ancient, ruined, beautiful. I believe I uttered an imprecation of disbelief, I was so gob-smacked to see it ... But ... as with many such objects of fascination, we couldn't find the access road to it; so we didn't get to wander in its tiny village, nor see it close up.
But the sight of it from afar fired me to find more such ruins, and CS was condemned to searching for them (and ONLY for them) from that
Pierle must have a par. to itself. In spite of our having spent MONTHS Web-surfing for castles in Tuscany and Umbria and Lazio, and in spite of our having found Pierle during said searches, we came upon it all unawares: we drove down a hill and around a right-left bend and *there it was* ! -- huge, ancient, ruined, beautiful. I believe I uttered an imprecation of disbelief, I was so gob-smacked to see it ... But ... as with many such objects of fascination, we couldn't find the access road to it; so we didn't get to wander in its tiny village, nor see it close up.
But the sight of it from afar fired me to find more such ruins, and CS was condemned to searching for them (and ONLY for them) from that
