One Last Drive. July 12th

We awake and forgo a walk up and down the steep hills of Montepulciano. Been there done that. Plus it would be too tempting to buy more wine. Instead we will take a leisurely drive towards Fiumicino and its airport which we leave from on Monday. We are really Romed out and will not revisit that city. Its takes some time to get going  in the right direction even with a GPS and map of Italy. But we do and we find ourselves retracing some of the roads we rode with our friend Linda so many weeks ago. Have we come full circle?
We drive through the Val D'orcia that we had crossed weeks ago. But now all the grains have been harvested and they are getting ready for a second crop. We have been gone a long time.

We drive towards the West coast over mountains via 2 lane roads at a leisurely  pace. And in the distance I see a familiar sight. A large stone tower rests on top of one of the mountains, and it is the same one we drove by with Linda when we were forced to take a detour off the Autostrada again many weeks and advetures ago. But this time we stop to see the little town at its base and just take a break. It is a little past noon on a Sunday so everyone is out enjoying the lovely summer day. I have a beer, Mary Ann a coffee and then we walk the town. I have to add to our weight of things taking home and buy some Olive Oil from one of the little shops. We explore the Gothic church, light candles and return to the car for the ride to our hotel near the airport.

The Tower on the Mountain. 

 The Towns Main Street.

 Looking down the Main Street.

 Inside the Gothic Church.

 The Porcelain Altar.

A Look Out Over the Valley.

Click to See and Hear Gothic Church Bell.

We arrive at our hotel and it isnt really a hotel in the real sense. More like a large house surround by walls and a gate in a residential neighborhood of Fiumicino. Fiumicino is a city of suburban sprawl next to Rome and on the coast. Inside the hotel it is clean and bright and the room is fine.
Next item of business is to try and buy a cheap suitcase that will hold most of the stuff we have gathered on this trip. We will use the one bought in Rome as a carry on containing all the breakable and fragile items we are taking back. The hotel host is a young Italian male, so when we ask him about places open on Sunday in Italy, he immediately knows of two large shopping malls nearby. Some things are universal. With the help of the GPS we find a huge area filled with all kinds of stores just like large malls all over the USA. And we find a reasonably priced suitcase. We are ready to fly back to the USA after packing.
Our hotel is also near the Lido close to Rome so we will eat there on our last night in Italy. And everyone else has the same idea. So traffic like the Jersey Shore and scant parking. But we find a place to park and eat. Lovely summer night. After very large antipastos, we are full so we go back to our room to sleep. Must get to the airport by 6:00 am tomorrow.

 Rome's Lido. 

One last decision about an Italian Meal.