Hilltowns and Castles

Don and I have been touring around the Tuscan countryside and visting nearby hill towns.  This time of year there are not many people around.  A couple of times now we have felt as if we were the only people in a town, nice, but also kind of creepy....like a ghost town.

Yesterday we went to Pienza again  as we could not seem to connect to the internet at the hotel.  The town seemed deserted. We found an internet cafe and checked email and I posted here. I am still trying to find the organic farm that Isabella brings her clients to, but my GPS does not recognize it's address.  Perhaps I will give up and visit another  farm instead.  I know there is an organic farm near Montipuliciano which sounds interesting.  I was hoping to find a local market nearby but they dont seem to occur often now that the tourist season is drawing to a close.  Even Castelmuzio is different now.  There are far fewer people around and the locals seem to be wearing heavy coats already, but it isn't even cold here yet.  The olive harvest is in full swing and apparently there is an olive mill near town although I havent found it yet.  The vineyards are painted in colours of gold and red and the colourful leaves have started to fall from the vines.  There isn't much fall colour here compared to Canada, but the landscapes have changed from even a week ago.  The ploughed fields were shades of beige dirt last week but now they are various shades of bright green.  The winter wheat has sprouted and a field's colour is dependant on what day it was planted. The brighter fields were planted first.  From a distance it looks like a patchwork quilt of greens and beiges.  The bright green is a sharp contrast to the grey green of the olive trees and the dark green of the many cypress trees. 

The woods are painted in rust and gold with a few oranges and reds spead about sparingly.  The air is crisp but not particularly cold, perfect weather for walking.  The evenings are colder and we are enjoying the fireplace and preparing our evening meals together.  There will be a full moon tonight so we may venture out for an evening walk.  This afternoon we will visit Montipuliciano.(photos below)

Caio for now
Diane