countryside, with vineyards and ancient olive groves stretching as far as the eye can see. After returning from our daily excursions we enj oyed A Pretty Picture the heated pool as the Tuscan sun set and the temperature fe ll. IT'S NOT ALL WORK FOR MARK MOBIUS ON A TRIP TO Our first excursion was to the castle town of. ITALY. AND WITH SO MUCH FINE WINE, GOOD FOOD AND Pienza in Siena Province, a Renaissance city at th e STUNNING SCENERY IN TUSCANY, WHO CAN BLAME HIM? top of a small mountain with its exquisite Palazzo commanding breathtaking views of the surround- ing countryside. The city was the home town of TALY HAS HAD A TOUGH TIME DURING THE Pope Pi us II, Enea Slivio Piccolo mini, who lived current crisis, with GDP expected to shrink between 1405 and 1464 and was pope from 1458 by over four per cent this year after falling until his death. As pope, he ordered the transfor- KING OF almost one per cent in 2008. Nevertheless, mation of his home town with possib ly the firs t THE CASTLE TOP The inflation has come down dramatically to city planning exercise in Europe. The pope's palaz- picturesque Ialmos t zero and the stock market has nearly dou- zo is a well-preserved example of the palace archi- castle town of bled from its lows in the first quarter. To see what tecture and interior decoration of that period. We Pi enza in Siena was happening in the countryside we partook of . toured the rooms, guided by a proud Pienza native BELOW Mark some strenuous exercise and delicious food by whose heavily-accented English added delightful Mobius makes the most of cycling the hills of Tuscany. The area is full of cas- colour to her narrative. Everything in the palace Tuscany's tasty tle towns, each with a fascinating history. has been preserved as it was when the pope used offerings We drove from Perugia airport to Florence it as a summer residence. A man of the world, where we checked into the Sheraton Hotel on before becoming pope he undertook journeys the city outskirts. The next morning we drove throughout Europe, crossing the Alps to reach south to the Val d'Orcia region of Tuscany, which Easel and even visiting England and Scotland. At is characterised by gentle cultivated hills and one point he served Frederick Ill's court in Vienna. picturesque towns - a landscape immortali sed He rose to become Bishop ofTrieste and then of in numerous Renaissance paintings. In 2004 the Siena. He authored a number of books including region became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. his 13-volume autobiography - the only one ever At Rocca d'Orcia castle town, we stayed at written by a reigning pope. Before his ascension to the tasteful Hotel San Simeone. Each morning the papacy he also wrote the Ta le of Two Lovers, a we dined on the balcony overlooking the Tuscan romance book. In 1460 he proclaimed an unsuc-

S I NGAPO R E TATLER 15 0 DECEMBE R 20 0 9 fte dined on the balcony oYerlooking the Tuscan with Yineyards and ancient olzve groYes

panied by Dalcero Cortona wine which set off the food marvellously. There are 22 local producers of wines in Cortona using the Cortona Designation of Origin appellation. Wine production started here in Etruscan times, and currently the local Cortona Rosso grapes are mixed with grapes of other varieties to yield some great vintages. On other days we sampled restaurants near the hotel. The highlights were Il Melone Ristorante w here we had exceptional chicken with ham and veal scallopini. Our other favo urite was Canta Napoli with its gracious fa mily owners who welcomed us a few evenings and remem- bered what we liked. One night we arrived at 10 pm after a long cycling trip and were surprised to find the restaurant still packed with happy diners. We bad delicious mozzarella, swordfish cessful crusade that was to last three years. He carpaccio, veal, pasta vongole with clams and, of also persuaded Vlad the Impaler of Romania (the course, Cortona wines. inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dra.cula) to start a Our longest cycling trip turned out to be war against Mehmed II, the Ottoman sultan. 120 kilometres when we made the mistake of After cycling back from Pienza to the Hotel deciding to cycle around Lago Trasimeno, a large San Simeone we left for our next stop, Cortona shall ow lake lying in a natural basin with no out- in Arezzo province, which borders the provinces let. It is nevertheless rich in pike, carp and other of Siena and Perugia. Once an Etruscan city, it fi sh, and was designated a natural park in 1995. was the setting for the film Under the Tuscan Sun. A 50-kilometre bicycle path was opened in 2003 We stayed at the picturesque Relais Borgo San around the lake, but unfortunately it does not Pietro hotel; a beautifully restored 17th century completely encircle it so we had to resort to some farm which is located 4 kilometres below the rough unpaved sections and busy roads. Cortona castle city and has a large swimming We started our cycling from Castiglione del pool surrounded by olive trees, cypress trees, Lago, the main town on the lake, whose char- lavender and rosemary. The next day we cycled acter is derived from its Roman plan with main 600 metres up to the old Cortona castle city and streets laid out like a chessboard. It still looks like fo und medieval architecture with steep narrow a fortified town with its ancient walls. Because streets ending with vistas of the countryside of its strategic position, over the centuries it was below. Any walk in the town meant that you squabbled over by Perugia, Arezzo, Siena and were climbing or descending and only the main Florence. During the 13th century the German TUSCAN FUN street, Via Nazionale, is flat with the locals calling Frederic II of Swabia dominated the area and Mobiu s takes in it by its old name Ruga Piana, or "level street ." ordered the reconstruction of the town and cas- the sights and The most ambitious walk was to the fortress tle in the way which has survived until today. sounds- and fine coffee- of one of surmounting the city, Fortezza di Girifalco, origi- The fo ll owing morning we mounted our Italy's most nally built during Etruscan times and witness to bi cycles at 9 am fo r our next excursion, to the hot delightful regions many battles over the centuries. In the 15th cen- mineral water resort town ofTerme Rapolano. tury when the rulers of Florence held sway in the Arriving at 2 pm at the San Giovanni Terme region, Cosimo I de'Medici was impressed by the Rapolano Hotel we were grateful fo r the warm stronghold's strategic position. Using Florentine (39 C) outdoor and indoor pools rich with heal- money and heavy local taxation he expanded it to ing sulphur and calcium bicarbonate. The waters the huge bulwark it is today. are reputedly good for treating skin problems as After climbing down from the fortress we well as motor and respiratory systems. After a retired to the Ristorante el Cacciatore on the Via wonderful massage and a long relaxing soak we Roma. One glance at the beefy waiters convinced decided that cycling back was not an option so us that the food must be good and we dug in. The we took the train from the small Rapolano Terme pasta was first class, particularly after the proprie- station, arriving in the warm evening at Cortona tor shaved black truffles over it. This was accom- station to end a truly memorable trip. ii

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