Day 3: Siena to Montalcino
Distance: 49km. Elevation: 690m
Stops / Check Points
- KM34 – Buonconvento (an adorable beautiful walled town)
- KM45 – 5km climb @ 6% into Montalcino
Leaving Siena we headed on our way to Montalcino, via a random roadside cafe for coffee where we met some other cyclists who were utterly obsessed with Woodall’s Cannondale Slate. (completely lost on me!).
Just down the road we headed into Buonconvento and I basically put the brakes on our journey to stop and chill at a wine bar as it was too quaint a place not to stop and enjoy.
The destination was Montalcino – home to Brunello, which is Italy’s most expensive and famous red wine made from the Sangiovese grape.
It tastes really good too. That’s all you really need to know.
So, naturally the roads are paved with vineyard after vineyard, with buses of tourists in between heading to said vineyards.
Being bang in the middle of the grape harvest we couldn’t have picked (pun unintended) a better time!
Mont being “mountain” meant that the end destination was at the top of another hill. But then once at the top, we went down to our agriturismo.
Accommodation
We stayed in this agriturismo, not the most welcoming host and the bit we stayed in was a little dark and a bit like a cabin in the woods kind of vibe.
I may have booked it a little late on so it wasn’t our first choice.
Lunch
Not sure of the name…, Buonconvento
An adorable wine bar with a bicycle in the window so we had to go. Simple charcuterie boards with a decent line up of wine. All delicious.
Gelato
Can’t remember the name. We just strolled into the first place we found. You can’t really go too wrong eating gelato in Montalcino, or anywhere in Italy to be fair.
Wine
It was rude not to get some Brunello, and there must have been at least 5 wine shops selling the stuff. I just wish I’d have had enough space to bring a case back with me…
Dinner
Il Grappolo Blu. Scale di Via Moglio, 1, 53024 Montalcino SI, Italy
Make sure you BOOK! Arriving on the Monday it meant there wasn’t much open and this turned out to be a popular spot. Not too overpriced and the food was really decent.
Also, with Montalcino being in one of the key destinations in Italy for wine, their wine list makes the Bible look like a pamphlet!
Breakfast
Our host provided breakfast for us. Not too shabby.
