Bye, bye Borgo - and on to Montepulciano today

Wednesday, May 10, 2017 - A relaxing morning and off to Montepulciano

We enjoyed our last morning at Borgo Pignano.  Mike had an 8:30 AM yoga class in their Spa/Fitness Studio.  I sat at our usual location for breakfast out on the pergola.  They are used to us, as today, all the cushions were out on the chairs and fresh roses were on all the patio tables.  The morning is as clear as we’ve seen it – our hostess pointed out the outline of Corsica on the horizon past the hills of Volterra!

Our hostess says that's Corsica on the horizon, on the left past Volterra -- Maybe....

Clearest morning yet for seeing the western vistas

We packed up by 11 and then sat on the patio and read/wrote for an hour or so.  There were many shiny green lizards scurrying along the rock walls, as well as lots of swooping birds – little swallow shaped uccellini.  A big photo shoot was happening in front of the Villa.  The new models of Mazzerati’s were being featured – a bright red one and a sleek black one.  I took a few photos of my own, but the directors came over and told me I wasn’t allowed, as no one has seen these new models yet. (Shhh, I do have the photos, but can't post them here...)

Enjoying the terrace in the full sunlight - lots of little lizards came to visit

Mike enjoyed the pool (not heated!)

I was sorry to leave today – the service has been spectacular and the outdoor areas are beautiful.  It’s amazing that they employ 60 people to work at the Borgo during the season.  They have 120 beds, between the Villa, the Borgo apartments and three single buildings.  They fill up for weekend weddings, which they usually only host in May, June and September.  In the summer they prefer to have families stay for 4 to 7 day vacations.  They told us they host about 8 to 10 weddings a year – and they end up serving 10 meals over the full weekend for the 125 guests.  Sounds like a tremendous amount of work.

A final panorama of the Villa Pignano - what a gem!

We hit the road around noon and headed east to Chianti territory, first traveling on some incredibly windy roads to reach Colle di Val d”Elsa before picking up the autostrada between Siena and Firenze.  We stopped to take a break at Monteriggioni for half an hour, while Michael found us some lemon and Fanta orange sodas.  We expect to be in Montepulciano in less than an hour.