We wake to a sunny morning in Sienna and the decision is made, this is a perfect day to take a leisurely drive through Chianti and the Tuscan countryside.
It is still early, so we have plenty of time for our morning walk and a quiet breakfast before we hit the road. Our walking route takes us to the Fort which sits a little above the city. A walk along the ramparts gives another dimension to views over the city and we meander through the gardens along with other early morning exercisers.
We wander back down a pathway ending up in the main public car park which has now turned into the local market. There are stalls selling all manner of goods from, fresh vegetables and foods to clothing and household goods. We enjoy watching the locals make their purchases and tempted by the large rosy peaches and apricots, pick up some summer fruit for ourselves. The market is large and takes up the majority of the car park.
We stroll toward the city end of the car park to get back to our apartment. The walk will take us past our car. We parked our car here for the past few days. It has been convenient, the car park is free and close to our apartment.
That sinking feeling, when you reach the spot where you think you parked your car and it’s not there! What a way to end a pleasant morning walk.
We look at each other. Two heads are better than one. Yes, this was the spot, we are certain. There is a car parked next to where we thought we had parked our car and more cars are parked further along! We have parked in many public car parks during our travels through Europe and often for days at a time because once we arrive at our destination we usually take out our walking shoes to have a good look around.
Puzzled, we take a closer look at the signpost. We had moved our car to what we thought was a safer spot a day or two earlier and had neglected to observe that it was just inside the clear away for the markets which are held every Wednesday. Had we parked one spot over, all would have been fine!
We are disappointed. It looks like our day in Chianti is not going to happen. But more importantly, where is our car? We have a lot more of this country to see.
Ennio, our host is our saviour. One phone call to him and he tells us how we should go about finding our car. So after breakfast, we set out to the Polizia Municipale station which is luckily in walking distance from where we are staying.
With a mix of our limited Italian and English, we tell the officer at the desk of our predicament. He kindly berates us for not taking notice of the signage, collects the €41 fine and tells us where our car has been towed. The tow yard is on the outskirts of the city so we taxi out to collect our car. The tow yard manager is ready to make a buck too so we pay up the €110 towage fee so we can get on our way.
We are already on the outskirts of the city, so set our trusty GPS and off we go. We have plenty of time to hit the road for a slow drive through Chianti. A magnificent day is spent in the Tuscan countryside among the olive groves and vineyards, stopping at intervals wineries for a little wine-tasting and to marvel at the views, take a leisurely lunch and still be back in Sienna in time for pre-dinner cocktails and join the excitement in the city. There’s a concert at the Duomo tonight – X Factor star Marco Mengone is performing.
Read more about taking a drive in the Chianti region here.
