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Another place not to miss when in Tuscany is an Hotel restaurant called Palazzo Brandano in Petroio It just happen the owner manager is an old friend….he was born in Dakar (Senegal) in 1963 the year I was there, and to make things more complicated he was born at the Dakar French Air Base as is Uncle was a pilot there. With credential like this we become instant friends and the Champagne , wine and food keep on coming. The food, wines list,service, decor and hotel are all first class and I’m happy to recommend the place to anyone with taste and style… Regrettably I don’t know to many people with style or taste !!!! Rodney reading the menu, He think he is a … Continue reading →

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If you ever go to tuscany I checked a very special place for you, just say you know a famous author from Australia and you will be assured of a good time !!!You may have to pay a bit more and the room maybe a bit smaller, but you can t have everything, fame and fortune.

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You think you see a monastery you see them all, not this one, we actually saw some monks!!!!what they were doing I’m not sure….. If you are interested in monk you can look or if you are not interested you can move on  

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Many of the beautiful villages in Tuscany are on hills, like my home in Beenleigh!!!!! Pienza is different. It is a small village built in the fields surrounded by grape vines. There are some very old parts of the town but a lot of it is new. It is beautifully done as it it blends into one and it is difficult to pick the new from the old. It has a wonderful feel. It is not too late for us in Beenleigh to achieve the same feel, but it will take a brave man. Some of the most visit towns around Siena-Montalcino, Pienza, Sant Anna, Petroio, Montepuciano, Saint Angelo in Colle, Poggio alle Mura and I’m sure many more you need a … Continue reading →

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The good thing about Siena is that we don’t see too many French people, they go to Florence but don’t come to the country so much as they think..like me…that the country side of France is better than the country side of Italy….So that’s good Siena won’t be so crowded with Frenchies and their Peugeot Citroen or Renault pushing their way in parking spot. Too much beauty in Siena to put in a blog, but there you are just to wet your appetite. Talking about appetite, I had to try a pizza as everyone tells me the pizzas are beautiful in Italy….One of the best Pizza we can get in Brisbane is a place at the barracks near the palace cinemas. So … Continue reading →

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St Anna Monastery in Tuscany was the setting of the movie “the English patient” with Juliette Binocha and Kirsen Scott Thomas, because it is situated only 6ks from Petroio we decided to have a look.It look like in the movie but as been clean up, landscaped and renovated. It is now use as a beautiful restaurant, hotel and a tourist destination. my favorites are the dining room the frescos and the cemetery

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  Banfi Vineyard is not far from Siena in the middle of Tuscany and is situated in a old castle in a  beautiful picturesque setting. Even Adelaide coming from the back block of Belfast was impressed….mind you, like me she is very impressed with Seurre my little village in the middle of Burgundy….. The vinery belong now to an American family from Italian origin. The Mariani family.  It show in the way it is run, American money, Italian style the best of both world. I could tell you a lot about the vineyard but you can see all that on Google or just go there. The entrance look impressive, I know we will have olives to eat   home made sedanini with porcini mushrooms and … Continue reading →

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What a bourguignon is doing in Tuscany, not trying the wine or the food of course just looking at the scenery? It is probably hard to admit, but the scenery, the pizzas, the pasta, and the coffee are beautiful, but the rest leave it to us the bourguignons. Anyway come with me on a bit of a journey thru this beautiful part of Italy Find yourself some good accommodations, because if you are like me, you will come only once. Too many beautifull places in the world to come back twice to the same place, unless it is burgundy of course.   Petroio, view from our bedroom window Balcony and dining room                 … Continue reading →

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Thursday the 5th of September After spending 3 weeks with my mother visiting and talking about dying relatives  and visiting cemetery, Suzanne finally arrive, and guess what she wanted to do…Visiting Australian cemetery from world war one in the Somme region, Nord of France. So here we are for your history lesson, if you want to know more you can Google the all story !!!  

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