Our travels around the area took us to several teeming towns and cities, in contrast to the peacefulness of Podere Carceroni. Our shopping and lunch mecca was Paganico, a walled town which requires driving through arches at both ends. There's a great bar for lunch, with a gelateria next door - very important. Outside the arches is a Coop, the supermarket where I got most of our essentials and plenty of bottles of water. It was so hot during our stay that people stayed in the pool as much as possible.Day trips were to the island of Giglio, off Monte Argentario, just written up yesterday in The Washington Post. That visit required a ferry ride from Porto San Stefano to Giglio Porto. A bus took us to the top of the island with incredible 360 degree views. At the top, there was a castle to climb to. More views. Sorry I don't have photos for all these places.
One painting site was Talamone, a very quaint fishing village just a bit north of Monte Argentario. Great painting, not so great walking down the rocky paths.
One afternoon most of the painters went to Pienza. Some took advantage of the painting and photo opportunities; others shopped. Pienza is one of the first really planned towns, at least in Italy; Pope Pius II (1458) designed the layout of the town. It is a very user-friendly town and thus attracts lots of tourists. The pecorino cheese is wonderful, as are the views by the wall over the valley and down the curving alleys.
We found out that Grosseto, the capital of the Maremma, is a nightmare to drive in. Each time we went there we got lost. Walls, tunnels, one-way streets, round and round we go.
The Maremma is indeed not the frequented Tuscany most are familiar with. Its access is a 2-lane road that is scary to drive. Hill towns are scarcely populated. It is not commercial; it is peaceful and private.
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