So far on the Europe trip we`d travelled to
London
Venice
Bologna Part 1 (Parmigiano Reggiano) and 2 (Balsamic Vinegar and Prosciutto)
Florence
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| This is the view from Montepulciano looking out to the rest of Tuscany |
Tuscany - Part 2 - Montepulciano
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| See Montepulciano is the most southern point on our trip |
In planning my trip I realized just how far out of the way it would be to visit Montepulciano. But my husband was totally supportive. I guess he wanted to avoid hearing me whine with remorse if we missed the chance to see the New Moon set.
It is about 70 miles from Florence to Montepulciano and would take roughly 90 minutes to drive there. It was an interesting drive and we got a bit lost despite the GPS. But who cares when you`re in Italy :)
Montepulciano is known for its wine. That`s why most people go. The Twilight thing is quite a big industry as well of course but not nearly the way it is in Forks.
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| The view of Montepulciano on the road in |
Twilight stuff
Yes, this section comes first because that's why we're all here :)
Incidentally the first time I ever contacted another Twihard was when I saw
Dangrdafne's comment on a
Twitarded post. She mentioned she'd done the Montepulciano New Moon thing. She shared her photos with me and we've been friends ever since. Thanks to DD for all the tips!
Before we start I wanted to show you the map from the
Montepulciano official tourism office or
here.
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| Official Twilight Montepulciano map - click to enlarge |
They have a New Moon tour but I did not partake and thought my husband would be too bored. So we decided to hunt down all the sites ourselves.
We tried to make it for noon but I didn`t get to the Piazza Grande square until 12:10 :(
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Porta al Prato
Where they enter in Alice's Porsche |
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Piazza delle Erbe
The Porsche comes through this route |
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Piazza Grande
Yes it`s true there is no fountain here in real life |
Mr. TC left me alone in the square to have a moment to myself. He couldn't be around when I was in public taking photos with my dolls.
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| I brought mini E and B all the way from Vancouver just for this moment. |
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| I know he's supposed to be shirtless but this is pretty close. |
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Portone del Palazzo Comunale
I feel tiny in this doorway - squeals that Rob stood here |
For a Twihard this gave me the ultimate thrill. I was buzzing with energy sure that I'd be getting weird looks. But no one seemed to care - I guess they've seen much crazier than this :)
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| Yeah to be in the same place as the New Moon filming group |
On to other filming locations
We went down to the Red Cellar where they filmed the winding stairs to the Volturi. Holy sh*t that place was freaky. I didn't even know if we were in the right place because there were no people around. Very spooky and Mr. TC couldn't believe I was willing to go down there.
Twilight makes us do strange things.
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| Seriously couldn't get out of there fast enough. |
More pretty pics along the Porsche path
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Vicolo della Concordia
Where Bella stops to search for Edward
more squeals since I love Kristen Stewart |
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| Mr. TC couldn't help taking a pic of grate on the ground with Twilight graffiti |
Lastly I really wanted to get the aerial shot of Montepulciano that is from New Moon. I found out from the director commentary on the New Moon DVD that you'd need to go out from Montepulciano a slight way. Managed to find it on the map but my husband and I could not figure out how to get to that point. Sigh that I'll settle for watching the DVD again.
Shopping
Things I bought in Montepulciano were all Twilight related.
These were purchased from the official tourism office. It's very small and in the grand square.
Next to the famous Edward/Bella doorway there is a small cigar shop. They've got T shirts, mugs, and some really nice New Moon cushions. I just couldn't justify carrying an Edward pillow on the plane home.
One things to remember is that shops in Italy close in the afternoon for a break. Luckily smart business people know that tourists shop all day. There was a very nice gift shop along the Porsche route that was open with lots of New Moon stuff. Reminded me a lot of my favourite stores at home. They had posters, handmade soap, and 4X6 shots of the cast for sale. Can't remember the name of this store but the owner was very nice. Apparently there are tons of fans from Japan that stop by.
Food
Lastly we did have to eat before we left. Food was okay but the wine, from Montepulciano, was exceptional. A nice dry red.
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| Pici pasta - apparently Rob is rumoured to like these |
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Couldn't resist watching New Moon on my iPhone while in Montepulciano
Look - matching street! |
By the way, if we had stayed in Montepulciano this is the place I'd choose.
La Locanda di San Francesco
This is a luxury B&B and I really wanted to stay here but it was just too out of the way. It's above a restaurant/pub but the washrooms look very modern and the views are amazing.
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| This is the view in the morning from this place - beautiful! |
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| Gotta love the view |
All right, we're down to the end soon. Just Tuscany Part 3 - Volterra and Sienna left.
