Buonconvento: Medieval Walled Town and Pasta for Dinner

A small shrine to the Virgin Mary

The alarm went off on the Tom-Tom to alerted us of speed cameras as we entered the town limits of Buonconvento. Good boy, Tommy. You see, many towns have speed cameras or sensors as you come into them, and as you leave. If you get through the Zona Limite di Velocità too fast, you'll be ticketed. The camera gets your tag number. It's automatic. You will not have a traffic policeman pulling you over. Even if you have a rental car, the summons will find its way to you in the States. So, immediately when I heard Tommy's speed zone alarm go off, I slowed down. A local road hog was having none of this. He drove inches from our rear bumper. I pulled down a side street just to get rid of the nut. Mind you, all this happened within the speed zone!

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Just a bit north of Buonconvento, in Ponte d'Arbia, their arched bridge is worth a look

This village had a large car park in front of the long wall along the side of town. Medieval walls and arched ports led us to a cute stroll through time back to the Renaissance and dinner at a cute family style trattoria. A nice old Nonna who was sweet to Lucas and patient with my spotty Italian led to gnocchi bolognese and tagliatelle. Molto bene. We had some antipasti too. Lucas' insistence that we head home meant no dolci (dessert) for us... home and sleep came in no time.... after a ride in the dark through the gravel back roads and our headlights coming upon hundred of sleepy sheep and two very loud, pissed off sheep dogs!

Next agriturismo...

--Jerry Finzi

The campanile

Amazing Bolognese

We couldn't see the sheep dogs in the dark, but they sure let us know they were there!