Rain day

Before deciding to come to Italy, I was talking to my boss about it, and said I was afraid it might be too rainy this time of year. He said, “ah, but Tuscany is beautiful when it rains.”

When I woke up to the sound of rain I figured I would get the chance to see if he was right.

I debated on going out and riding, but looked to be the kind of soaking rain that would not let up any time soon. So instead I grabbed my raincoat and guide book and set out for Volterra, which I had driven through the other day and which looked interesting.

Along the way I bought another two bottles of olive oil, meaning I may have to leave behind still more clothes.

Volterra is another very old, well-preserved hilltop town. From the valley floor the road climbs for 10km, with many switchbacks. Many of the drivers here seem to look ahead and if they see no oncoming traffic do not hesitate crossing the center line through the sharp turns. There was a small truck in front of me, and in my little car I could not keep up with him.

Once at the top, there are great views across the valley. Even in the rain, with the clouds very low (see picture above), the views are worth stopping to take in.

I spent a few hours walking around on wet, cobbled streets. I thought about going in one of the museums, or the old cathedral, but honestly it was more interesting to walk around the streets, looking in the shop window and watching the people.


I’ve noticed this before: often you will see 2 or 3 people just standing on a corner, or in front of a shop, talking and gesturing. As I walked through the town it seemed comical – on every corner there would be a few people standing and talking. I was thinking back to what the guy at the car rental place said: “no one wants to work today”.

I found a little café called “Web and Wine” – a combination wine bar and Internet café. It was too early for wine, but I stopped in and ate lunch, while using the first reliable Internet connection I’ve had here.

It was looking like the rain had eased up, so I drove back to the hotel, thinking I might be able to ride. As I was getting ready, it started to come down hard again. Finally, with about 2 hours of daylight left, the rain seemed to let up. I put on as many warm clothes as I had and rode in the drizzle, eventually becoming completely wet. I did find an insanely steep climb just around the corner from the hotel that goes up to Castagneto Carducci. Even more insane was the number of cars that were using it.

I did come to appreciate the best thing about the rain. Next morning, when it had stopped and the sun had come out again, things were even greener than they were the day before. I'm sure the grape and olive farmers were happy.