Hill Towns of Italy - Montepulciano

Italy is dotted with hill towns. And they're just what they sound like. Towns set on top of a hill. Originally built for defense a town set high on a hill could certainly see the enemies approach and ward off attacks. The problem with a hill town is you can only expand as big as your hill. Might be bad for expansion but it's great for preservation. Many hill towns retain their original character while the town expansion took place at the base of the hill. 

Italy has hundreds of hill towns including Orvieto, Volterra, San Gimignano, Assisi, and Siena.

We visited several hill towns but our favorite was Montepulciano in Tuscany. Far less touristy than most of the other hill towns it made for a peaceful afternoon stroll. We visited on a Sunday and almost had the town to ourselves. Of course most of the shops and cafes were closed but it didn't hinder our exploration of the town.

The view from the wall of the surrounding countryside was lovely. High on the hill  overlooking the tiled roofs of the houses and out across the valley you could see for miles. 

I'm linking up Hill Towns of Italy with

Go over and check out other 'H' places to visit!

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Wednesday Walking - Bridge Walking and Prepping for Vacation

Florida is a gorgeous state and the area we live is one of the prettiest. Sandy beaches littered with shells, dense pine forests, moss draped oak trees and frog filled wetlands provide ample walking opportunities. Unless you're over towards the panhandle one thing lacking is hills and there are certainly no mountains!

Flatland walking is pretty easy and we can walk miles and miles with no problem. The problem comes when we travel to a  place that is actually above sea level with the dreaded hills that you have to walk UP!

This was a running joke on our trip to Germany. We found this card at the desk in one of our hotels, an advertisment for something or other but it was perfect! We were standing in the parking lot at Marksburg Castle on the Rhine in Germany trying to decide if we wanted to walk UP to the castle.

Training for our Next Trip

(Training may be a strong word!)

Soon we'll be heading for Italy and we already know there will be some hills to traverse so we've been working on our hill walking legs.

The easiest way to simulate walking up a hill is to use a walking machine. This may be most convenient way but it is also boring...

To counteract the boredom I watch YouTube travel videos and that helps a little. But I deem the walking machine as one of those necessary evils. Good for when it's raining or too hot to get outside.

Another option for practicing hill climbing and one that's much more fun is to head downtown and hit the bridges. This past week we did just that when we walked the Acosta bridge in downtown Jacksonville.

OK so it's not a mountain but it's a pretty steady climb UP. 

I have to admit that I have more trouble will incline walking than John does. But he's a very patient walking partner and for that I'm thankful.

Grab a partner, lace up your shoes and get a little work out!