Almost every day in Italy for me is a wow day. Montecarlo was no exception,  it was definitely a WOW day. That is, Montecarlo in Tuscany.

So once again, in our little Fiat 500 we headed off early one morning to Montecarlo.  It is only about 45 minute drive so it was an easy drive on a glorious day. We stopped along the way at Buonamico Winery for coffee where they made us real Italian “wake you up in an instant” espresso, on the house. Not sure why they did not charge us, but they sure made us welcome.

Looking from Buonamico to Montecarlo

Montecarlo is a  commune in the Province of Lucca in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of Florence and about 12 kilometres (7 mi) east of Lucca.

Montecarlo is a hilltop village perched above the surrounding olive groves and vineyards, with thick stone walls and a fortress dating back to 1333

The town was originally founded in 1333 by the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV.  It is a sleepy little town with a very small population. Montecarlo is mainly known for its wine, and there is plenty of it! The town is surrounded by vineyards that produce excellent quality wines.

Although we had our own car and drove to Montecarlo it is also very easy to reach the town by bus. There are several buses that leave for Montecarlo from Florence and Lucca each day at regular intervals. There are also quite a lot of buses which reach the town from other smaller towns in the province like Altopascio, Pescia, Porcari and Caponnari. Buses are usually very comfortable and regular and the tickets are easily available even in peak tourist seasons.

As we arrived to this picture perfect little town with its cobblestone streets we were struck by the beauty of it.

We wandered around inside the walls of this sleepy little village popping in to little shops and chatting with the proprietors. We spent time in this gorgeous little ceramic shop, Puccini Arte and chatted with the artist. I could not resist buying one of his lovely little tiles for my kitchen.

We stopped by a little enotecca where we sampled some of the local produce and of course could not leave without buying some of the cheeses and cold meats.

We happened upon a wine shop where they were having a very lively wine tasting so we joined in.

Lunch was at one of the very nice little restaurants in the town.

After several hours in this truly delightful and peaceful town we headed off back to Lucca and then later “home”

ps one of the nicest things about Montecarlo, is there are not many tourists.