Sarteano

Feeling a little guilty about the pessimistic nature of my blog..I have just remembered our visit to Sarteano in Tuscany..A hillside village topped with a formidable castle, that was once besieged by Cesare Borgia..The castle is the sort that all little boys dream of playing in..A drawbridge, vertigo inducing turrets that overlook the terracotta rooftops of the village that spiral away down the hillside..Walking through the village later we found ourselves among the villagers in medieval garb..It was the Saracen jousting festival..They take a wooden Saracen out of the church, and over the course of the festival week, They Joust up and down the main street..It is very old and atmospheric, if a little Xenophobic..
Sarteano has a natural thermal rise, and they have made a lovely Spa pool in the village..The run off streams away from Sarteano ,and in its clear waters Guppies swim exotically..