Leavng Rome, renting a car, and getting on the road to Tuscany occupied much of our day Saturday, May 2. With nine in our party, we needed three cars—and coordinating three cars and getting them all to the new rental car pickup at the airport was always going to be a problem. What was I thinking? Still two of the three parties made it to the right place, although Hertz and Budget couldn’t possibly be on he same floor!

Two hours later, the third party had joined us, and we had filled out all of the paperwork so that we could be entrusted with two BYD automobiles. BYD is a Chinese car company, which by the way is going to eat our lunch, American car makers.

There was no way that we could get out of the airport and en route and be together, so each car made its way up to Montestigliano. Since our favorite place to stay in the Siena area was already booked, we had to rely on AirBnb to find another place that could accommodate a party of ten. When Montestigliano popped up, it looked like an ideal place for us. And it truly is.

Montestigliano has been a working estate at least since the early 19th century, although not owned by the same family that now runs it. Today it is an Italian agriturismo providing a delightful respite for travelers to this part of Tuscany. As we drove up the long drive and arrived at the reception area, we could all feel the stress of the road ebb away. The manager of the farm, Francesco, has been incredibly attentive and helpful, making our stay here even more enjoyable.

Montestigliano is proving to be a great oasis after our days of touring.