Montevettolini, November Morning

This is the view we fell in love with from Podere Sasseto looking out over the nearest village Montevettolini, and on over the Monsummano plains towards Pisa in Tuscany. It's early in the morning before heading up the hill to pick the olives.

Podere Sasseto is a magical place, sat high on the same range as Vinci (as in Leonardo) and often you'll catch a glimpse of a view that you can see in the background of one of his paintings. It hasn't changed much in the last 500 years.

There are still forests teaming with wild boar, porcupine, snakes (not the poisonous kind), rabbits, and pheasants, and falcons wheel above on the updrafts hunting in pairs. The land is terraced and planted with olive groves.

We found a tiny cottage tucked under the hill...but more about that later.