I'm planning a lunch at Il Leccio and then going to Sant'Antimo to hear afternoon chanting (2:45). What is the road like between Sant'Angelo in Colle and Castelnuovo dell'Abate. Looks like some good wineries between the 2 cities. Thanks for the help.
You're cutting it fine. The sort of Tuscan lunch you are planning tends to go on...and on...and on. There is a direct road - of sorts - between Sant'Angelo and Sant'Antimo. I've never used it because I don't like the look of it. It's only 20km to go Sant'Angelo>Montalcino>Sant'Antimo and that's what I prefer to do. But if you are in a hurry......maybe someone else has actually used the road.
I drive it fairly regularly, it takes around 20/25 mins. You head out of Sant'Angelo in Colle in the direction of Montalcino until you shortly see a road on the right heading into the trees. The tarmac quickly disappears and becomes a fairly good dirt track, it's not in bad condition at all. You go through a mix of woods and vineyards and passed several wine estates. I've never stopped at any of them but that's not to say you can't visit. As you come down the hill into Castelnuovo you'll see Sant'Antimo in the valley below on your left. You use the term "cities" but both places are tiny villages with populations of around 1000 people, maybe less at Castelnuovo. Make sure you book at Il Leccio if you're coming in summer as it's so popular nowadays.
We did the reverse route this past October. We atttended the 12:45pm chanting at Sant'Antimo and then drove to Il Leccio for lunch. Even in early October, the patio was completely full at 1:30 when we arrived, so we ate inside. We had made reservations, which was fortunate. You can drive right up the hill so that you are fairly close to the restaurant without any danger of entering a ZLT. The road was very pretty and it was a lovely drive. It was under 1/2 hour to get there, as I remember. I honestly cannot remember the wineries along the way - I think I was too hungry and focused on getting to Il Leccio!!
We did the reverse route this past October. We atttended the 12:45pm chanting at Sant'Antimo and then drove to Il Leccio for lunch. Even in early October, the patio was completely full at 1:30 when we arrived, so we ate inside. We had made reservations, which was fortunate. You can drive right up the hill so that you are fairly close to the restaurant without any danger of entering a ZLT. The road was very pretty and it was a lovely drive. It was under 1/2 hour to get there, as I remember. I honestly cannot remember the wineries along the way - I think I was too hungry and focused on getting to Il Leccio!!
Thanks for all the advice. This will help as we plan our day(s). Going mid-May and looking forward to the trip.
Just a word of caution - don't forget to pay before parking at Sant'Antimo. The notices and meters are positioned on the approach road before you get to the parking area (where there are no signs that it is a pay and display car park thus indicating it is not church property). We emerged from the Abbey, along with many others to find an official photographing our number plates and affixing penalty notices to our windscreens. Many people became very animated but to no avail. We subsequently paid our 45euro penalty at Montalcino Post Office.
