After a satisfying breakfast, we commenced our walk no later than 8.30am. 

Leaving Bagno Vignoni we descend to the Orcia river and follow old dirt tracks shaded by a woody tree area . We climbed to a ridge dominated by a castle Ripa d'Orcia (15th Century), before descending. Unfortunately we were told not to visit this castle as it was not tourist friendly and is a private exclusive hotel.

As we descend we see many vineyards and olive groves and eventually walk into Castelnuovo d'Abate and its neighbouring abbey, Monastery of San't Antimo. 

 The origins of the abbey are obscure. Archeological investigation of the site is incomplete, but has yielded artefacts from Late Classical times. The foundation of the original Benedictine monastery dates to the time of Charlemagne. The various accounts of Charlemagne founding the abbey are without direct historical foundation; they first appear in a document of the emperor Henry lll from 1051.
This was the period of greatest power of the abbey, which had authority over 38 churches, from Pisa to Grosseto, and control of about 1000 mansi, or farm estates, throughout Tuscany. The most important possession of the abbey was the castle of Monalcino, which was the residence of the abbot .In the mid-12th century, halted in its expansion northwards by Forence, Siena moved its attention to Montalcino. In 1145 the monks were forced to cease the castle of Radicofani the Sienese. In 1189 Pope Clement lll  placed the Pieve of Montalcino under the bishop of Siena. Filippo Malavolti, podesta of Siena, attacked and partly destroyed Montalcino in 1200. An agreement of 1212 stated that the abbey had to hand over a quarter of its territories to Siena, including Montalcino. In 1291 Pope Nicholas IV ordered the union of the abbey with the Guglielmites, a reformed branch of the Benictines, in order to give back strength to the abbey. However, after another period of decay in the 15th century, Pope Pius ll annexed St. Anthimus to the new diocese of Montalcino-Pienza (1462), whose bishop was Pius' nephew. The abbey decayed to the point that in the 19th century it was used as stable. In the 1870s the Italian state restored it.In 1992 the abbey became again an active monastery with the arrival of a new religious community of Canons Regular of the Order of Premontre . The name of the abbey may refer to Saint Anthimus of Rome, whose relics were supposedly moved here during the late 8th century. 
Monastery ofSan't Antimo is particularly fine example of Romanesque Cistercian architecture. It was built in the 12th century. The exterior facade with its menagerie of animals, the capitals atop the exterior column and the remaining old frescoes are quite intriguing.

Whilst Peter and I were waiting for the shuttle bus, we were accosted by a young Italian man, who was cruising us. Peter and I were not the only boys accosted, so was Peter Finney and Rob Collins. 

The shuttle bus eventually arrived and the group were shuttled to Montalcino to our accommodation Hotel dei Capitani. 

On arrival we changed into some comfortable clothing and went to the Fortress of Montalcino for a wine tasting of Brunello wines which this area is renown for. The historical centre is dominated by the mighty and imposing Rocca or Fortress of Montalcino built in 1361 to mark the passage of Montalcino under the domination of Siena .

The town has been made incredibly rich and famous by its Brunello wine, one of the world's best and most appreciated Italian wines. Montalcino was already well-known for its fine red wines during the 15th century. However, the precious formula of the fantastic Brunello was invented in 1888 by Ferruccio Biondi Santi, who first had the idea of leaving out the grapes used in the traditional Chianti recipe, such as Canaiolo and Colorino, and using only the Sangiovese variety.
After our wine tasting which accompanied some food tastings and charged €10 each, we had time to explore Montalcino. Another landmark of Montalcino we visited was the tall and slender Clock Tower that graces the Palazzo dei Priori, the city's town hall, while below lies the main square known as Piazza del Popolo with its characteristic Gothic loggia.

The streets with their stone pavements are truly enchanting and the village is a wonderful place to stroll around among the labyrinth of charming arts and crafts shops, cafes, restaurants and wine bars.

For dinner we dinned alfresco at Bacchus Enoteca and on our way back to Hotel del Capitani we dropped into a shop and purchased some Siena paneforte.