Sorry for the lack of updates. The connections here in Tuscany seem to be very poor.
Our day on Sunday began with with breakfast in the garden (just as wonderful as it sounds). Unfortunately, the weather is not the best today. We set off to visit Volterra (known for alabaster and for being loftiest of the hilltowns in Tuscany) and San Gimignano.
Huge thunderstorms moved in while we were in Volterra. We ducked onto a cafe and had a cappacino, gelato and cannoli. Can you believe they actually serve Red Bull gelato. We were too afraid to sample that one though!
We found a glass making shop with amazing pieces and simply couldn't refuse the urge to buy a few local treasures.
Once the rain stopped, we strolled the town and headed down the road to San Gimignano. Before leaving San Gimi, we sat on a terrace looking over Tuscany (pictured here) and drank German Beer.
Monday was our day to tour the Chianti Wineries. Before we left Portland, we made reservations at two locations--Vignamaggio and Dievole. We headed out to Vignamaggio, a winery where Mona Lisa was born. Guess we should have looked at the schedule a little closer before leaving the villa. Our tour guide Tino got a little confused and took us to the afternoon reservation in the morning. The wineries are not very close together and you have to travel really small backroads to get to them. It took us about an hour and a half to get to the first location. Needless to say, we wouldn't be able to make it to the next stop on time. We phoned Dievole (where we should have been) and they were able to get us in with an afternoon tour. Vignamaggio was very gracious also. They gave us a private tour of the grounds, talked with us about Tuscan history, walked us through the wine making process and let us sample several of their wines and gave us a wonderful feast of meats, cheeses, breads & olive oil. We couldn't have asked for more!
Then we set off for Dievole for our second tour. The two tours were so different, but each were amazing. What a wonderful day. Next adventure, tomorrow we head to Siena.
Ciao for now...
Ciao for now...
Tom, Theresa, Tino & Collette
1 comment:
Thanks for blogging this trip! It sounds so wonderful! You make me long for Italy again... Watch the parking in Siena! My last trip we ended with a 90 Euro parking ticket!! We thought it was a safe area for parking, apparently not. To make matters worse, photo radar in one of the small towns outside Siena sent us a nice speeding ticket for 150 Euro. Siena will always be an expensive memory for me! :o) This adventure sounds so wonderful! Drink a bottle or two of wine for me!!! Kacey
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