The first thing that came to mind as I awoke today was what the hell were you thinking staying up so late and drinking so much? By the time all was done we had had a few Spritz's, polished off a few liter bottles of Peroni birre, two bottles of Chianti, finished half of one bottle of Limoncello and two thirds of a second. The trouble was that today was the day that Niccolò would be taking us around for a tour of the Chianti Classico region, so there was no sleeping in as he was picking us up at 10am. We had a small breakfast and good strong coffee and then off we went. The weather was very cool and threatening to rain, so long pants were the order of the day (except for Bubba) and jackets and umbrellas were taken just in case.
Our first stop was on a hillside outside of Strade In Chianti
. We stopped just on the side of the road at the top of a vineyard and could get a close up view of the Sangiovese grapes just about ready for picking as well as a great expansive view of the surrounding hills and valleys of the Chianti region. Niccolò said it would be fine to try some of the grapes which tasted wonderful. He also told us that they would have just completed the pruning of many of the grapes off of the vines, both to help the remaining grapes develop more flavor as well as to comply with the Chianti region rules of wine production that limits the amount of grapes that can be produced from any single vineyard. He also told us of the origin of the black rooster, which is the symbol of the region. According to legend, in order to cease the endless fighting in the Middle Ages between Siena and Florence, the two Tuscan cities decided to leave the definition of their respective boundaries to a remarkable feat between knights: they were to leave their hometowns at cockcrow and wherever they met each other, that exact spot would be the border between the two republics. For this purpose, the citizens of Siena raised a beautiful white rooster, which grew big and fat. The Florentines, instead, chose a black rooster and never fed him, so that on the day of the feat he was so famished, he started to crow even before sunrise. As a result, the Florentine knight was able to set out very early in the morning: he met the knight from Siena in Fonterutoli – merely twelve Kilometers from Siena, as the latter had left much later
. This was the reason why almost all of the Chianti territory was united under the rule of the Florentine Republic.
Just as we were about to get back into the van for our next leg, three ragtop Ferrari’s drove by with couples in each. What a wonderful sound they made as the made their way up towards us and over the top of the hill, their occupants waving as they went by. Our next stop a short distance away was Montefioralle, a village at the top of a hill just outside of Greve In Chianti. This town was one of the largest military centres in the middle-ages during the wars between Florence and Siena as is the birthplace of Amerigo Vespucci, who was the second navigator to ever visit North America and whose name is the origin of America. The doorway of his home is identified by the wasp ("vespa") and V of the Vespucci family. It was quite a steep walk from the parking area to get to the town streets. From there we wandered around the town for a while, taking many photos of the fantastic buildings with their quaint decor
. We made a stop
at one of the shops to do some tasting of their wines, oils, salami and pecorino cheese. Connie even had a taste of some of their hand lotion, as she mistook the woman when she said for her to try some. Connie said it wasn’t all that bad. Everyone had a good laugh over that one. As we continued our stroll around this small town a light rain developed and the umbrellas came out to keep us, and our cameras, dry. The cobblestone streets were getting quite slippery though and Bubba told us of a woman he had just seen fall down one of the slopes, so we took great care as we started out way down towards where the van was parked.
We made our way from Montefioralle back down the hill to the town of Greve In Chianti. This was a much larger town that grew from its start as a local market as the inhabitants of the smaller hillside villages began to congregate there after the wars in the area began to recede. The drizzle was just ending and we stopped for a short while here to visit the town square and
have a cappuccino and a bite to eat while wandering around the shops
. This is where Connie found my Pinocchio cycling kit. Okay, so the nose is pointed the wrong way around on the bib shorts, but it’s still pretty cool and she insisted in buying it for me. The kit is from the world championship road race that was run here in 2013 and has Pinocchio printed all over it. Once we took the gratuitous photos of the statue with Connie pointing out the penis like one of Bob Barker’s girls on Let’s Make A Deal, we started back to the van. Yes, you got that sentence right. Statue…Connie…Penis… Alrighty then, after all that, the only thing that was left to do before departing was to buy some pasta for dinner at a small shop that makes it fresh right there, so Connie picked up some fresh gnocchi and ravioli.
Our next stop was for lunch at Volpaia, a little gem of a village again atop a hill just outside of Radda In Chianti. I’m positive that the only way one would find this place is either by having a guide like Niccolò or to live here for a hundred years and find them on your own
. As we walked through this very small village, we noticed that the central buildings are actually where the wine making was being done with people living above and around these buildings. There were short covered walkways that Bubba, Tracy and I could only get through while crouching. Steve and Niccolò were able to walk through upright as was Connie. We could smell the grapes being pressed and the yeast coming from the processing area. Here, as with many of the other towns we’d been in, the large wooden doors were amazingly sculpted. We stopped at the only restaurant in the village and had fresh sandwiches. The bread was superb, but the crust was very hard as is the norm here. Steve bit into his sandwich and caught the corner of the crust in such a way that his tooth cracked. We were hoping that it wouldn’t require a dentist before getting home, but Niccolò said he would get the name of his guy just the same.
Our final stop of the day was at Castello di Verrazzano on the route back beyond Greve In Chianti
. This was for a wine tour that Niccolò had organized for us. On the way there it began to rain again, at times coming down in torrents. By the time we got to the Castello however the rain started to slow down and it was a perfect time to step in-doors for a tour of their cellars. We were just a tad late and joined the tour just after it started, but it didn’t seem like we had missed much. Our tour guide, who was originally from England and had moved here 45 years ago, was telling of the origins of the Castello and the surrounding area. From here we went throughout the ancient cellar areas where we saw the various sizes of barrels used to make everything from rose, to classico, to reserve, and even the balsamic vinegar. After seeing all this we were taken to a restaurant like area which was situated above where the newer wine making vats were. Here we were provided with an opportunity to taste some of the wines produced as well as a lesson on the finer points of wine tasting, such as how to nose and taste the wine properly
. Best of all was enjoying how the wine changed in taste once elements such as salami and cheese were added to our taste buds. Finally we got to taste the balsamic, which was exquisite. Of course we had to buy a bottle despite its equally exquisite price. No question that this will be coming out on special occasions only!
Our day pretty much complete, we headed back to the villa to have our supper of fresh pasta, making a short stop on the way to pick up some fresh tomatoes, basil, etc. Connie and Lori went into the little shop while the rest of us waited in the van. A short while later they returned having irritated the shop owner into a yelling fit because they had tried to serve themselves, which was obviously a no-no.
At the villa, Connie and Lori prepared dinner while the rest of us veg’d in the living room as it was a bit too cool to eat outside on the patio. After a great feed of fresh pasta, and a few aperitifs, everyone was bed down by 11pm, the long day and lack of previous night’s sleep having taken its toll.
Chianti wine tour
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Greve in Chianti, Tuscany, Italy
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Comments

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Debbie
2015-09-29
I can see a bunch of wine tasting rooms being installed in peoples houses!!!!!!!
Wanda McClure
2015-09-29
There are so many wonderful pictures I don't know what I like the best. I love Montefioralle, the homes and stone buildings are wonderful...love the doors, Volpaia and Castello Verrazzano. All wonderful!
Linz
2015-10-01
Great Pix Guys!!!! Looks like you are having so much fun!!!!! We miss you guys back here and can't wait to hear all about it when you get back!!!!!!
:)
Linz xoxo