Like a movie - Toscana
You know how you've seen many a film shot in Tuscany or the travel shows that take you through Tuscany and you wonder if it will be as beautiful...well it is.
While driving through from Florence on our 4th day we decided to drive through the Chianti region first and that turned out to be a great idea. The minute we got off the autostrada we could see the hills and the wines concerning them all across the valleys as far as our eyes could go. Green luscious vineyards.
Winding through the hills we made our way towards the largest town Greve in Chianti and made our first stop at Castelo Vicchimaggio. The wine was nice and we learnt that for a wine to be certified as from the chianti region it needed to have at least 80% of the Sangiovese grape (particular to the region). Of course the 100% ones were perineum and honestly not my kinda as they were just too strong a taste, I personally preferred the mixes. Also note that you don't necessarily have to book wine tastings you just need to book if you want a your into the vineyards. But since all if us have done this in the past we just opted for the €4-€5 tasting for 3 different wines usually.
With the first one a great success we were excited about the next one mentioned in the lonely planet too Castello Di Verrazzano with its very own castle. And yes we were disappointed. Not only was the lady extremely rude but the wine as well was ok. Do drive up to the top of the castle if you have the time the view is pretty good. But I would recommend just stopping by smaller ones as you go.
2 of these and were ready to have a lunch break. Greve in Chainti was way too touristy for all of us and so we decided to drive towards another lonely planet recommendation Dario Cecchini's restaurant in Panzano. This one definitely looked promising but was very busy and offered burgers which we weren't really in the mood for. So once again, while I struggled in the Tuscan sun without a hat (omg you so need one), we drove towards Siena and there we found a small exit towards a restaurant.
It turned out to be a B&B which looked so nice with the stone facade and the garden out the back. Silent and completely Tuscan. Here we stopped for some lunch which we were informed by the 2 lovely ladies there was just cold food - meats, salad, prochouitto and lemon, tomato and mozzarella and it was yum. So worth the waiting around. Here we made our decision to head towards Siena, only 40 mins drive but we had to hit one more winery and that was the one we got some from.
The last was lovely and so Informative. Those who know me know I don't drink white but gosh this white was pretty good and easy to drink. Anyhow we bought a white and a red and then we were off to Siena through another lot of windy roads.
Siena, an Italian town atop a hill with walls around it through which you cannot drive. We managed to find our way there, a good park and the walk to the centre all without a map! I have a new found love for GPS on our smart phones. Siena was lovely. Much smaller than Florence and now a student area with universities.
The Duomo. What can I say. So far I had seen about 3 and hands down this was the best. I'm pretty sure nothing will beat it apart from I guess the Vatican basilica. The exterior being very similar to that of Milano with the white, pink and green marble but the beauty was within. This specific duomo was spectacular from the inside. Having been built over centuries with a lot of different influences and interruptions like the plague, this duomo has its own little library that tells the story sanctioned by a Siennes Pope.The gothic high walls were adorned with beautiful frescos on the ceilings. The floor had mosaic designs dating back to before the plague. We spent a good hour in here and it was worth it.
This alone was worth coming to Siena for but then we made our way to piazza publico and it was massive and beautiful as well. Here I could get some much needed therapy. I seriously have a problem. Having not liked much in Florence I was panicking about not finding good leather stuff! Yes I know bit that's me. Here I found a cute shoe store and since I was so in need I bought 2 Italian made shoes. Another great reason to go to Siena - the shopping. It's a lot quieter and has some great boutiques to shop from so I can see the Florence / Siena debate though I don't think I can chose one as I didn't spend enough time in Siena.
You also have to take a sneak peak into the oldest meat shop - al Palazzo Della Chigiana. A good meal by the piazza and we were making our way back to Florence very very pleased with our first visit to Tuscany.
