As we leave Florence behind we pass ancient crumbling walls set in the Roman age and then on to wide countryside. After a few minutes,we encounter the sun drenched landscapes of Tuscany. Rolling hills dotted with villas typical of the region. In the relentless sun we see miles upon miles of rolling hills most of it covered in wines all ripe for the picking. The sky is a deep blue,the clouds in waves of fluff. It's sunshine and wine all the way. Our first stop is San giimignano a place for wine and olive oil. The place itself is small,cobbled streets wind their way up and down the town. The town has two squares and like in all of Italy it's full of churches,medieval building housing cafes,pizzeria and shops. Countless shops sell everything from wine to cheese,olive oil in a deep green colour,crafts,leather goods and all manner of temptations.
It's all vey laid back and happy. We stop for coffee and for someone like me who dislikes coffee I must admit that I have fallen in love with the bitterness of espresso. It's come in one sip but a heady one at that.
We move on to th Chianti wine region for a lesson in wine tasting. It's a large wine yard run for generations by an Italian family and it's full of cousins all doing their jobs rather well. We start with a lesson on how to hold the glass the science behind it,how to twirl it ,sniff it and drink it ,all the time looking out for aromas and flavours . For one as unschooled as me I must admit I know a lot about the technique but must admit my abject failure when it comes to sniffing out flavours. She tells us that the the wine has the aroma of peppers. Now for a person like me peppers are the heady black peppers which have no place in the Italian countryside so I have no clue what she is talking about. Suffice to say that all the wines are excellent,the desert wine being pretty strong and we are all a happy bunch at the end of the meal.
We move on to Siena,another medieval town set among narrow cobbled streets,high ancient building which throw their shadows in the mid afternoon sun. We get a guided tour and taste the famous pan forte a sweet made in this place and one which I promised myself I would try. It heavy with honey and dried fruits and nuts but I give it a miss. It's a bit too sinful for my taste. Siena is also home to the famous Palio where the horse races took place. A wide arena is currently full of tourists basking under a Tuscan sun. It's roads are lined with shops with designer labels to local craft. The churches are beautiful and full of history. The sent of many burning candles are pretty heady. We soon have to move on to monteriggiono a very small town with a castle to a it's credit though to me it looks more like a fort. We are told that this was a strategic location with one end looking out to Florence and the other to Siena both sworn enemies. It's takes about half and hour to see it and then as the sun sets on another day and the wine yards and rolling hills sink into the shadows it's back to Florence and dinner at our new found local. The husband is exhausted with the long day,I am too busy chatting to every Italian who knows even a smattering of English. Dinner is ravioli in meat sauce ,wine and a Parma ham pissa. Need I say more. The temperature has dipped to twenty one degrees but I choose to miss the night life in Florence and to the sound of contented snores of the husband I bid this day good night.
No comments:
Post a Comment