A glass of wine........or 2

Monday, October 27, 2008
San Gimignano, Italy

Looking down at my hotel.

Well today I woke up to a few little visitors in my room. I mean the tiniest little ants you could imagine. I was thinking maybe they had come off my backpack but if they did they certainly multiplied and scattered very quickly. As soon as I left my room the front desk was on their way up to spray. Now that I am back I cannot see any so I guess the spraying was successful.

I got up early this morning as there were a couple things I did want to hit before the crowds came into town. Weather was a little bit different today, colder and looked like it wanted to rain but I am still in Italy so rain will still be met with a slight smile. I first went to the Civic Museum, Picture Gallery and Great Tower. The Torre Grossa (great tower) is one of the main things that draws people to this tiny little town and happens to be the town's tallest tower. Not sure how many steps up (not more than 200), but the tower offers a great view of the surrounding country side. I did enjoy being up there without too many people. I think they just add the museum and picture gallery part though to justify the price of the ticket (5 euros or something small like that…no big deal) but not much to look at.

Looking out at San Gimignano from the Torre Grossa.

Looking through one of the cracks in the wall.

Similar things can be said about the Museum Of Religious Art that accompanies a visit to the Basilica Of Santa Maria Assunta. A few interesting challises but the 2 small rooms won’t take too much of your time (wow I think I just sounded like a guide book). The Basilica is quite small but hosts some very nice art work including an amazing Last Judgment by Taddeo di Bartolo. I really wish I could have taken a few pictures but of courseI could not. I must also say at this time, some words I thought I would never say…..I am almost basilicaed out. Not sure if there will be many more I can handle seeing.

The skyline of San Gimignano. If you have ever seen the skyline of NYC you will know why they call it the medieval Manhattan. You can see the 13 remaining towers. Originally there were 72 built in the 11th century as a monument to the town's wealth.

Well these 2 visits consumed most of my morning and then it was time to head out on my wine tasting tour….which really was more of a wine drinking tour if you ask me. A van came and picked up myself and 2 couples from the US. The trip originally was to see us drive back to Siena and then back to Monteriggioni where the tour would start but instead she dropped us off in Monteriggioni and then she went to pick everyone else up. I had lunch with the two couples. I avoided politics as they are all McCain haters but will all be voting republican anyways (how you vote for a guy you hate is beyond me). So much easier just to say, I’m Canadian so it does not really matter to me.....although I think we all know better. Anyway, we had a great little lunch and we have started the wine tasting a little early.

Our van....the new van.

We were then joined by the rest of the group, a young couple from Dallas and a lady from Toronto who is writing a travel column for the Toronto Sun. I also ran back into the couple from Seattle because as it turns out their tour was travelling along with my tour so we were actually on the same tour…....just in different vans. Our tour guide Paula had a little trouble on the way and actually had to get a new van as the key broke off in the ignition of the one she was originally driving. Anyway, after a few minutes at Monterigionni (seriously you can walk the whole town in about 3 minutes), we headed to the first winery.

Me hanging out in Monterigionni

Poggio Amorelli was the name and we were given a tour by the owner, who also happens to be the wine maker. We got to see a few of the steps and get some background on how he decides what wines he will produce. The winery is quite small only making about 150,000 bottles of wine a year. Then the tasting began. We tasted 5 different red wines and then a small sample of grappa. The wines were all very good, some better than others but I must say I did enjoy them all. The tastes here are a lot larger than the tastes I am use to in the Okanagan. It really was more like a drinking than a taste. The grappa was very interesting and I had to give it a try. Clear like gin (mmmm...gin), and made from the left overs during fermentation (I believe, I was drinking wine when it was explained to us so may have the facts a little wrong)....about 43% proof. Much better when taken quick we have been told so I shot it like anything else. It certainly was strong…think tequila but in Tuscany. It was a great time.

Debi may have biked around South America but did she bike around a winery in Tuscany? I think not.

Hanging out in Tuscany at the first winery.

From there we headed to one of the four villages in the Chianti region, Castellina. Very cute little place. I had some great gelato (very good after all the wine and in preparation for the next bunch of wine) and did a little shopping.

One of the streets in Castellina. You can see the small square window on the left side. This is the remains of the security system. It was from these windows the first row of archers would have defended the down from attackers.

It was then on to the second winery named Casanova. This was a very interesting place. It is a working farm and everything is done organically. Also, along with the wine they produce many other products like marmalades and lavender essence and bath gels and the most important one, balsamic vinegar. Now when I heard they made balsamic vinegar and we were going to taste it (over ice cream at one point) I was not sure what to think. The samples we got were from their 31 year old batch. Yes that is right, I sampled balsamic vinegar that is older than me. Now to my surprise it much more like molasses than vinegar but had a bit of a kick. We later had a taste of it over ice cream….which was really, really good believe it or not. Of course I bought some and as long is it makes it safely home, there will be free samples at my place….where ever that may be.

Some of the wine barrels.

The barrels used to make the balsamic vinegar. Each barrel gets smaller and the vinegar is moved from barrel to barrel a third at a time until it is complete. There is one mother barrel that every batch of vinegar orginates from.

Of course we also had some wine, and we tasted some honey (they also make honey) and some marmalade and we all left pretty stuffed and with a bit of a buzz. The coolest part was that we got to sample a wine that came from a medieval recipe that the owner found in a hole in the wall of one of the buildings. It took about 15 years to perfect the recipe but it truly was excellent as well. The piece of parchment that the recipe was written on actually disintegrated within 10 days of it being removed from the wall. Of course it had been photographed and copied and all that kind of thing so the recipe was not lost. It really was a great tour and a great way to spend the afternoon.

The back-pack is almost packed again. Very full right now. There are a few things that really need to be sent home. They take up too much space and I am currently packing my bag extremely improperly which is pretty hard on my back and shoulders. Tomorrow it is off to Venice. Not sure how long it will take and do not have a hotel booked yet so will leave relatively early. Not so sure how well the navigation is going to go. They say everyone gets lost in Venice so I really have no hope.

The sun setting on a perfect day.

Julie

Did anyone else miss Daylight savings?

Sunday, October 26, 2008
Travel from Siena to San Gimignano and around San Gimignano, Italy

A look at San Gimignano

Well this morning it was back to the bus station to make my way to the Manhattan of Tuscany, San Gimignano. Once I had figured out how to say it (and I mean San Gimignano), I was able to buy a ticket. Of course the lady told me the next bus would leave at 0940. My watch said 1000 but I thought nothing of it thinking she had just misspoken or I had just heard wrong. Once I got to the bus stop though and got talking to this very nice couple of the Seattle area I realized that I had missed daylight savings and my watch was actually an hour ahead. Dad usually reminds me to change my clocks but as he was on the other side of the world......and daylight savings in North America is one week later, I will let him off for not reminding me this time. So once I adjusted my watch I actually felt better as I thought I was getting a late start and it turns out I was not.

I had to switch buses at a nice little spot called Poggibonsi. Really nice is a relative term as there is not much there..…except the bus stop (ok I am sure if I had walked around a little I would have found something interesting to look at). The weather was nice and warm today so I tried to sit out in the sun. A very nice man…who spoke no English seemed to take a interest in me (which was actually ok, he was just being nice, not like some of the dirty old men I have come across) and found out where I was going and asked each bus driver for me as the buses rolled by until he found the right one for me to get on. Very helpful. After 13 days you would think my Italian would improve a little but the only thing getting better seems to be my French (if that makes any sense).

Walking up the main street to Piazza del Duomo.

Anyways, it was a packed bus ride the rest of the way so I had a feeling Manhattan was going to be a popular spot that Sunday. San Gimignano is a favourite spot for day trippers but I am very glad I stayed a couple nights. I wandered my way up the hill in the general direction that everyone was going because I knew my hotel was just off the main plaza. Sure enough I found it without any problems and managed to get checked into my room nice and early. My room is nice enough…....small and clean but the view is great. My little balcony overlooks the Tuscan valley. Very nice. The view will certainly make up for any shortcomings the hotel might have (not that I have found any yet).

The view from my hotel room balcony. Yes I did take sometime to sit and relax out here....I actually took a small nap...it was nice.

I had to change into a pair of shorts as the sun was very warm that day. I headed towards the information spot to get a map and to see what else I could find. The lady there was very helpful, the maps were helpful and there was a large collection of tours that I could take part in. I booked myself into the Grand Chianti Tour for Monday afternoon, which is mainly a wine tasting at a couple wineries while travelling through the Chianti region.

A random set of stairs I found while exploring the village.

The rest of the day I just kind of walked around. I did stop by one museum, which housed archaeological pieces and then some very modern and contemporary art (I know...... could you get more opposite). The archaeological stuff was very neat however everything was written in Italian so I could only get the basic ideas of everything. Lots of old pottery from shops and homes and that kind of thing as well as old urns and some old ledgers showing the debts of this person and that person. Very interesting.

Another random street in San Gimignano

Of course I truly enjoyed the contemporary art. I think the last time I saw anything that wasn't at least 100 years old was in London so very nice to see a bit of a change. It was all so thought provoking and confusing or maybe that was just the mood I was in.

Look a hill in San Gimignano. Of course I climbed up it. Once again what did I find at the top....you guessed it, another random street....but this one had stores on it so I checked a few things out.

I then headed back to the hotel and took a well needed nap. I really miss taking naps. Seems like I have been missing out on those a lot lately. You know me, if I have to choose between sleeping and eating I will choose sleeping everytime. But eventually I did have to get up and eat. Amazing the change a few hours can make. There seemed to be no one left in town once the sun started to go down other than those of us who were sleeping there. I grabbed some food and some wine right out front on the hotel since that is the main centre of the town.

I am very glad to see that they seem to recycle everywhere in Italy.

The nights are certainly starting to cool down these days. I have had to start wearing a jacket at night but it is still great. I am sure it is getting ready to snow back home so whatever.

Tomorrow I shall tour on 2 fronts, those few things right outside my hotel and those outside the walls of this small town.

Julie

And now to Siena

Friday, October 24, 2008
Travel from Florence to Siena and around Siena, Italy

Some of the scenery I managed to see before I went to sleep.

Well I boarded a Tran bus today in Florence and took it to Siena. Actually not a bad ride at all. Took just over an hour and buses here are pretty much the same as tour buses back home. Unlike the train, the bus not only ran on time…it actually left a minute early. Just a few stops in and around Florence and then it was straight out to the highway. I did take a few moments to catch some of the Tuscan country side, but let’s be real..…I slept for most of that short trip.

On arrival in Siena, it should have been a very short walk to the hotel I had chosen. Once again, no planning ahead and picked one I liked out of Lonely Planet. The little map in the book was pretty good and I managed to get to the information centre to get a bigger map. Let’s just say the map I got from them was no help at all and actually sent me in the very wrong direction. I ended up walking up a hill, down a hill, around a few blocks….to end up right back where I had started from, in front of my hotel…...just one road over. I did find the internet point and a few little restaurants along the way so all was not lost…however I would have preferred not to have done it with a 18 kilogram (around 40 pounds) back pack on.

One of the random streets I found along the way in Siena.

I got checked into my hotel which is quite nice....very small but nice. Only about 7 rooms above this little restaurant but a good size room and a nice clean bathroom so no complaints. No TV though so I guess I will have to use the street to create some background noise.

The stairs that lead up to the Duomo

The hotel is just off the main plaza in town known as Piazza del Campo (Il Campo for short). Mostly it is a big open area with restaurants around the outside. There always seem to be people just laying out in the middle of it. Europeans can apparently just lay around anywhere...…very strange.

The Palazzo Pubblico. The Torre del Mangia (the tower you can see) was completed in 1297. The building houses the Museo Civico and a few other things. It lines the one side of Il Campo.

Anyway, Siena is a pretty small place but still has many things to see and a great atmosphere to go along with it. I am hoping to head out on some sort of an area tour tomorrow so I figured I would see as much as I can today. I got here by noon so I had plenty of time.

The front of the Duomo

So already having seen Il Campo I headed to the next big thing in town....the Gothic Duomo (cathedral).

A close up of some of that detail on the outside of the church. I like the lion. He looks cute.....and furry.

All the little towns in Tuscany are walled cities and usually have one big cathedral as their focal point. This one is great. Many frescoes and artwork throughout. I actually really enjoyed the library. A lot of old texts and books on display. Always so neat to see.

Inside the Duomo.

Some of those old texts.

From there I went to visit the crypt. The place was very neat as it was actually only found in 1999 when restoration to the floors above it revealed some art work on a wall. It took 3 years to empty the crypt which had been filled with rubble since around the 13th century. Of course no pictures allowed in this part of the church, or in the baptistery, which I am discovering are also focal points to many of the churches in the area.

Looking down at the crypt level. I couldn't actually take pictures while I was down there but I took this one from above.

I then decided to take a walk to check out the rest of the city. As we all know by now this means trouble for me. Like I said the map I got from the information booth was really quite useless. So I just followed some streets.

Some more random buildings I found along the way.

I actually ended up on the outside of the wall and could not find my way back in. I followed this road for a while (which was kind of scary and I think I am quite lucky I did not get hit by one of those little cars or a van). Eventually I came to a parking area, and a series of escalators that lead back up the hill and inside the wall where I wanted to be. Very nice.

A look at some of the things I was looking at while outside the wall. They are inside the wall....where I wanted to be.

I also did a little shopping. Of course there is no shortage of little shops here in Siena. I found a very neat little candle store that hand makes and carves all the candles. I bought a few. Not sure where in my bag they are going to fit at this point but I will worry about that later.

I had a great dinner sitting out on Il Campo. The area started out very quiet and then really started to get busy. Seems like everyone decided to come to the same spot I had picked out. I guess that was the hot spot that night. Very interesting how quickly the dynamic of the area changed, from quiet little café to loud little bar.

So I think I have seen most of what I wanted to see here in Siena. Hopefully I can get booked on a tour tomorrow afternoon.

Julie