Day 12 & 13 Da Vinci

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Day 12 & 13



Da Vinci

No sleeping in this morning, Kirsten was up made breakfast gathering everything and telling me to move or get swept up with the rest of the crumbs. Breakfast was over before it even started where’s my soft-boiled egg? Not today bubba were packing up and leaving… well I am if you want to come you might be packed and in the car when I pull out. I guess my birthday in over? YEA!

After cleaning and straightening everything back to where it was when we arrived we said good by to our Air B&B. It was fun and we’ll do it again. I walked over the butcher shop and said goodbye to Lorenzo and invited him to Orlando.

As we pulled out of Gaiole all the old folks sitting around the plaza waved good-bye to Kirsten. Kirsten waves and yells ARRIVEDERCHIE out the window.

On one of our travel days, Kirsten picked up a map of all the Winery’s is the Chianti area. It came with a card that was good for one complementary tasting. Well we’ve been so busy that we never used it. Not that we didn’t stop for tasting she just never used it. So as any good German we had to use it before leaving Chianti.

We chose for our last Chianti vineyard to be “IL Molino di Grace”, Beautiful vineyards on both sides of the road. Perfect manicured entrance. Statues of art line both sides of the drive up to the tasting room. Kirsten says I did good picking this one. As we park the car, tractors are pulling by loaded with grapes. Kirsten is awed with the business buzzing around the tasting room. We walk in the open doors and a gentleman greets us. Kirsten says Buongiorno, he responds good morning welcome to “Di Grace” in perfect English.

It turns out he is the owner, second generation from Ohio. His mom and dad sold everything and bought the vineyard 20 plus years ago and built it to where it is today. We had a delightful tasting, Southern Wine and Sprits sells his products and he travels all over the world selling his wine.

It was an accident that he was standing there when we entered. The normal hostess kept trying to take over rushing in and out but he did our tasting describing the flavors form each bottle. At one point Kirsten was ready to sell everything in Florida and move to Chianti. Again I had to pop that bubble, did you forget about Will, Mark and Caroline? Not to mention Drew, Lori & Sam, I know your momma will move but your daddy would never leave Polk county. Oh yea! But, maybe I can dream about it.

In all of Kirsten’s research she found in the town of Vinci where guess who was from. Ok I’ll give you a hint Leonardo De V-i-n-c-i was born and grew up here.

Well it turn out they have on display in the cathedral 17 of his most famous works digitally recreated in their exact size. Ok, I know they aren’t the originals but it sure did look like it. The Last Supper, Madonna on the Rock, Mona Lisa just to mention the ones I know.

I’ve never been able to see the last supper even thought I’ve tried. In addition the museum also had on displayed pictures and small recreations of his inventions. Just like Ambrose in France where he is buried.

Prior to leaving we had lunch under a tree on the cathedral steps. Everyone walking by kept wanting to join us I was having to swath him or her away like flies.

We drove to Tereglio the place Holly & Joe set us up with, just north of Luca. Holly gave us instructions on how to get there and they were perfect even to the detail of beeping on the blind curves and where to park. We found the house and settled in. Joe’s family is from here. Yea, pretty cool.

The place is AWESOME! I don’t believe Rick Steves has been here. This is TRUE Italian living. No one speaks English; yea we looked stupid but we’re having fun.

Truly an Italian village with winding one-lane roads. Link to see the town. https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PL7DD49747FD890993&v=j57d7vkqGx0

Holly suggested we have dinner at Da Michelle’s a nice 15-minute walk. After 45 minutes of huffing and puffing we made it. Everything in this village is uphill both ways. We had a delightful meal. Kirsten showed a picture of Holly to the lady who ran and owned the restaurant. “Oh Holly” she screams in excitement. As were leaving she calls her husband down form their house and tell him to drive us back to the village. God I love this place! Thank you so much for not having to walk back. He and Kirsten spoke Italian all the way back. I had no idea Kirsten knew that much Italian.



Loving it here.

We both slept in until 9:30 am. We had a light breakfast and laid around all day resting, reading and relaxing.

Around 3 that afternoon after a nice walk around the village we drove down to the town in the valley and bought some groceries

When we returned we Faced timed Bea, Omie and Opa they wish they were here so do we.

We decided to have dinner at Da Michelle’s again this time we drove. As we pull up the owner met us smiling to see us again and laughing that we drove this time.

After dinner we drove back at the perfect Italian home.




Thanks Holly & Joe for making this an even more perfect vacation.



Time to go to bed;

Chow

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