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Published: October 27th 2007
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The sun is out! And so are the Rixes! Today we are headed for San Gimignano via Chianti. This drive should probably only take 45 minutes, but when the views are this spectacular, it takes about 90. More gorgeous vineyards, olive groves and farmhouses the whole way there.
San Gim (as we affectionately now refer to it) is well-known for it's thirteen torri (towers) and unique architecture. The thing that I like most about San Gim is that, unlike most medieval Italian villages, each building is unique. It shows that each building was built by a private party, not by some master plan. It is kind of the difference between the burbs and the old neighborhoods in San Diego. The architecture is really striking. There will be an elaborate brick building with columns in the windows and gargoyles on the roof next to a simpler stone structure with the typical arched windows. I love it!
And Gus, with his incredible memory realized that market day in San Gim is Thursdays - and what is today? Thursday! When we arrived the market was in full swing. Since there isn't one large piazza in the village, the market is spread into
3 different piazzas. One is home to the green grocers, fish mongers, butchers and florists. The other is home to the - what we like to call - "Sears". This is where you can buy all your kitchen goods, cleaning supplies, linens and other household items. The third is the clothing piazza. There are all sorts of vendors and you can buy pretty much anything you want. This is how the Italian villages get around not having the square footage for a Target or a department store. Genius, really, you get all the convenience, but not the eye sore of a huge building.
Lunch time! Yep...still need to eat with a fair degree of regularity, and there is some INCREDIBLE aroma wafting up the main street into the piazza. I realize quickly, using my Spidey-sense, that it's pizza's heavenly aroma. I accost a tourist and ask her where she obtained her incredible pizza. Luckily, it's downhill a bit. For 2 Euro a piece we had some of the best pizza on the planet. That is one thing about Italians - when they get pizza right - it is out of this world! We each get a piece of Margherita
- why mess around with perfection by adding toppings? I'm ecstatic and the flavors are perfect: sweet tomatoes, buttery soft mozzarella, a sprinkling of dried herbs and salt and a sprig or two of basil all baked in a matter of minutes in a massive oven. Mmmmm....I want more!
After lunch Gus decides he wants to go up into one of the towers and see what views he can capture. I decide to stay back - climbing 12 stories of stairs does not sound like something my pregnant ass can handle right now. Besides, there is shopping to be done. I find out later that the stairs are open grates...have I mentioned that I am particularly terrified of heights - so it worked out for the best. Gus braved the trudge up and took some incredible shots of the surrounding countryside and some of the market below. Have I mentioned that being married to a photographer makes it REAL hard to determine which pics to include? They are all so inspired!
We met up again after my window shopping and Gus's aerobic training for the day and the market was closing up. Perfect! That means we can actually
SEE what San Gim looks like without all the merchandise. It takes the vendors about an hour to pack up...it's remarkable really...they have it down to a science!
Aha! Before I forget...we found the "Gelato World Champions" in one of the piazzas. Now, I know it's cold and could rain any minute, but can you really turn down World Championship gelato? I didn't think so! I had the double cone of chocolate and hazelnut. Gus had the chocolate (because it's not gelato if it's not chocolate) and coffee. Good stuff! The chocolate flavor is different from most and resembles dark chocolate and has a hint of bitterness - which makes it really fantastic!
We spend the rest of the afternoon wandering around San Gim taking pictures and window shopping. And to avoid any Montserrat-esque incidents, Gus visits the "franc-a-piss" on our way out of town.
On our way back to Le Pozze, we stop in Badia a Coltibuono, which isn't really a village as much as it's a church and a few shops. I miss Badia, because once again, I have been beaten by the pregnancy fairy and am passed out asleep in the back seat of
the car. Gus braves the changed weather (now it's windy and rainy) to get some incredible pictures of the chiesa (church) and of the happy cows that live in it's pasture. Gus said "the calf got curious and came right up to me, then the mom got curious, and she had horns...so I booked."
Some other guests at Le Pozze recommended a restaurant in Gaiole in Chianti called Carlino's - very tasty. In order to kill time before dinner - because, you know, nothing opens for dinner until 7 pm - tourists be damned - we wandered in the tiny village. We miraculously found this enoteca that we had been in last time we were here and this is where Gus found his treasure - a 1995 Brunello - nearly impossible to find in the states for under 150 bucks a bottle. We found them in this teeny enoteca in the teeny village of Gaiole for 35 euro each! It was a magical moment! 😊
On a pregnancy note. Holy Weight Gain, Batman! I mean, I know I'm supposed to gain some weight being pregnant and all, but geez! Do I need to gain it all in my
face! I look at the pictures from the beginning of the trip and the ones from this week and it's fairly obvious that I'm not a size 4 anymore! Oh yes, and here is the most recent prego pic - yikes!
Buona sera tutti!
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Kathi Kelley
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San G and the Hotel and from F to the country
Thank you, thank you, thank you, what a lovely adventure. Now if only you could find a way to provde the smell and tastes of this trip. My mouth was watering something awful. Knowning you guys, if anyone can do it its you two! Kathi