It is raining in Tuscany

---

Geo: 43.2792, 11.2277

Dark clouds hung low over the hills around us but we set off in the car anyway and went to Montereggiou a small place north of Siena which has lots of touristy and expensive shops. It would have looked nice in the sun. We sheltered at a bar during a heavy downpour and then drove over to Radda in Chianti. The guide book had said the castle was a must but in fact all that remained was a bell tower and bit of wall incorporated into the old town. It is a nice enough small town with a little church. We stopped for lunch finally at a place near the main road as all the other restaurants we tried were full. However the local speciality of Wild Boar tagliatelle was very good washed down with the must have Chianti Classico, which must have a black cockerel on the label to prove its authenticity. We then drove on to Badia in Coltibuono an 11th century abbey which is worth a visit. We didnt do the tour but walked round the back and inside on our own. There is also a pleasant bar with attractive bar man. If the weather was good the restaurant here would be a nice place for lunch. As our villa is situated miles from any where we decided to have lunches out and dinner in. Stefan did gorgeous roast quail green beans, new potatoes, salad and cheese with lots of bottles of wine- perfetto! Later it was so cold we lit the wood burning stove

---