Day 4 - June 17 - Chianti

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I had found the Machiavelli Chianti tour on Tripadvisor, and saw it as a cheap ($15 euro) way to see some of the Chianti country side, without renting a private car or joining an expensive tour. I had no idea it was going to be one of the best highlights of our trip.

The bust was to depart from the train station at 9, and we were running late because of all the wine and of sleeping in. We ate the rest of our fruit and juice, then practically ran to the train station. As I feared, we could not find the spot! We were looking for a “clock” outside the station. We circled it twice, asked a bunch of people, and as it neared nine, I was so sure we were not going to make the tour and was already making alternate plans for the day. Finally, on our third circle of the station, I saw the van! We hopped on, and chatted with the one other couple that was there, in their sixties and who loved Florence so much they had visited multiple times.

For those of you who take the tour, look for a very old looking digital clock - not a screen where the numbers are lights, but a really old variety of digital clock, which is kind of like flash cards with numbers on them that flip into place. I am not describing this well - try to find a picture of the station “clock” before you go so you know what you are looking for!

Marco, our fantastic tour guide, said we were supposed to have more people and that he would wait. This gave Sam time to run across to a bakery and grab us a couple of croissants to finish off our breakfast. A few others showed up and our group of seven, plus Marco and the driver, took off into the countryside.

The drive itself was worth the money, to see the rolling hills and grapevines and olive trees. The first place we stopped was a little town called Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, where we went to an artisan’s shop and saw all sorts of beautiful things. Sam fell in love with the hand-made furniture, replicated from antiques. I think it really drove home the idea for him that he wanted to fill our new house with beautiful furniture. Me, I fell in love with the mock kitchen, and took pictures for our future “expansion” of the house. So much of the art there was so lovely but again, being early in our trip, we didn’t want to buy anything.

After another beautiful drive, our next stop was the walled city of Barbarino. It was a city built from the stones of another city that Florence destroyed. We saw the church and wandered the streets, and took in the beautiful views of the Chianti countryside, while Marco told us about the history of Florence, its wars, and the powerful Barbarino family. He also showed us the family’s emblem, a breed of “stinging bee” that was known in Chianti. That stinging bee would come up again later in our trip.

Marco, who must know everyone in Chianti, greeted the local baker, who proceeded to give each of us a piece of Schiacciata - bread with olive oil and salt. What I remember about that baker was his shoes. He was wearing brown leather open-toed sandals and white socks - and his feet were covered in flower. I was too shy to ask to photograph it, but it turns out I didn’t need to; that image of the baker’s feet will stay with me forever as an image that truly represents Italy.

Our next stop was the famous church of Sant’Appiano. It was the first church that provided free medical care for the people - its slogan was Misericordia, or “mercy”. It’s bell tower had collapsed ages ago taking half the church with it which led to a unique architectural effect - a church in two styles. The older half of the church had been built in the traditional style then, and the newer half in the style of its time. You could stand at either side of the church and see the two styles, side by side.

Out back, we were treated to an amazing view of San Giminano’s towers in the distance, and some beautiful trees. Marco told us the story of the cypress tree, how supposedly a god, grandson of Hercules, fell upon the ground in mourning and through his tears the cypress grew. The lines in the bark are supposedly the tears.

The next stop was the one I will always remember - our wine tasting. But this was not just a wine tasting. The small winery we stopped at kept the bread, cheese, olive oil, meats, and wine coming for the better part of an hour. The food was so amazing - olive oil with hot peppers in it, traditional Tuscan salami and Sam’s favourite, capicola. Our driver ate with us, and he watched Sam put meat between two pieces of bread and said, “nonono!”. He then took a piece of bread, dipped it in olive oil, and wrapped it in capicola. “Tuscan sandwich,” he said, showing it to Sam, “less bread”. The whole table adopted his most sensible approach. The Italians also showed us the tradition of spreading jam on cheese - which was delicious, especially the red pepper jam!

Having found food we liked so much we did not hesitate to buy a bottle of olive oil, a bunch of meat, cheese, wine and some jam from their little shop. That olive oil dressed our salads and our breads for the rest of the trip.

The last three stops were a small local museum with some true treasures, including a jewelled cross, and a short wine tasting at a small shop in Greve in Chianti. We bought another bottle of wine from there. We had planned to go to Piazza Michelangelo to watch the sun set, but we were so tired that our terrace called to us. We retreated for wine, reading and more good food to finish off the night.

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Photos

Chianti
Michelle with Chianti behind

Chianti 2
Sam & Michelle, with Chianti in the distance

Chianti 3
A church in the walled city

Chianti 4
The Wine Tasting

Chianti 5
A traditional country shot.