A Taste of Tuscany

After about a week we were ready to escape the hustle and bustle of Florence. We jumped in a rental car and headed south to the Chianti region of Tuscany. Enroute, we couldn’t resist introducing Lisa to the wine vending machines in Greve so we left her to get better acquainted with the vast selection “on tap” while we made some last minute accommodation arrangements for that night. This operation proved to be much more difficult than expected, and after calling several places we finally found a vacancy and booked it sight unseen. At least it would be better than sleeping in the rental car….. right? More on that later!
We stopped off at a few wineries to sample their wares and ended up with so much more! The first winery was part of a castle on a hill with a magnificent view of the surrounding hills and valleys. The hosts, though not expecting us, were accommodating and friendly! We took advantage of the great location and had a picnic lunch while soaking in the view and more wine.
We were also warmly welcomed at our second winery and were even given an impromptu tour of the facility and cellar by our enthusiastic hostess. With a rapidly expanding collection of wine in the trunk, we figured we better head towards our home for the night. Finding our street was easy enough, we turned off the highway and wound deeper into the hills. Finally there it was, our home for the night; the only place in Tuscany with vacancy….
HA! You thought it was going to be another hotel horror story didn’t you? So did we, but our last minute find was a treasure! In fact before we realized this was our inn we pulled off the road to take photos of it because it looked so quaint! The apartment was just as charming on the inside as it was on the outside. The inn also is a working winery! Lisa and I were as giddy as two schoolgirls snapping pictures and exploring the grounds! The silence in the evening was such a contrast to the constant buzz that we had grown accustomed to in Florence.
Our day turned out so great that it probably makes for a pretty boring read for you: no mishaps, no arguments, no cockroach motels… just a fabulous day in Tuscany!

The next morning we sadly left our little inn and headed for some more wineries. There is not a bad wine to be had in this region.
Okay, so Vancouver has arcane liquor laws, and sure Australia has drive in liquor where you can pick up a bottle or 2, but in Tuscany people drive up to the winery, open the trunk, and fill up any sized container they wish with wine at $1.50 per litre. One car pulled away barely clearing the ground hauling 120 litres of wine in the trunk (interesting it is almost cheaper than fuel for the car)! Our guide at this winery assured us that most of the customers that were filtering through were buying the bulk “table wine” for their own households. Italians take their drinking seriously, where else do people drink liqueur for breakfast and fill casks (or their husbands) with wine from a hose?
Finding accommodation for our second night in Tuscany was no easier than the previous, and we took the last apartment in the town of Radda. While we had a nice little courtyard with a great view, our apartment resembled a hobbit basement suite. Oh well, a little Chianti Classico, fabulous company, and a great view and it’s as good as a five star hotel!