Pigeon....really????

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Today was a fairly uneventful, but fun, day. We had breakfast at the apartment and then went into Greve so Greg could get his daily cappuccino and then did a bit of souvenir shopping. We then jumped in the car and drove back to Castello di Gabbiano for a wine tour and tasting. The guide was very friendly and was explaining to us about the Gabbiano vineyard and wines and why they plant roses at the end of each vine. We found this interesting since we were curious about it. He said that roses and vines catch the same diseases but roses will always catch them first, so if there is a disease in that row they will know based on the roses state of being. So, they are there for a reason and not just to add color. Anyways, Greg and I were the only ones on the tour for the first 15 minutes and then a couple from NC showed up, so it was actually nice to have someone else there. We then went down to see the wine cellar that was dated from around 4th century or so before doing a bit of tasting.

Gabbiano property:


We were able to taste 4 different wines, 2 grappas, and olive oil, all which is made on this property. If you have never had it, grappa is very strong and harsh. However, the grappa that they made and aged on their property was much smoother, almost like a whiskey, so we ended up buying some, along with a bottle of wine and olive oil. As we were heading to the car we saw the big white dog that we had seen a few days prior and gave him some loving as well. We were going to have lunch here but it was still too early (only around 11:30 am) and so we decided to go back into Greve and just get some pizza.

Gabbiano plate:

In the cellar:


The pizza place we wanted to go to doesn't do pizza at lunch, only dinner (doesn't make any sense to me either), so we found another place at Casa del Popolo, that definitely catered to locals. The pizza was good, the service was not. As it was our mid point of our trip we decided to do some laundry. We found a place, and it didn't take too long so we were able to get back on the road and actually visit some other areas in Tuscany.

We drove to Castellina in Chianti, another small hillside town, and walked around town for a bit before grabbing some gelato. This town is very cute and has a thing with odd female statues. Before getting back on the road we decided to stop into a cafe and grab a coke and small snack. As we were leaving Castellina we stopped by and saw an Etruscan tomb. We started to walk into it (it is completely underground) but it was so dark and creepy and there were warning signs torn down that we opted NOT to go any further. It was neat to see how these tombs were built under hills though.

Looking over Castellina in Chianti:

The main church in Castellina in Chianti:


The Etruscan Tomb:


Greg entering the tomb:


We still had a bit of time when we headed back to Greve so we stopped in to Vescine Vineyard and had a tasting with another family from Chicago. The guy doing the tour had a really good personality and we tasted about 7 different wines from their estates all over Italy before purchasing an excellent bottle of Prosecco and Chianti Classico before getting back in the car and heading towards Greve. We tried to go to another vineyard in Radda but they were closing up. We then drove through Radda (a different way back) to get to a recommended restaurant that is considered very rural. They weren't lying, the restaurant is completely off the track and away from everything, over 2 miles down a dirt road, and sits on the side of the mountain so you have spectacular views. We got there about 6:30 pm and they didn't open until 7:30 and we didn't want to wait that long, so we got back in the car.

The Chianti Classico label at Vescine:


After driving around for a while we settled upon going back to Castello di Gabbiano for dinner. This was our favorite meal of the entire trip, quite unexpectedly. Most places that you eat at in Italy charge you a cover charge AND 12.5% gratuity, so definitely watch your bill. Also, they will leave a basket of break on your table and if you eat from it they charge you per person on that too. Well, Gabbiano was not like that. We sat down and they immediately brought us a glass of prosecco and a small appetizer. We then ordered crostinis and chianti beef for additional starters. For our main meal Greg had a pork fillet in rose sauce that was very good but didn't touch my meal. I ordered rissotto with pigeon (yes you read that right), and it was out of this world. The two chunks of pigeon on the side were not great, it is all dark meat and a bit chewy, but the rissotto with small shreds of pigeon in it had the best flavor of any rice/rissotto meal I have ever tasted. We both devoured as much of it as possible before calling it quits.

Greg & I with the big white dog at Gabbiano:




As we left the restaurant the white dog was lying close to the car so we gave him some love before heading back to our apartment to play a few rounds of cards with our newly bought wine and then calling it a night and heading to bed.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Monday, June 8, 2009

This is our first day around Tuscany and we really wanted to see as much as possible. We started the day with breakfast at our apartment again before getting in the car. We first went to the main square in Greve (the town where our villa is located) to look at the butchers, bakers, souvenir shops, and a cappuccino for Greg.

The main square in Greve:

The boar at the butchers:


Once done with that, we spent much more time there than we had expected to, we headed towards Siena. It was such an amazing drive through the hills and vineyards, unbelievable scenery. Once we got to Siena we immediately headed into the main area of town. We went by Il Duomo which was built in pink and white marble. It was stunning on the outside but there was quite a line to go in so we did not wait around. We then did a bit of shopping and then stopped for lunch at Taverna Il Capitano. While the food was good, the personalities were good, the service was slow. We were really ready to get a move on.

View along the way to Siena:


Siena has a snail as their emblem:


Romulus & Remus statues are very prominent in Italy:

Us at Il Duomo in Siena:

Il Duomo:


After lunch we went to Piazza del Campo and by Palazzo Publicco and Fonte Gaia. We went into more shops and took lots of pictures before getting in the car for our next destination, San Gimignano. Again, the most spectacular views along the entire drive.

Palazzo Publicco:

Birds drinking from Fonte Gaia:

Fonte Gaia:


San Gimignano was a cute little country town, it looked like entering a Medieval town, walls and all. Along the outer walls of San Gimignano you could get some amazing views of the hills and towns below. We first stopped in at Combattenti so Greg could get an espresso, and then all 3 of us enjoyed yet another wonderful gelato. The other thing San Gimignano is known for is it's towers, this small town has 14 of them. We did see all of them while walking around.

The main wall at the entrance to San Gimignano:

Me and Mindrey at the entrance to San Gimignano:

Yummy gelato:

More views down:


We walked over to Torre Grossa for some great views then to Piazza delle Cisterna. Next we continued to Rocca, which is an old fortress now in ruins that has olive and fig trees growing in it. There is a watch tower still here where you can get amazing views over the city and see most of the towers. We slowly made our way back to the car, stopping to buy some wine for dinner, pastries for breakfast, and souvenirs.

Views from Rocco down:

Climbing up Rocca:

Greg and Mindrey in front of the towers:


On the way back to our villa we stopped be Castello di Gabbiano to see if they were still doing tastings, but they were already closed. We did see a super cute dog though. We ended up having dinner at Caffe Lepanto in the Greve main square before heading back to the apartment for some wine and hanging out time.

Some unusual animals in the water, being fed by a local grocer:


Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Today was going to be a bittersweet day, we had more to do and see but Mindrey would be departing from us, so we were sad about that. We began with breakfast at the apartment as always and then started our drive to Cortona. We thought we would squeeze another city in before having to take Mindrey to the train station. Along our drive we stopped in Levanella of Montevarchi to stop by the Prada outlet. There is a joke there with me and Greg. We finally found it, the store is not marked at all so you just have to know where it is, we got directions from the information center. We didn't buy anything, but still enjoyed looking.

We got back in the car and continued our drive. We finally made it to Cortona, which is an amazing hillside town in Tuscany. It looks so neat when you are driving up to the city. We walked to the main square and had lunch at a cafe in Piazza di Reppublica. Of course we then did a bit of shopping and looked at the exterior of all of the buildings. We then walked to the outer edge and saw some wonderful views of the hills and lake. The views all over Tuscany are just amazing, like nowhere else we have ever been. After a bit more walking and looking we left town to head back towards Florence.

Like the neon:

Hillside town = steps:

Looking down at a cemetary:

Mindrey, me, and Greg in Cortona:

Views from Cortona:

The main square in Cortona:


They have an escalator built into the hillside of Cortona, too funny:




When we left Cortona we were trying to get back to the road but instead took a short cut down a path straight down the side of the hill, it was kind of fun. When we got to Florence we had to navigate through the traffic and mad roundabouts, I would never recommend driving in Florence if you don't have to. It was crazy but we made it to the train station and got Mindrey on her train.

Some of the sites as we left Cortona:

???


Greg and I then drove back to Greve and did a bit of grocery shopping at the co-op and then some gelato at the shop nearby. We then headed back to our apartment to cook dinner, play cards, and unwind.

Sunset from our villa:

They call it Firenze

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Today was to be a day full of culture and rain. We had purchased supplies to have breakfast at our apartment before driving back to Florence for the day (the Italians know the city as Firenze). We were a bit nervous about parking, but luckily we found a parking garage near the Uffizi Gallery that we were headed to. We dropped off the car and immediately went to Uffizi to pick up our tickets and then made our way inside.

Part of Uffizi:


Some of the highlights of Uffizi Gallery include: Botticelli's Birth of Venus, Botticelli's Primavera, Leonardo Da Vinci's Annunciation, and his Holy Family, among thousands of other pieces of art. We had been walking around for a couple of hours we decided to take a break in the cafe. We enjoyed a drink and pastry and some good views over the city before diving back into the gallery. When we were done we walked towards the Duomo. On the way we passed through Piazza della Signoria and saw one of the replicas of David and many other huge statues. I did not realize how big David was going to be, but the real one and the 2 replicas are each 17 feet tall. We took some pictures and admired all of the statues before continuing on.

Piazza Della Signoria, me & Greg with David replica:

Piazza della Signoria:



Hercules by Bandinelli, the only original left:

Neptune fountain by Michelangelo:


At the Duomo we saw the amazing bronze doors of the Baptistry called the Gates of Paradise. We tried to go into the Museo Dell'Opera but they were closing up for the day. The weather was not looking very nice so we decided to go ahead and grab some lunch. We ducked into a place close by called The Yellow Bar just in time. As we were sitting there waiting to order the skies opened up and it was not only raining, but hailing as well. Greg had fagioli all'uccellieto (cannolli beans in tomato sauce) that came served in a large frying pan, it was very tasty.

Bronze doors of the Baptistry:



The Baptistry:

Front of Duomo:

Tower of Duomo:


After lunch we proceeded to walk through the San Lorenzo Market, darting in and out of tents in between the rain drops. It was now time to go to Accademia Gallery to see the real David statue. When we got in we saw not only David (which was super impressive) but lots of other Michelangelo statues as well. Accademia wasn't nearly as big as Uffizi so we didn't spend too much time there.

When we left we walked over to Cariba for some Sicilian style gelato (more ice milk than ice cream). Once we had devoured our gelato we headed to Palazzo Repubblica and saw the famous boar statue and down onto Ponte Vecchio. This is mainly full of gold shops so we didn't purchase too much, but we did still look. We were about wiped out so we headed towards the car, stopping to pick up a few items for dinner, and then drove home. We spent another evening cooking at the flat and just hanging out and enjoying our time together.

The Boar near Palazzo Repubblica:



Ponte Vecchio:

Closed shops look like little treasure chests on Ponte Vecchio:

Uffizi from Ponte Vecchio: