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Gaiole in Chianti, Italy
The flight from Bordeaux to Florence
took us across the south of France and over the Alps. As we
looked down on the majesty of the snow-covered peaks, I thought
of Hannibal crossing the mountains with his elephant's 2,500
years ago on his way to fight the Romans.
After an uneventful landing in
Florence, we were ushered to our limo for the drive to Gaiole
just north of Siena. Our driver, Antonio, mistakenly took
us to Tom and Pam's hotel in downtown Florence. It added about
45 minutes to our drive but it gave us the opportunity to
see Florence again after twelve years. It was as beautiful
as we remembered.
The drive to Gaiole was one of
the most picturesque you can imagine. The Tuscan hills covered
with Cypress trees, interrupted by Olive groves and vineyards,
were breathtaking. Everywhere there were beautiful Italian
villas with stone work that we try to copy back home but never
quite get right.
A two hour drive later, we arrived
at Castilla di Spaltenna, an ancient monastery converted into
a small hotel. The entire structure was natural stone and,
although everything was very comfortable and tasteful, gave
the definite feel of its austere past. The walls were about
two feet thick and we slept with the screenless windows open.
This proved to be a mixed experience. The night air was pleasant
and we even had a rain shower. It seems, however, that everyone
in Tuscany owns a dog that bark all night. Ashley had the
answer, earplugs.
The next day was Saturday and
our tour guide arrived at 9:00 AM to take us on a tour of
Siena. Francesco Bartalini is a historian par excellence.
We discovered that Italy was only united into one country
in 1861. We realized that it had previously been ruled by
city-states like Florence and Siena but had no idea that unification
had come so late. We visited a Florentine castle that had
been important during the times that Florence had fought with
Siena. More recently the Nazis occupied it and the scars of
Allied shells still mark its walls. Interestingly, one family
has lived in the castle for 1,000 years. Since they are still
in residence, we could not go inside.
Siena is a medieval city with
narrow curving streets that seem more like canyons because
of the high walls crowding above them. The city is divided
into sections that have historically provided the structure
of life for its residents. Every year the neighborhoods have
a horse race in the main city-square with the flags representing
the participants adding a festive air to the event.
We had a lovely al fresco lunch
on the square directly across from the City Hall. Francesco
introduced us to the young chef who will soon be the proud
owner of his own establishment. We, of course, had a great
bottle of wine before taking a memorable picture of the three
of us with the chef.
Francesco and I discussed politics
at some length. I find it interesting to feel the political
pulse of the various countries that we visit as we make our
way from West to East. Francesco promised to bring his wife
and son, Julian to visit us in Arizona.
Until next time,
Pat
Siena, Texture & Color |
Siena, Main Square |
Siena, Sharing the Morning |
Siena, City Hall |
Siena 3 |
Siena 2 |
Lunch with Francesco |
Florence 4 |
Checking Position on GPS |
Cathedral, Siena |
Castello di Brollo 2 |
Ashley in Florence |
Hotel in Italy
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