My third week of Italian language school had Miyuki and I saying farewell to Sandra, and hello to Hiroko, also from Japan.  Hiroko is like a tiny, adorable, innocent schoolgirl with lots of pep and smiles.  I thought she was 18, and was shocked that she is actually 27! She came to Florence to learn to speak Italian because she works in a fruit market in Japan and wants to work in Milan’s fruit market and converse with her customers.  She speaks very little English, so Miyuki did a lot of translating for her.  But she was always happy tag along, wherever we went.  We agreed to rent a car for a day and drive through Tuscany.

It was raining on and off, but the undulating waves of green carpet that sprawled over the hills and valleys were still breathtaking at every turn as we headed south out of Florence. Our first destination was Greve, or “Greve-in-Chianti” as it is formally called. Just before entering the town of Greve, we stopped at Castello da Verrazzano.   The castle is known for being the birthplace of the family Verrazzano to which the Navigator Giovanni belonged.  Giovanni Verrazzano founded the bay of New York, and much of the east coast of North America.  The Verrazzano bridge was named after him in 1964.  So, for me, I had a connection with this place!!  We did a wine tasting and an olive oil tasting, and I bought 3 bottles of their big Tuscan Red to bring home and enjoy.

The Tuscan hills, driving to Greve

Rain is good! Everything is so green!

Our little Fiat500 at Castello di Verrazzano

The Castello di Verrazzano

The grounds

Greve is a small medieval town that has a wonderful piazza which is the focal point of the town.  There is a Saturday market every week and we caught the tail end of it, just in time to buy some of the sweetest peas-in-the-pod I’ve ever tasted.  Then we went to the famous Antica Macelleria Falorni, a Tuscan butcher shop that has been there since 1729. Wow.  Wow.  And wow.  Best prosciutto and salami I’ve ever had in my entire life.  We ordered a tasting plate of a bunch of things and let our taste buds explode.

The Piazza in Greve

Famous Antica Macelleria Falorni!

Carving the prosciutto.

Lunch!

Another food market with amazing stuff!

Next destination was Siena. I had been through Tuscany before, but never made it down to Siena, so I was anxious to see what I had heard is Tuscany’s loveliest medieval city.  And rumors turned out to be true.  Siena is a beautiful, steep city that sits on 3 hills.  The central Piazza, known as the Piazza del Campo, is where the famous Palio horse race is run twice every summer. We climbed the hills and walked the twisty streets, stopped for some gelato at Grom (chocolate noir – to die for), and made our way to Siena’s Duomo.  This cathedral, built in 1215, was the highlight of Siena for me.  I loved the gothic details, the banded black and white marble, and the floor panels which are inlaid marble mosaic “paintings” done by  the leading artists from 1369 -1547.   The cathedral also has Donatello’s St. John the Baptiste, as well as many other major sculptures and works of art. The Piccolomini Library houses these ancient books and it is so fascinating to see the writing in these books, all done by hand of course, but perfection!  Have a look.

Beautiful, narrow streets of Siena

Yumm

Piazza del Camp, Siena

Piazza del Campo

Piazza del Campo

Me, Hiroko, and Miyuki in Piazza del Campo

Some building I thought was gorgeous.

Climbing…Siena is very steep!

Duomo di Siena

If you think the outside is something….

The inside is ridiculously spectacular!!

I just kept shooting – are you getting that ceiling?

Here’s a better ceiling view.

It’s so huge inside.

Detail of the pillars

But this dome…sigh…

I don’t even know what this is – still amazing.

Seriously.

More

These pillars are a little different

This is the organ, I think?

Can’t get enough…sorry.

Precious.

More…

Ok…I know…

This is a floor panel

Amazing, ay?

The art is just beyond words…

This might be Donatello’s – not sure…

I think it is…

You really should go….

I obviously can’t capture it all with my camera

But I keep trying!

This is the ceiling in the Piccolisimo Library.

The Library.

Frescoed walls in the Library.

The books…

Close up – so incredible.

Are you seeing the scale of this place?? And the books??

Another floor panel

There are hundreds of these busts that stare down at you – they are all important men from Siena.

And that’s a wrap!

🙂

After touring Siena, we looped our way back north but took a western detour in order to see the beautiful Tuscan village of San Gimignano, famous for its medieval architecture and its many tall towers. It was already twilight when we arrived, and drizzling, but that didn’t stop us from walking from one end to the other of this sweet, walled village.  The wet pavement and the night lights only made the city sparkle that much more.  The shops are much more artisan-like here, with owners who have actually made the wares inside.  The food shops are naturally beautiful and abundant, with baskets of produce or what have you.  There is a delicious bakery here, Pasticceria Armando e Marcella,  which of course we indulged in.  Unfortunately, the churches were closed for the evening, so I will just have to return.  As if I need an excuse.

The walls surrounding San Gimignano.

Walking toward the entrance to San Gimignano.

The streets of San Gimignano.

Great food shops.

Great Markets.

Loved this idea!

San Gimignano.

San Gimignano, tower.

Many arches here – big and beautiful.

where does it lead…

The main piazza in SG

Love these towers and arches

I could walk forever through streets like these!

If it wasn’t so wet, I would have loved to sit down for a glass of barolo!

Driving back home in our little Fiat500 was bittersweet.  I love the Tuscan countryside and wanted so badly to spend more time there.  Just to cap off an already fabulous day, we had dinner at Trattoria del Carmine, just a few blocks from my apt, which seriously has the best – the best (dare I say it again?) Spaghetti Arrabiatta in the entire world.  Heaven.