There are many photos today as we visited two wonderful places - the World War II American Cemetery and the Verrazzano wine estate. Over 4000 American soldiers are buried in a lovely setting along the Greve River just eight miles outside Florence. The peaceful surroundings and many white crosses made this stop on our afternoon journey a heartfelt one. After a quick snack of a local cake with fresh grapes we continued to the Castello Verrazzano winery. This is the ancestrial home of Giovanni Verrazzao who is the same Italian explorer who first sailed into the mouth of the Cape Fear River at Southport in 1524. His discoveries along the East coast also included what is now known as Hudson Bay in New York and a major bridge in NYC has his name. It was interesting to have this connections since we have Carolinians and New Yorkers in this group. It was a beautiful setting and we had a great time tasting some of the wines produced there. From the winery we traveled on a few miles to the little town of Greve which is considered the heart of the Chianti area. You will see from the pictures what a good time was had by all on our Wednesday adventure. Enjoy! More later . . .Ciao!
I HAVE SET UP A NEW PHOTOBLOG SITE FOR THE 2014 TOURS. YOU CAN STILL SEE PHOTOS FROM 2008 TO 2013 HERE. TO VIEW THE LATEST TOURS GO TO: WWW.INTUSCANYWITHPATRIZIA.BLOGSPOT.COM
"Sotto il Sole della Toscana" Under the Tuscan Sun - Sept. 27
I returned to La Contessina from my Venetian odyssey at 9:45 and at 11:15 we were on another train for our day in the hilltop town of Cortona. Of course, we Americans know it from the book and movie, Under the Tuscan Sun but for Italians it is one of their oldest Etruscan towns dating from 400 b.c. After the hour and a half train ride we caught the bus from Camucia up to Cortona winding around and around until we reached Piazza Garibaldi. The views of the valley below and Lake Trasimeno (think Hannibal -250 b.c.) were fantastic. A leisurely lunch and amble through the streets and shops afterwards made for a very pleasant afternoon in this delightful place. A visit to the Etruscan museum was enjoyed by some of us. Everyone always enjoys visiting Cortona and we can certainly see why Frances Mayes choose this place and Bramasole as her Italian home. More later . . .Ciao!