We rented a car today for our drive from Florence to the beautiful Chianti area. Our first stop was the American Cemetery where there are 4,398 burials of World War II soldiers. Such a peaceful and serene place to honor our war dead. A few miles later we were climbing up the hill to the Verrazzano Castello birthplace of the New World explorer, Giovanni Verrazzano who not only discovered New York Bay in 1524 but was also the first known European to enter the Cape Fear River at Southport! We toured the lovely grounds and the wine cellars and then enjoyed our delicious lunch and wine tasting. Afterwards we drove to the charming town of Greve where we happened on a commemoration for Verrazzano there as it was on April 17, 1524 that he discovered the New York Bay and they claim that as Verrazzano Day in Greve. By the way, Verrazano was captured and eaten by a tribe of cannibals on his third exploration to the Caribbean in 1528. Getting the car back into Florence at rush hour was a little harrowing, but we did it!