What a beautiful day (even with a little rain) we had in the Chianti and Tuscan countryside today! We started with a inspirational visit to the World War II American Military Cemetery where over 4000 service personnel are buried. Then it was on a little further to the Verrazzano castle and winery. Giovanne Verrazzao explored the eastern coast of American in 1524 discovering both the Cape Fear River at Southport and the Hudson Bay in New York. His birthplace is a thriving wine producing 555-acre estate with an excellent reputation in the classic Chianti area. Our guide, Gino, was passionate about the grapes and the wines and made the experice memorable. We were just in time to see the harvesting of this season's grapes. The lunch was wonderful with more food than we could eat incuding "harvest cake" with grapes, almond cookies with Vin Santo and a finishing cup of expresso. The day ended with a walk around the small town of Greve, the capital of the Chianti area. Joyce was back with us, but we missed Marge who is still not feeling up to par. More Later - Ciao!
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Hilltop Cortona - September 26
Off we went to the charming hilltop town of Cortona today. The weather was a little cooler and the day was perfect for browsing around this little town. "Under the Tuscan Sun" was filmed here so that makes it even more interesting to see. Joyce and Marge are still not feeling well and we missed having them with us. Just like last time we were here, there was a wedding going on in the main square. It was a relaxing and perfect day in Tuscany! More later - Ciao!