Greetings from beautiful and sunny, but a little chilly (34-58 degrees), Panzano in Chianti, Italy.
We made the four hour drive from Bergeggi, Italy to Panzano without any major issues. The Toll road through northern Italy to Tuscany goes through over 100 tunnels, and to say it nicely, Italian roads are always “Under Construction”.
We are staying in a large renovated farmhouse. It’s quite large, very Tuscan, and lovely.
We’ve been to Tuscany a few times and stayed in different locations. We stayed in Panzano in 2013. It’s very remote and has a nice, country feeling.
As we have visited the major tourist spots in Tuscany (Florence, Siena, San Gimignano) before, we’re going to stay low key, relax and visit some smaller places.
First up, Montepulciano! We stayed here for almost three weeks in 2023. It’s one of our favorite city’s, small, with an authentic feel!
Obviously, this is Chianti wine region! Hundreds to choose from! As always, we did our best to help the local economy.
The roads in rural Tuscany are narrow and winding! But it’s the best way to see the out of the way places.
Pecorino Pienza is a sheep cheese made only in Pienza. We always buy some from the caseificio (cheese factory). Funny thing is, in the 12 years of visiting Tuscany, we’ve never seen a sheep 🤔
All the fancy restaurants serve huge T bone steaks as Tuscan Beef. Funny, we’ve never seen a cow in Tuscany either 🤔
Quick trip down the road, Greve in Chianti! A beautiful village that I’m sure hums in the spring, summer and fall, now it’s very quiet!
The black rooster is the symbol of Chianti. The Knights of Chianti wore it on their armor during the Crusades! Now it’s the symbol of the Chianti region of Italy. Also on every bottle of Chianti Classico 😜
Wine tasting in Italy involves Enotecas, wine tasting shops that can also be restaurants. This one featured Wild Boar products!
Certaldo is a walled village preserved above the modern city. It’s still in use today as a residential area, museums and restaurants!
Quite the breathtaking views!
Built in the second century it’s been remarkably preserved!
Walking tour!
Road trip!
Ever wonder where all those wood beams come from to rebuild all those Villas🤔
Tuscany is a beautiful, beautiful place. The hills are rugged as are the people who live there! Four wheel drive vehicles outnumber cars in the countryside.
We’ve had a wonderful time relaxing and enjoying our farmhouse. Our hosts have been wonderful. Our pictures don’t do the countryside justice!
We were extremely fortunate with the weather in Tuscany, chilly but sunny!
We’re off to Bari, Italy tomorrow. It’s on the Adriatic Sea and a long seven hour drive from Tuscany.
P.S. That Tuscan Villa, in “Under the Tuscan Sun”, will run you about 1 million now😜
Arrivederci from Tuscany 🍷
Trafton’s European Tour 2024-2025 