Day 5: Day Trip to Tuscany (Siena, wine tasting & lunch, San Gimignano)
(Tuesday, May 19)
I was excited about today because we were going to Tuscany!
I booked this day trip through Viator to include a visit to two Tuscan towns
(Siena and San Gimignano) and a wine tasting and lunch at a local vineyard. It
was going to be a grand day!
We walked to Piazzale Montelungo, boarded our bus, and within
90 minutes we arrived in Siena, a beautiful Medieval Tuscan town. Twice a year
Siena is festooned with colorful flags (representing the different contrade, or
neighborhoods) to celebrate the world-famous Palio, a 90-second bareback horse
race around the Piazza del Campo. It is insane! The jockey does not even have
to make it across the finish line to win … only the horse.
Incredibly, when I was in Siena in 2019 (just before
you-know-what stopped the world in its tracks), our Girls’ group had the honor
to meet Rosanna Bonelli who, in 1957, became the first (and only) woman to
race as a jockey in Siena's Palio.
Anyway, I was excited to share Siena with my crew, and the
town did not disappoint. After a quick orientation, we were given two hours to
explore the town. Of course, everyone headed straight to the famous Piazza del
Campo, and then up the hill to the Cathedral of Siena. Our tour did not include
entrance tickets, but I had purchased them ahead of time, so we bypassed the
line and entered the Cathedral with its unique black and white marble exterior.
Breathtaking. And the interior was even more so.
We spent the rest of the time walking the streets and
alleyways. At one point we could smell pizza, and despite the fact that our
next stop would involve lunch in a vineyard, Timothy just had to get a dinosaur-sized
slice. He called it his morning snack.
After Siena, we re-boarded
the bus and drove to Agricola Poggio a Laghi, a vineyard in the heart of the
Chianti region. Sangiovese is their signature grape variety. After welcoming us
with a sparkling white wine, we sat down to a lunch of lasagna and cold cuts. At
each place setting were six glasses for the wine tasting. As we ate, the
sommelier had specific instructions before tasting each wine: hold the glass
(by the stem!), swirl in a clockwise motion, take a sip, hold for three seconds,
and then swallow slowly. He explained in detail what we were feeling. At one
point he said, “What you are tasting is not the wine. No, you are tasting the
soil of our region, the sun that grew the grapes, the vines that go back
generations.” I mean … he was so emotional and dramatic about the wine that it
brought tears to my eyes!
Needless to say, it was so much fun. AND we purchased some
wine and balsamic vinegar.
We arrived in San Gimignano by mid-afternoon and were given
free time to explore that charming hilltop town. The views were breathtaking.
We wandered the streets, shopped, and listened to Dante himself reciting the
Divine Comedy.
That evening, back in Florence, we had dinner together (and
an obligatory gelato). Then we walked to the Loggia del Mercato Nuova to rub
the boar snout and to Ponte Vecchio for some sunset photos. Both places had
live street entertainment.
Florence at night is so magical!
Tomorrow is Ferrari Day!
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