My Heart Was Made To Travel

July 9th

Off to explore some Tuscany towns. ☀️☀️

First stop San Gimignano. It was an older town on the hill. Known for its towers. At one time there were 70+ towers. Making the town look like it had a bunch of medieval skyscrapers. Only 14 are left standing.  

Next stop Siena. We had a guided tour thru the city and learned about the many Contrades that make up the culture of Siena. Contrades are designated sections of town and some are arch rivals. Your Contrade is assigned according to where you lived when you were born and is your same one for the rest of your life no matter where you live.  Every July 2nd and August 16th the town holds a horse race. All 17 Contrades have an entry in the Palio(horse race). They go 3 times around the city square and even if the rider falls off the horse could still win the race for the Contrade.  I would love to come back and see that some day! 

Our final stop was in the heart of Chianti in a little town called Greve. Here we drove to a small vineyard where we got to taste their creations. They produce 4 types of wine and are certified organic for their extra virgin olive oil production. They are one of the regions highly ranked Chianti Classico wine producers but still remain a smaller family run operation. 

Next stop..... Cinque Terre