A lovely lunch and wine tasting at a farm in Chianti

Buongiorno!

I have been so anxious to tell you all about this farm we visited in Chianti. It is located between the Etruscan city, Volterra, and the incredible medieval town of San Gimignano. There were stunning views from the terrace area where we had lunch after a tour of the farm and the winery. Tuscany is so natural and comforting and everywhere you look there is beauty. Here, we were fortunate to see medieval towns and the endless rolling hills of poppies and cypress trees and vineyards.


terrace where we ate lunch


View from terrace. That is San Gimignano in the background; you can see all of the medieval towers... guidebooks will tell you that San Gimignano is known as "Tuscany's Manhattan" but there is simply nothing else that even comes close. San Gimingnano is a world of it's own... I feel in love with it.

We toured the farm first and I met some farm friends. There were cows (a little one was brought to the world only the day before) and the farm also had chickens and rabbits that were very sweet (of course)! After strolling through the earthy and vibrant rows of olive and lemon trees, we entered the winery. Their specialty was a white win called Vernaccia as it was specific to the region. Everything- the wine, the food, the people- were fantastic and very sweet. The wine tasting was fabulous and we met people from all of the world who were also visiting the farm; it is also a bed and breakfast. I mentioned that we met some Canadian friends (we are email pals now) and I met some fellow students from the states.


A calf that was just born.


inside the winery

There was a little shop to purchase the organic ingredients and we bought some wine and olive oil. I had driven through Tuscany before, but I had never stopped at a villa or toured a farm. The experience was so classically Tuscan and I would recommend that people try this out for a complete Tuscan experience. Florence is very laid back (I think this anyway- but I don't have any complaints about Florence.. ever), but it is still a city. With that said, I found it rather enjoyable to sort of break away from the semi-urban atmosphere and take things a little bit slower in the depths of the Chianti countryside.


My attempt at taking a lovely white floral photo. All of the flowers are in bloom and they are gorgeous and very, very fragrant. It's incredible how Tuscany heightens your senses and envelops them completely... I could smell the wine and the flowers from far away and my eyes were fixated on the terrace view.



olive trees

The remaining photos from the vineyard and a some photos of the Tuscan countryside can be found here.

Much more from Florence and the Tuscan countryside to come! And Venezia too!

I miss you all and thank you for your continued comments; they make me smile and feel connected at the same time. You are all lovely.

kisses,
B