Winding our way through the Chianti region

Today we decided we should do something a little more active so it was onto the winding roads of the Chianti region for us, and a whole lot of others as we discovered.

For wine to be called Chianti it must be grown and produced within a specified area and can then be labelled DOC - designation of controlled origin. Since 1716 'Il Gallo Nero', the black  cockerel, has been the symbol of Chianti Classico. 

Now, Australia may have the big pineapple, the big banana and even the big deck chair but Greve in Chianti has the big cork!

Greve is one of our favourite places in the Chianti region. We have been to their wine festival twice, we've dined there more than once and we have been drenched in a sudden downpour there. Today however it seemed over-run with young tourists and there were plenty of opportunities for them to part with their money. Lots of cake shops, wine shops, specialty food shops, restaurants and souvenir shops. We did part with a little of our euros.

The incredibly dry season means the vineyards are not quite so picturesque, but still Tuscany is amazingly beautiful.

On to Panzano where parking was even more at a premium and some distance from the centre of town. Kel had promised me lunch somewhere green and leafy and we found a very pleasant place called Enotica Baldi as we rounded the corner into town. As it turned out we were very lucky to get a table as they were incredibly busy.

I have been in Italy for eighteen days and not had any pasta so that was my choice; a delicious wild boar and porcini mushrooms. Kel had an equally delicious tagliatelle with zucchini carbonara sauce.

Kel didn't taste any wines, in fact he had beer with his lunch. The extreme heat is influencing our drinking choices a lot. I had a glass of prosecco!

After lunch we walked up the steep hill to the older part of town where a pretty church stood at the top. Good views there as well.

I may have already said that we estimate that we have spent a high proportion of our  money so far on drinks, gelato & granita. We like hot weather but it does mean we are constantly looking for drinks - lots of water, juice, beer, wine and Aperol. The new ice cube tray is a bonus, and recently we discovered sangria in a carton so we are re-living memories of Spain for a few nights. Aagghh!! No Diet Coke available and Coke No Sugar is awful here.