Greve'

Today we had an optional trip to go to Greve' in the Chianti region for a wine tasting.  We took a bus from Florence and went just south of the city.  The scenery was beautiful!  Vineyards and olive tree groves everywhere. It was good to get out of the city for a few hours.  The wine tasting was similar to the gelato festival. We purchased cards for 10 euros and then went around and tasted the different wines.  They were delicious.  I purchased several bottles of the town's classic chianti and they will be waiting for me when I get back to Lafayette. 

After the wine tasting, we walked up a very steep hill to a small town called Montefioralle.  This is the ancestral home of Amerigo Vespucci, the mapmaker, navigator, and explorer who named America.  This place looked like time had stood still, and the views across the valley are indescribable. 

It was  a fun and exhausting day!  Tomorrow we head to a wine festival in another town outside of Florence.  Then Sunday we're going to the antique festival in Arezzo.  Busy, busy, busy!!