2014-03-26 Florence, Chianti and Monteriggioni, Italy

While out for an early morning stroll, I noticed a huge gathering of pidgeons on a small median island on the road.  As I got closer, I saw that there was a worker who was spreading bags of seeds for the pidgeons to eat.  The pidgeons must flock to this place every morning for food, but once the food is gone, there were never any pidgeons around.

We had scheduled an afternoon tour of a winery and Monteriggioni in the Chianti region, so we spent the morning touring the Duomo.  This included a walk to the top of the dome, over 350' from the ground.  We got there early as Kara knew the crowds grew as the day went on.  The cathedral is beautiful inside and out.  Taking the tour to the top is an interesting process as the narrow hallways and stairways do not lend them self to good 2 way traffic flow.  there were a few places were the people going up and those going down had to figure out how to get past each other and duck into side passages to let the flow continue.  I could not imagine doing the tour at the height of tourist season.

The last portion of the ascent is actually between the inner and outer walls of the dome.  The walls are curved both along the perimeter of the dome and also in the vertical direction.  I was also amazed at how thick the walls of the cathedral themselves were.  There were a few windows along the way, and the walls were more than 2' thick.  There was a section of the walk that was on the inside of the dome giving beautiful views of the alter and the church in general.  It is amazing to see the fine artwork and craftsmanship that was put into these buildings and how well they have stood the test of time, with this one almost 600 years old.

Once at the top, we had 360° views of Florence, and could walk around the entire top of the Duomo.  The adjacent bell tower is also open for climbing, which we did after the Duomo to get some unobstructed views of the Duomo.  There are so many beautiful doors on the cathedral, baptistry and bell tower, made from wood copper and brass.  The doors are very large and usually have individual carved panels, sometime telling a story, and sometimes just beautiful artwork.

After working our way down form the Duomo, we climbed the bell tower.  The bell tower is not as crowded as the Duomo and has some open spots along the way for views and photos, which spreads the crowds out a little more.  The views of the cathedral are great from this vantage point

 We stopped for quick bite for lunch at Pino's Sandwiches.  The paninos were all made to order with super fresh ingredients sliced as you ordered.  The breads were all homemade and together they created a delicious sandwich.  We then headed to the Stazione di Santa Maria Novella to catch out tour bus, which would take us on an afternoon trip into the countryside.  The Tuscan countryside is rolling hills with small towns, old castles, ancient villages, and vineyards scattered throughout. 

We stopped at Poggio Amorelli vineyard for a wine and olive oil tasting. 
The wine was stored on site for aging in French oak barrels.  They had some sister wineries in the area that also produced some of the various wines they offered.  There are very specific rules as to the names of wines and where they can be produced.  The grapes used in Chianti wine are also used to produce may other wines, but only those vineyards and wineries in specific areas can all their wine Chianti.  Also, only  Chianti Classico can utilize the rooster on their bottle, labeling, or winery.

Just outside the winery was the Castellina in Chainti, a small town with a large 14th century castle overlooking the Tuscan hills.  Long narrow alleyways and streets lined with shops filled the town.  Even the drinking fountains were like sculptures and artwork

Our next stop was at the medieval, walled town of Monteriggioni.  The town dates back to the 1210's.  The town sits on top of a hill and the fortress walls have 14 watch towers incorporated into the walls for protection from all directions.  The main north gate opens toward Florence, while the south gate opens towards Rome.  We had another wine tasting here and LeAnn found a wine box like she has been looking for.  We decided we could fit it in our luggage and get it back to the US safely (and we did)

Along the streets were many shops selling wine, olive oil and other local souvenirs.  It is fun to wonder through the streets and think about how many years people have

been doing the same thing, sometimes in war and sometimes in peace.  To look at these structures and realize they have been here for so many years and through so many generations is just fascinating.

We then boarded our bus and returned to Florence closing out another exciting day in Italy.