Chianti

We have stayed numerous times, and Borgo di Pittrafitta. It just feels like home. This year we rented Casa Pera 2, and this unit is now our favorite. I like the large dining room table. We were travelling with our friends, Mike Arbogast and Margot Orr, who had a unit just across the yard. We would meet for happy hours on their large deck that overlooked the pool, and then dinner in our unit.

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Chianti

In Italy there are Regions, such as Tuscany, and within the Regions there are areas such as Chianti.

Chianti as an area of the Region of Tuscany known for its wine. It stretches about 20 km north/south.

The SR222 is a main State Road that travels through this area, and this road is often described as one of the most scenic in Tuscany.

The Chianti designation dates back to 1716 and at that time included the villages of Gaiole, Castellina and Radda. These towns became known as the Lega del Chianti and later Provincia del Chianti.

The Chianti area was redefined in 1932, and villages in the new Classico Chianti was included and towns added in Chianti to their name. For example, we stayed just outside of Castellina-in-Chianti.

Tuscany is a large Region and the landscape varies. We like the Chianti area because it is quite green and lush yet has some stunning valleys such as the Val d'Elsa. Both Florence and Siena are reasonable drives from our location, Castellina-in-Chianti.

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San Gimingnano

For anyone who travels to Tuscany, San Gimingnano is one of the towns often select to visit. Why not. It is a small, walled, medieval hill-top town with a rich history and a remarkably well preserved historic centre.

In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance era, it was a stopping point for Catholic pilgrims on their way to Rome. In the medieval times there were feuds between families and the building to towers took on full steam. At one time there were 72 towers in the town. Today about 12 remain. What a sight it must have been. It must have been as when the town fell under the rule of Florence, Florence ordered most of the towers to be reduced to the height of buildings.

In the main piazza is reported to be the make of the best gelato in Italy. We remember having gelato from that shop years ago. This year, the line up was pure non-sense. We passed.

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Crete Senesi

I was looking forward to return to the Crete Senesi for a photo shot. Two years ago when I was there a thick layer of fog hung over the rolling landscape. Well this year, the weather was slightly different, but it was still very scenic.

The Crete Senesi is an area of Tuscany, south of Siena with hills, woods and a distinctive clay that becomes very evident when fields are tilled. Crete senesi means, senesi clays. The particular clay, known as mattaione, is from the sediments of the Pliocene sea which covered the area 2.5 - 4.5 million years ago.

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