We were to meet up in the Campo (Siena’s city centre), but it was bucketing down as we drank our morning coffee and peered out at the gloomy weather. An hour later, things looked a little brighter, and by ten there was even a watery-looking sun.

The centre of old Siena is pedestrian only – taxis are the exception – so parking had to be done at a nearby shopping plaza about a 25 minute walk away …. once you’d reached street level, that it. The city is quite elevated so from the shopping plaza this involves taking a series of 8 escalators/moving walkways up!

The Piazza del Campo is where they hold the famous Palio de Siena horse races in July and August each year — it’s a free-for-all, no holds barred, bareback race between the 17 fiercely competitive historic districts. https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=Palio+di+siena+youtube&mid=29E6806C290FD12EA4EB29E6806C290FD12EA4EB&FORM=VIRE Three laps around the plaza … it’s over in about 90 seconds … and should a rider fall (or be thrust) off, his horse can still win! Tons and tons of are clay are brought in for the horses to run on, while 5000 spectators are packed like sardines into the centre. The best views of course are those from the surrounding balconies, but these go for a premium price and are booked years in advance.

Lunch at one of the cafes was not only delicious (bruschette and accompanying roasted vegetables) but fortuitous … as the sun disappeared behind a massive black cloud and the skies opened once more… just briefly. We were lovely and dry under the cafe’s wide canopy, but the tables at next door’s restaurant were instantly depleted of customers and bedraggled visitors from the campo searched hopefully for a vacant table so they could shelter.

Down the street … past the famous Macellerina (butcher shop) where a line-up of customers waited patiently halfway down the alley … past the original bank — a grand building where carved heads of all the former chief bankers gaze down at you … past slightly curved buildings whose walls could be anything from ancient rock, stone, marble or brick … or a meld of several as repairs had been needed. Then on to the Duomo. By this point in our trip we had seen multitudinous assortments of churches and cathedrals … from simple, almost bare to elaborate, ornate confections which overloaded the senses with gold, carving and paintings. One tends to become immune after a while. However, Siena’s Duomo still managed to stand out. The striking dark and white horizontal stripes on the bell tower are duplicated inside on the arches — very reminiscent of Cordoba’s mosque … while the marble floor murals/etchings, I’ve not seen the like of anywhere.

For dinner that evening we were treated to the famous Florentine Steaks (massive things, 2 inches thick) cooked by Bill on a true, Italian barbecue. Two served the 4 of us more than amply .. with tiny local chipolatas, several salads and Bill’s almond Cantucci (think biscotti but only baked once, so not as hard) more wonderful gelato .. and of course several glasses of Chianti’s finest wines.

Speaking of wine … the next day we visited a nearby winery which our friends had become well acquainted with and liked tremendously. Down a rutted road is a parking area shaded by olives and a stone’s throw from Michaelangelo’s tower. Buondonno Winery https://buondonno.com/agriturismo (if you scroll down to the 3rd photo, that is where we sat for the wine tasting). Valentina gave us an outstanding and thoroughly fascinating tour … taking us through the whole process from picking to bottling – showing both old and new methods. For the Chianti Classico wines their primary grape is the Sangiovese but they are allowed between 5 and 15% of other grapes such as Merlot, Cabernet and Shiraz. Gabriele was experimenting with an unusual white — Bianca alla Marta, named after his daughter who had suggested it (I think it went against his vintner’s instincts at first, but he’s inordinately proud of it . Aged in barrels slowly with the skins for 6 months (not the usual 2-3) it is unlike any other ‘white’. Dark golden amber with a rich, fruity tone – very drinkable. In between tastings we sampled Marta’s cheeses and some excellent salami along with bread and olive oil. Re the tower … it dates back to 1047, but in 1549 one Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni purchased the building and land (located between Castelina and Panzano) for the sum of 2360 florins, and began producing some decent Chianti wines … which he took along with him to the Sistine Chapel while he was painting … and presented several barrels to Pope Julius II. https://eco-museisenesi-org.translate.goog/archivio/164/torre-di-michelangelo/?_x_tr_sl=it&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc In the early days, the ground floor would have housed the animals while the family lived upstairs. The present owner (after researching and discovering that Michelangelo and succeeding generations of his family did indeed live there) spent 20 years restoring what was then almost a ruin … and is today a comfortable B&B.

We bade farewell to friends Darlene and Bill … and drove the scenic route home … before enjoying the view from our terrace one more time. We have to pack and move on to Bologna in the morning – our last stop!

A few more photos before we left:

Every April 25th Panzano celebrates National Liberation Day by putting on a Festa della Stagion Buona to beat all festivals. Several days beforehand, furious pockets of activity took place all over town … in the square … beside the church … outside restaurants as tables, benches and canopies lined the street. Platforms were constructed by teams of young men … hammer in one hand … beer in the other (things may not go well). Red and white flags festooned every building, fluttering gaily in a multitude of designs … diagonal, squared, striped. Red and white are the colours of Tuscany.

The weather held, with just a few sprinkles … could have been warmer, but as our apartment was literally a 5 minute walk from all the activity, we could pop back any time we liked. Whole pigs were stuffed and roasted for the porchetta sandwiches … wine and beer started flowing mid morning. Why do all the plastic cups have coloured clips on the rim? Type of drink, perhaps … how many refills? No … they are attached to a black cord so it can be worn around your neck, leaving your hands free to eat. Very clever. By this time our friends had arrived and we took in the sights. Two jugglers dressed as jesters entertained one crowd before moving along, delighting children along the way … a stall with medieval swords, battle axes, helmets and chain mail with everyone dressed in period costume. There were honey stalls, and handicrafts, calligraphy posters … an enormous black and white rabbit (!) … we didn’t ask, but the kids loved feeding it. I really can’t emphasize enough how privileged we felt to be included in the festivities, because the atmosphere was just amazing. You could feel and see the pride and satisfaction of a job well done. The work that went into making those costumes was remarkable – nothing half-hearted. Everywhere people sat happily munching and chatting to neighbours.

The parade didn’t start until 4 and as it was a touch chilly all of us went back to the apartment for hot chocolate, till the appointed hour. The oxen and cart had arrived … beautiful white beasts … placid and gentle … looking around unconcerned with the noise and bustle. All the townsfolk in their richly-hued costumes commenced the parade down from the church, through the village and into the square, followed by a ferocious-looking executioner in tunic and hood, brandishing a club – he was riding in the oxcart. A gaggle of monks with branches, pulled a caged chicken (plucked and quite definitely deceased) and a Nobleman on horseback brought up the rear. Young and old hung out of upper windows to get the best views.

Proclamations were made … trumpets sounded …. drums were beaten. The condemned man (although this year it was a woman), was duly accused of of murdering a member of the opposing family (Gherardini vs Firidolfi), and despite impassioned pleas, was sentenced to hang (very realistically, I might add!). Both the executioner and accused woman performed spectacularly. Then followed a display of flag tossing (locals – again in costume) … the flags furled and hurled higher and higher, or tossed with great coordination to partners. One skilled individual controlled FOUR flags at once, spinning them with increasing speed. An all-round masterful performance. This video shows some of the festivities — not the best but hard to find: https://chiantilife.wordpress.com/2016/04/27/good-weather-festival-panzano-chianti/ It was almost 6 o’clock before we headed back for dinner after a thoroughly enjoyable day. Ravioli and rigatoni with homemade pesto and ragu sauces … and what better way to cap off the meal, than two flavours of Gelato – cherry and vanilla with chunks of chocolate. Yum!

And we thought the scenery around Lucca had been beautiful, but here in Chianti it’s just magnified … tenfold. Steep hillsides covered in a blanket of fluffy green forests … patchworks of neatly-rowed vineyards … staggeringly lovely villas and old farm houses dripping down into valleys either side of the road. You honestly don’t know which way to look next. Being a sunny Sunday every Vespa owner for miles around was on the road — whole fleets of them in every colour, buzzing like angry wasps around bends and over the hills.

The main road into town passes just a couple of hundred feet from our B&B … but because of the one-way traffic system, you have to drive 9/10ths of the way around town to get there <grin>. At least twice we thought we’d taken a wrong turn (there was a market stall right across the road for heavens sake!) but at last, beside a rock wall was a postage stamp sized parking space, just big enough to squeeze the car into. Nicoletta and Stefano’s house is inviting and utterly charming and dates back to the 11th or 12th century … the website for Panzano actually has a photo https://www.panzano.com/ … if you scroll down to ‘Panzano from the north’ you’ll see the house on the left (the 2 windows and door on the upper floor are our apt), and those towers are right beside the garden. Inside the apartment there are beautiful sloping, wood-beamed ceilings … warm rugs on the tiled floors … nooks and archways … thoughtful artistic touches everywhere …. and without doubt, the most well-equipped place we have ever encountered. There are almost 2 dozen wine glasses (this IS Chianti, after all) … cosy rugs on every chair … boxes of tissues (you never get these in Europe) … a fridge full of food and drink (even beer) … aprons, rolls of foil … dishes of candy … hot water bottles for those chilly nights … and a classical guitar (where’s my music?). But it’s the million dollar view from the garden that leaves you speechless. Beyond the balustrade is an entire valley … 180 degrees of arrow-straight vines, golden-stone villas, dense woods and ribbons of roads as far as the eye can see. As you sit surveying all this grandeur (over a glass of wine), the heady fragrance of wisteria envelopes you, small birds flit from tree to tree, while blackbirds sing at full volume, and people walking by look over the fence to take photos and look on enviously. The artistic touches are amazing. Juliette, the resident cat, is very sweet .. she strolls out to say hello … sits companionably for a while … and saunters off. The turrets next door belong to a building owned by an Italian/Canadian couple who spent an inordinate amount of money to renovate (apart from multiple bedrooms, it also has a pool, sauna, massage room, and resident caretaker) … yet they only show up to enjoy it once or twice a year.

Panzano is a very small town of 1200 … spread along a hill top … with just a couple of main streets. There’s a forno (bakery) which also serves as a corner store with cheese, local sausage, porchetta, milk, etc. In this part of Tuscany the bread is made with no salt whatsoever … as a result the crust is REALLY crusty … but if you have some salty cheese or sausage, it balances wonderfully well. A small grocery store, some very good restaurants and Bars (bars in Italy are cafes that sell alcohol), and most importantly in Chianti, SEVERAL wine shops. One of the local butcher’s stores – macelleria (there are two) also serves food. If you like meat and lots of it, this is the place to go. (Strangely, he gets all his beef from Spain, not Italy). There is only one menu per day – everyone eats at the same time – lots of tartare and carpaccio (raw) .. although he does offer a vegetarian menu. And if you want to shake his hand or take his photo, it’ll cost you €2.

We met up with our friends from a couple of villages over … they’re from Duncan but plan on staying here for at least two years (providing Italian red tape doesn’t tie them in knots). Although they’ve been here 8 months already, that final confirming visa is still just out of reach. Hopefully a Visa this week.

Radda is a delightful walled town with tunnels, archways, hidden corners … and the BEST pizza we’ve had in Italy. Toppings were artfully arranged in quarters, but the flavours were excellent (first time we’ve had artichoke); the crust was delicate and crisp … and stayed that way till the last morsel. Like most towns, Radda relies a lot on tourism, but there was nothing tacky or over the top here … just quiet and tasteful.

Another attractive hill town is San Gimignano – with even more towers than Lucca, and could possibly the origin of New York’s Twin Towers (you be the judge). A little busier, but still some nice quiet areas. One walled courtyard had an old well in the centre … covered for safety … but standing atop was a dramatic red-robed figure with a fire-and-brimstone timbered voice reciting Dante (without prompts) to any and all who would listen. As I glanced up into a nearby olive tree what should catch my eye, but a dove swooping in with an olive twig in its beak as a gift for his lady-love in the process of nest building. Now, how cool was that?