Too much to fit into one post, day 4

Last night was unfortunately unrestful. Morning came early and I was cursing myself for not being a beach vacation person.

After the usual breakfast we hit the bikes and headed south through the Chianti hills, known as the Colline del Chianti in these parts. The climbs and descents were much more gentle than the previous days and this proved to be my favorite day in the saddle so far. The extra loop came early in the ride today and, not wanting to miss out, I couldn’t help but count myself in. It was an extra climb to Castagnoli, but the effort was worth the view. The landscape was unending rolling terrain filled with sangiovese vineyards. I stopped several times to snap photos of the fields, vineyards, and small outposts used to protect the area from Florentine invaders.

We hit the road again and rejoined the main course before stopping at Madonna a Brolio for a brief snack of prosciutto, pecorino cheese, and pears. Afterward we winded our way into Castelnuovo before turning onto a gravel road lined with Cyprus and olive tress arriving at Felsina for wine tasting and lunch.

We toured the ancient cellar which dated to 1730. The new cellar was built much later, circa 1970s in the area that formerly served as the horse stable. Each wine barrel was marked with the amount hectoliters (yes, that’s 100 liters!) of wine that they held. The barrels had green glass “corks” on the top which were used to tell how far along the wine is in the fermented process.

For lunch we gathered in the main area of the vineyard. The first wine was a white wine made from sangiovese grapes. It was smooth, not sweet, and not too dry. The second wine was a red and very smooth, the third I didn’t like, and the fourth was desert wine. This was served with pasta, breads, cookies, omelets, and ended with an espresso. I’m not sure how I was able to get myself back on a bike after such indulgences.

The winding, rolling hills continued into Siena. The last five kilometers was spent on a gravel bike path with trees and bushes growing into the path. We arrived at the Porto Romano entrance into the city (it faces Rome). Siena is a city enclosed with walls in all directions and this was one of the only places to enter the city. We winded our way into the city and arrive at Villa del Sole, our hotel for the next two nights.

After a brief shower we walked to Il Campo, the gathering spot in the middle of the city. The Palazzo Publico is the city hall and was built in the 14^th century as the center of the Siena government. Black and white shields flank the building and serve as the official crest of Siena. The building includes a mix of secular and religious icons- including a large IHS symbol within a sun at the top contrasted images of Romulus and Remus suckling from the teet of a shewolf. According to legend Remus was the father of an Italian boy with a name similar to Siena (that’s where the town got is name).

The tour guide explained about the Palio race- a horse race in which contestants from each area of Siena are randomly selected a horse and a position. The area around the Palazzo Publico is covered in dirt, the square is filled with 50,000 spectators and the horses race three times around. It sounds crazy and awesome at the same time and I’m pretty sure it was in the most recent James Bond Movie.