Italy: Day 4

We arrived in Radda in Chianti in the late evening of day 4. Radda, south of Florence, was surrounded by wineries (not a surprise - we were in Tuscany) but was still a beautiful place to drive to and around.
We checked into a small “hotel” (inverted commas because it was really a room and a bathroom in a block of what looked like apartments) run by the family who owned the downstairs wine bar, sadly closed for the time we were there. We showered, changed and headed into town for a quick walk before finding dinner. The town was on top of a hill and sported not only nice views but the remains of a medieval church and fortified walls. All very cultural and lovely but we had food to find!
After narrowing down our options we ended up settling for a pizza place – hey, we were in Italy – which turned out to be one of the best finds of the entire trip. Out of the way, packed with what seemed like locals, staffed by friendly and welcoming people, and serving fantastic pizza and Chianti, this place was awesome. If you're ever in Radda, it's under the via Roma, downhill and across the road from the medieval ruins. We had the usual white, tasteless bread on the table - one of the few disappointing things of Tuscany - but, perhaps because of the bread, tried something odd for the main, from memory a pizza with sausage on it. It was delicious! Warmed by a great dinner and a bottle of wine we took another quick walk before going back to the hotel.

The next morning we woke early and had breakfast at a nearby bar filled with workmen either already on a break at 9am or just taking the start of the day slowly.
After a quick check of the maps (too quick, as it turned out) we headed off in what I thought was the direction of Castellina but which turned out to be the opposite. No matter! We turned around, drove back through Radda and then through some really lovely countryside to get to Castellina in Chianti. A quick trip to the tourist office revealed an Entruscan tomb on the outskirts of the town and some lovely walks to do. What they failed to mention - to their detriment - were the cute local "utes". I mean, really - could you design a car any cuter than that!?
After checking out the tomb we jumped in the car and headed for several local wineries. The best wine tasting for me was done at Podere San Donatino, and with fresh (like, 3 days old) olive oil and views like this, could you think otherwise? Unfortunately, the wine wasn't fantastic so we only left with some olive oil. You can't win them all.

From there we had the rest of the afternoon to make our way to Sienna, so we spent it driving through the area in the beautiful sunshine, stopping wherever we felt like it. Barbischio and Vertine were two memorable places along the way, not least because they had more chicken signs here than seemingly anywhere else.

And so, a few hours later, we arrived in Sienna - not the easiest place to park or navigate either in or around, I'll be honest, but what would the following day turn out to be a great experience.

2009

Well! It's been a while, huh? Much water under many bridges - that sort of thing.
But I'm back, so, for starters, bonne année and bonne santé!
I hope you had a great Christmas and NYE, that you managed to go somewhere or do something worthwhile, and that the holiday season was not only silly but relaxing and rejuvenating. It certainly was for me, not least because I was in Sydney for almost a month! Ha!
But that'll be dealt with in a later post, as I need to first deal with days 4 and 5 of Italy (for record-keeping purposes only) and expound a little on my plans for the blog in 2009.

Before that, as a means of welcoming you (and me) back to the fold, and to help you discover the world at large:
1. Cult procession fail - wait for it, wait for it...
2. Constant Seige - NSFW and potentially challenging for those with sensitive sensitivities, but wholly worthwhile nonetheless.

Enjoy! (a request and a hope)