Yesterday evening I went to the Restaurant dei Guelfi where I had eaten once before. Already seated at a table and awaiting there meal were a couple I had met a few Aus earlier. Kevin, a Brit, and Siggy, his German partner and I got chatting and they invited me to join them. They were having Bistecca di Fiorentina, a huge tbone steak done in the Florentine way, while I had Polpettine (meat balls). Conversation revealed that Kevin and Siggy live in Germany now and both work for a wind turbine company. Conversation rambled over many topics including some of their favorite spots in Italy, including Ravello near Naples and overlooking the Amalfi coast.
As our meal and conversation continued we were joined at the next table by a retired farming couple from Nebraska. The had recently been in Spain where he had to have an emergency op for appendicitis but after a few days recuperating was allowed to continue his trip, although the extra time meant that they had to forego a number of their planned stops. Still, he was looking well so good on him for carrying on. The evening broke up at about 9pm with us all going our separate ways, in my case just 3 minutes walk back to the hotel.
Today started with me heading for the cycle tour office on Via Ghibellina to register for te tour of Chianti. On the way I stopped in at a Farmacia to stock up on sun screen and therapeutic aspirin which I had just finished my supply of. After everyone was assembled, signed in, and paid up we were divided into groups to walk to a van about 5 minutes walk away. The drive out to the start at the Castella de Poppiano, the home of the Count Federico Guicciardini - a family that goes way back and has associations with the Medici, Macchiavelli, and the politics of the Renaissance. Filipino, one of the tour guides, has a home quite close to there.
Once at the castle, built around 1189 or so, we had a tour of the winery, and the olive oil producing facilities, before the obligatory climb to the top of the tower to catch some great views over the Chianti countryside. On descending the tower, we were treated to a tasting of the wine produced there as well as the olive oil on rustic bread. After that it was off to the bike shed just down the lane to be kitted up with bike, water bottle (which we got to keep) and helmet (I had my own). I had asked the guys if I could fit my own pedals (SPDs) and they would have let me but at the last minute I decided not to bother - big mistake.
From the Castle we proceeded in a counter-clockwise loop back through one of the villages we had driven through (Quirici?) and then down a long descent. We paused along the way for obligatory photo stops, and once because we were a little ahead of time for lunch and to let the other group catch up (they didn't). Lunch was at a hotel and consisted of a salad to start, followed by a choice of one of four pastas, and a choice of one of two desserts, and followed by coffee. There was also wine on the table for those that wanted it but nobody overdid it because we knew there would be climb to get back to the castle.
After lunch we continued the loop which started with a brief downhill followed by a 15 minute slower uphill gradient. This took us to the bottom of the last hill of the day, a 1km killer with several 18 percent gradients in it. I decided to give it a go, as did several others, but it was here that not having my own clip in pedals would have been really good. I made it up the first third and, thinking that I was already in my lowest gear, got off and started to push. Then I looked down and saw that I had still one cog left to go but by then it was too led had left the sag wagon at the bottom of the hill loading up the bikes and bodies of those who had decided to not even try it, so I turned around and headed down, managing to get bike and self on board before they took off. So I did two-thirds of the hill, right? One third up, and one third down ;-)
At the top of the hill the sag wagon let us and bikes off and after a short break we headed the 20 minutes or so back to the castle. After storing away the bikes and retrieving personal belongings left whined in the shed, we jumped in the vans for the pleasant trip back to Florence. All in all a very satisfying day. A good trip, good lunch, good guides, and good company.
Serendipity is the perfect word to describe my dining experience this evening. I left the hotel just after 7pm and not wanting to eat a large meal. Eventually I found myself on the city side of the river and, wandering along through the streets, I came across a cafe - Cafe Amerini - on the Via Della Vigna Nuova. The we're serving drinks and small food selections like panino so I went in, ordered a half bottle of the house red and a panino. I had stumbled into a place occupied, at this time in the evening, pretty much exclusively by Florentines. As I sipped my wine and ate my panino it was great just to relax amongst locals just getting together at the end of the day and enjoying conversation together. Of course I only understood about 10 percent of what I heard but that didn't matter because the atmosphere was so great. I will definitely go back there when Garth and I return to Florence in early June.
