Tuscany

We arrived in Rome before 7 am on Thursday. My aunt and uncle had to pick up a car near Rome and so they picked us up at the airport.  We were very grateful we didn't have to navigate getting to Tuscany after little/no sleep the night before.  It was a three hour drive to Gaiole in Chianti where we were staying.  I got a nap in and then we had lunch at a friend of Jeannie and Jerry's.

Jerry and Jeannie

View from where we are staying

I was a little groggy on Saturday morning and didn't really feel like running but hoped it would make me feel better.  The weather was supposed to be rainy but it held out until later in the day and temps were great.  I quickly realized that the beautiful hills of Tuscany are not so fun to run on, it was straight up hill for 1.25 miles.  The run did make me feel better.

This is up hill I swear

View from the run

After the run we got ready and headed out for a big day of sightseeing and eat.  The first stop was the Saturday market in Greve in Chianti.  The highlight for Nick was the famous butcher shop Falorni

I prefer the cheeses

This is like heaven for Nick

Next we headed off to lunch at Lamole, which was delicious, followed by a trip to Volpaia for an after lunch coffee.  Volpaia is a 12th century village in which most of the buildings have been converted to a winery.

After a few hour break from eating we then headed to Osteria del Castello.  This is a restaurant that is located on the same property as the Brolio Castle. This was yet another amazing meal lasting several hours.








P.S. I am 2/3 of the way to my fundraising goal for PAWS Chicago.  If you would like to donate to my fundraising page you can do so here.