After breakfast the owner gave us a tour of his property, Torraccia di Chiusi where we had been enjoying our stay. He and his wife have renovated the agriturismo (farmhouse) and the buildings on the property into their personal home, a hotel with rooms and suites, restaurant, a small spa, and also made their own organic wines.
The owner talking to us on our tour of his property.
Below was one of the buildings on the estate that wasn’t renovated. The owner told us that the building below demonstrated what all of the buildings on the estate looked like when he and his wife purchased it in 2002!
The building on the estate that our group stayed in was about 500 years old. They did an excellent job with the renovations.
Our rooms in the 500 year old building.
The side of the estate.
Another view of some of the property.
The Tower was over 1,200 years old and the home of the owners. Our tour included their home.
The tower that was over 1200 years old.
At the top of the tower you could look out over the countryside and see anyone who approached along the Via Francigena, the route from Canterbury to Rome and onto the seaside city of Apulia, Italy.
Views from the Tower
From the tower I was able to take a great picture of San Gimignano!
San Gimignano
Stefano, the owner spent a lot of time showing us around and explaining the history here. When they were doing repairs to a sewage treatment plant on their property his wife saw something and had the workers stop and she dug and found an Etruscan bronze statue that dated from the 3rd century B.C.! It was speculated that an Etruscan temple was once here. The statue was now in a museum as well as the other items that they have found. Below is Donatella, the wife of Stefano, and a picture of the poster with her and the statue.
Etruscan Bronze statue with Donatella
There also was a chapel on the property.
Outside the ChapelInside the Chapel
Stefano took us to the ancient wine cellar that he accidentally found. It was covered by layers of soil.
The entrance to the cellar.
After our tour we wanted one more chance to visit San Gimignano. It also had been nicknamed “the Manhattan of the Middle Ages” because of its many towers!
Walking into San Gimignano
Today we explored other areas of the city and past the main square, Piazza del Duomo.
Piazza del Duomo
Along the border of San Gimignano there were some fantastic views that looked out over the countryside.
On our walk we found a local woman sitting outside her home just relaxing.
One of the quiet side streets.
When we left San Gimignano we stopped at a winery for one last tasting. Pietraserena Winery was the fourth generation of winemaking by the Arrigoni family.
The wine tasting patio had wonderful views of the vineyards and the surrounding Tuscan countryside.
When we got back to the villa we enjoyed some time at the pool.
Beautiful poolYou couldn’t beat the views from the pool!
At dinner we had the sparkling wine because we were told by our chef at our cooking class how Torracccia di Chiusi was known for their sparkling wine and how delicious it tasted. Julia opened the Goccia D’Pro Spumante Classic Method.
Julia opening the spumante or sparkling wine.
None of our group were champagne drinkers but we all enjoyed this sparkling wine.
It was our last dinner at the villa and Bruno, the chef, came out to serve us our last shot of Grappa after our delicious meal that he had prepared! Grappa was an alcoholic pomace brandy from Italy that had a high alcoholic content. It was served to help with digestion after heavy meals.
Cheers to our amazing meals and time together!
We will miss the hospitality, delicious meals, outstanding staff, and owners at Torraccia di Chiusi!
Today we visited Monteriggioni that was a walled castle with only about 50 people living in the historic castle complex.
Looking at the countryside from the main entrance into Monteriggioni.
We walked around the town and a highlight was walking along the castle walls. The village sits on the hill Monte Ala and looks over the Chianti countryside.
The medieval city walls and its 14 defense towers are well preserved from 1213 when the fortress was built. It was built as a base against Florence for the Republic of Siena. The walls are up to 6 1/2 feet thick.
Entrance into Monteriggioni.You can see how thick the wall is.An entrance into the village from the other side of town.A view from outside the walls and defense towers.
One of the best things to do was to walk on the medieval walls. You can’t walk the entire loop but there were two sections. The longer section was near the main entrance into town.
Front wallFront wallFront wallBack part of the wall
The views from the walls of the Chianti countryside were beautiful. Below were some of the pictures we took from the wall.
We also took pictures of the village of Monteriggioni as we stood on the wall.
The Piazza Roma was the center square of the town. On the square was the small church of Santa Maria Assunta which was from the 13th century. This church was built the same time as the foundation of the castle.
Church of Santa Maria AssuntaInside the church
The famous Italian poet, writer, and philosopher Dante Alighieri even referenced the town in his Divine Comedy.
Our walk around town didn’t take long because the town wasn’t that large and it wasn’t crowded at all!
The Monte Chiaro wine shop and tasting laboratory was located on the town square of the castle. One of our traveling group found this little gem. We did a wine tasting here. The wine was certified organic and our guide to the wines was very knowledgeable. The wine tasting began at the outside covered patio but it started raining and so we went into the tasting room downstairs.
After we finished our time in Monteriggioni we drove to a newer winery Casale dello Spaviero in Castellina. Castellina had about 2,800 inhabitants. At Casale dello Spaviero we had another wine tasting. The estate sat on a beautiful setting in the countryside.
Casale dello SpavieroVineyards
The wine tasting was of three different red wines from the cellars.
We were back at the villa (really it was a farmhouse B&B) for dinner which began at 8:00 PM and lasted until 10:00 PM. and consisted of 5 courses! Each dinner ended with being served a shot of Grappa, a grape based pomace brandy of Italian origin and contained 35-60 percent alcohol by volume. Having a shot of Grappa after dinner was supposed to help with digestion of your meal! It was definitely strong!
Bruno, our chef, having a shot with us.Bruno, our chef, having a shot with us.
What adventures would be in store for us tomorrow? We were looking forward to it.
Today was a very early morning (5:00 AM) start because we were going to Florence for the day.
The early morning view from our room.
Originally we were planning on driving but because of the traffic and no driving zones in Florence, it was decided to take the train to Florence. We had 8:15 AM tickets to the Accademia Gallery. I was the only person of our group to have seen the statue of David and that was in 1980! We all were looking forward to visiting the gallery.
We had to drive from the villa to the closest train station in Poggibonsi. Once we got the vehicles parked we made it to the train station to catch a train to Firenze Santa Maria.
The town of Poggibonsi.Poggibonsi
Even though it was early, our group was all smiles and ready for our next adventure in Florence!
Waiting for the train!
When we got off the train we had to walk quickly for our entrance into the Accademia.
We arrived a little after our timed entrance but we were able to get right in and of course our first stop was to see the stunning statue of David! It was as I remembered from 43 years ago and this time I didn’t have to view it over crowds of people.
David was sculpted by Michelangelo, 1501-1504. It stood about 17 feet tall and weighed a little over 6 tons and was carved in marble. The statue originally was placed in the public square in front of the Palazzo della Signoria. In 1873 it was moved into the Accademia Gallery. After our admiration of David we then explored the gallery on our own.
We saw more of Michelangelo’s works. The unfinished marble statue of San Matteo or St. Matthew (1504-08). We also saw the 4 Prigioni (the slaves or prisoners) and these statues were meant for the tomb of Pope Julius II. When you looked at them it appeared they were struggling to free themselves from the marble. The Palestrina Pietà was first believed to be carved by Michelangelo but experts now think it was a different sculptor because of the variations in the style. There wasn’t any documentation to support who was the sculptor.
San Matteo- the unfinished sculpture of St. Matthew.The Palestrina PietàThe AtlasThe Bearded SlaveYoung SlaveAwakening Slave
Another room in the gallery was the finest 19th century collection of plaster casts and models by Lorenzo Bartolini and his student Luigi Pampaloni. This technique of using the plaster casts and nails that helped the sculptor put reference points onto the block of marble before carving into the stone. These casts showed how the gallery was originally used for teaching art students from the art academy next door. There also was a video we watched that demonstrated this process.
The musical instrument collection once belonged to the grand prince of Tuscany. This collection included a violin and viola by Antonio Stradivari and other unique instruments.
Below is “The Tree of Life” by Pacino di Buonaguida. This painting is based on the Book of Genesis and dates back to the early 14th century. This painting depicted Christ’s crucifixion as a tree with several branches extending from his body. And from each branch of the tree hung medals decorated with certain biblical events.
When we were finished with our visit we went to find a restaurant for breakfast/brunch because we hadn’t eaten. We found a restaurant that was opened and getting ready for lunch but they set up a spot in their back dining room for us.
fresh cut flowers for their tablesA living wall where we atePicking out our breakfast meals.
After breakfast we walked around the Duomo and the Bapistry and had time to explore on our own. The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Flower or Cattedrale di Santa Maria Del Fiore was commonly known as the Duomo. Construction began in 1296 and took about 150 years to complete. The cupola was a terracotta-brick dome. It was constructed between 1420 and 1436.
White, pink and green marble is breathtaking!Cathedral of Santa Maria del FioreDuomo: DomeCampanile: Bell TowerBaptistry: Gates of Paradise
As we explored around the main square of Florence we came across some points of interest.
Chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra Porta- first built in 1038. Side of the Chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra PortaBasilica di Santa Trinita- rebuilt during the 13th-14th centuryInside the Basilica di Santa Trinita.Looking down the Arno River.Someone kayaking on the Arno River.Looking at the Ponte Vecchio bridge with shops on both sides.On the top of the door is the Latin phrase: “Who is like God?”The Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, Italy. Column of Abundance marks the point where the cardus and decumanus maximi met and where the Roman forum stood. The present column dates to 1431 but the statue on top is a copy.Arcone Triumphal Arch at Piazza della Repubblica in Florence, Italy.A carousel in the Piazza della Repubblica.
When we met again we headed to the Sant’Ambrogio district because Joe(one of our group) shared an article about this local neighborhood that wasn’t over run with tourists. It was a short walk from the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio. The article stated that this area was a “tight-knit” community and that it was still authentic Florentine. It’s also a multi-ethnic neighborhood. Florence’s first covered food hall was located here. We found a restaurant, Cibrèo Caffe in Sant’Ambrogio and had a delicious meal! And bonus this restaurant was mentioned in the same article and it talked about how it is a restaurant that is a stand-out in the area. The owner’s son explained that their philosophy was “if you visit Florence and see a Botticelli painting and Michelangelo sculpture, you should not have to then settle for a fast-food pizza or a sandwich on the street”! Here we experienced a traditional Florentine cuisine!
Exploring the quiet side streets of the area.
When you are walking around the area, make sure you turn around and look behind you. You never know what scenic sites you might see.
Even with taking the train into Florence we still had ove 18,000 steps but it was a great day spent in the capital of Tuscany’s region. We felt we experienced some of the Renaissance art period!
We took the train back to Poggibonsi, found our vehicles and drove back to our villa where we enjoyed some wine and discussed our highlights of the day before dinner.
Our meals at the villa were always delicious! After our five-course meal, they always served a shot of Grappa! Grappa was an alcoholic pomace brandy made in Italy and contained 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume! It was grape based and was made from the left overs from winemaking after pressing the grapes.
