April 24, Panzano in Chianti

Today Gale and I had a great breakfast at our B&B , then got in our trusty little Fiat and headed out onto the roads of Chianti to tour the city of Siena. It is only 35 km but it took about 90 minutes. Route 222 is called the Chianti highway . That is an understatement to be sure. Imagine a paved portion of road about 18 feet wide that never seems to go more than 200 meters before it changes direction. Twists and turns, up and down, always a constant adventure that requires 100% attention to the road and all other traffic. At the end of the day I felt that it was a major accomplishment to have returned to our room in one piece and still be relatively sane. Of course I hope that each future day will diminish the fear that Gale and I have spending time on these roadways. We spent about 4 hours in Siena wandering about the old part of town. We were in the Siena Domo for at least 90 minutes. This is an unbelievable church. Construction originally started in 1215 and the majority of the construction and additions of artwork were completed by 1315. The artwork , frescoes and sculptures are impossible to describe. A truly beautiful and amazing site to visit. The old city center square also was impressive. We were so busy today that we had no time to visit our new friends Noah and Tracy at the castle. (Gale told me to add that note) Since we did not feel like having any lunch today , we went for an early dinner in the small adjacent town of Greve. It was only 5 km away but more of the up and down roadway. We have returned to our room and officially called it a day. Time to get the blog done and hopefully get a good night sleep. Tomorrow is a national holiday Italian Liberation Day and there will be festivities in all towns . We have been told that the day in Panzano should be lots of fun with music festivities and good food. Hope that the weather is good.

Today is our grandson Jack's 11th birthday. Have a great one Jack and we will see you when we get back home.

Bye for now,

Eric and Gale