We should have taken some photos from the start of this day. We had to be at the tour office in Florence Centro at 9:30. We calculated that it was a 90 minute drive into Firenze (Florence). Unless we got lost. Or couldn’t find the parking garage that Allessandra recommended. Or if we couldn’t find the tour office… So we got up at 5ish, and left at 6ish.  And, it worked! More or less. We found a garage very near to the one we were looking for. 25 euros for all day. And it was right at the end of the Pont Vecchio. So across we go and get our first pic of the day. We find the tour office, and we had a few walking-around minutes before the place opened. Then upstairs to sign our lives away (yes we know scootering is a dangerous sport), into a van for a drive to the outskirts, and onto the scooters. (BTW, they were NOT Vespas. Oh sure, made by the same parent company, but no “cute” factor.

After a quick driving test we headed out, around a corner, and uphill into the “death curve”. Surviving that we made the first stop of the day at a local vineyard. Our guide Steven explained the controls over production of Chianti wines. The production, contents, and quality are controlled by the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita .

Back on the scooters. Next stop a Romanesque church (1400s?). Then into a pretty town for a bread and cheese stop (food seems to be playing a very big part in our adventures).

On to the Corsini family winery for a tour, and lunch. Some bruschetta, crustini, pasta, and of course a taste of their wine. Back on the scooters. We stopped at a very beautiful panorama. One of our crew dumped her bike on a steep gravel covered pitch. After a bout of cleaning and bandaging, she got back on the bike and continued. A trooper!

One last stop in town for gelato (ice cream!). No offense B&J, but they make great ice cream here.

We retrieve the car and after getting lost trying to exit the city eventually we find our way south to Radicondoli.  Whew!

So, via the internet I had found this rental in a small Tuscan “hill country” village. The town is Radicondoli, and the place is called Borghetto Poggio Bianco. They don’t take credit cards, so I had wired 50% of the rental when I made the reservation and the 2^nd 50% just before leaving the states. And I was somewhat fearful that it would wind up being an internet hoax and there would be no Poggio Bianco. Ah but sometimes things work out. The place was BEAUTIFUL and brand new and we were their first guests and for several days their ONLY guests. The drive there was uneventful except that the last 30 kilometers was like the Lincoln Peak road. And the last 5 kilometers was narrower and steeper than that. And the directions were things like “drive another 8 minutes and then turn right”… But we did get there.

After settling in we headed into town for dinner. Tuscan soup, beans, fried veggies, and wild boar stew with polenta.

It was sooo quiet and peaceful. The heat of the day dissipated quickly and with the windows open a very pleasant breeze made sleeping great.

http://borghettopoggiobianco.com/

On Sunday the 27^th we boarded a tour bus and drove about 90 minutes to Figueres. Dali’s hometown. Dali built a museum there and it is very cool. There are many stories about the many ways in which Dali was psychologically bent. Some are probably a result of his self-promotion, some are probably all too true. He was born 9 months after his older brother (Salvador) died. Hmmmm. He claimed to believe that he was his brother reincarnated. What kind of parents would name the 2^nd son after the first now deceased son? He also apparently had a tormented relationship with his wife Gala. But… his art is remarkable. He had very sophisticated technique and what an imagination. We spent too little time there.

After the museum we drove to the castle Dali bought for Gala. Nothing too magnificent. Supposedly Dali bought it in 1969 for $6K.

I would have rather stayed another couple of hours in the museum….

The Dali foundation website.