Magical San Gimignano & Ciao A Tutti

Today we were off to San Gimignano.

While it is very easily accessible with a car, it is also very easy to get there with the bus, even though you have to transfer midway at Poggibonsi.

Midway between Florence and Siena, perched on a hill, it was a perfect stop over for pilgrims of the time, and tourists for today.

San Gimignano was once a fiercely independant town. A walled village gave safe refuge to the farmers, and the 60 odd towers within the town gave refuge to the warring families within the town. This was the time of Romeo and Juliette.

But the plague hit the town hard. Of the 13 000 citizens, less than 4 000 remained, and it soon fell into the political orbit of Florence, which ordered many of its towers to be torn down.

No longer a power onto its own, if not outright impoverished, it was frozen in time. A Medieval town, with its winding streets and remaining towers.

While there are sights to be seen inside the town, the real site to see is the town itself. Walking the streets, following a small alley here or there, and then climbing onto some of the remaining walls is the real attraction of San Gimignano.

The Tuscan country side is wonderfully seen from Rocca e Parco di Montestaffoli, the rolling hills and various estates.

Is San Gimignano touristy? Yes it is, and it knows it.

But it is well worth the visit.

So close to Florence, and it transports us to an era that is simply magical.

Photographer's note:  As I mentioned before I came to this trip with a Panasonic Lumix G1, my travel lenses are a Lumix 20mm 1.7, Lumix 14mm-45mm and a 45mm200mm Lumix. I brought two 16 gig Ultra fast SDH cards, I only used one at all times. 3 batteries, but one was enough to shoot with every day. I brought my carbon fiber Gitzo tripod, I used it ONLY once. I have a portable computer, plus a tiny external hard drive as back up. I usually shoot in both RAW and high res jpg. with Lumix. I only use the jpg files to re-size for the Blog shots.


I travel with this fabulous soft leather bag. It is fantastic. Italian made off course. It hangs just across my body. Holds all my camera gear and plus,(including my little shopping escapades, sunglasses, except the tripod). No one knows that it has camera gear in it. I go everywhere with it. Including when I travel in planes.

My tripod goes always in my luggage.


This trip was very magical. I hope you all liked following our adventures. My other daily photograpy Blog  http://www.myphotoramblings.com// will start back Monday October 11th. 2010. Thank you for all your support.

Ciao,

Anthony & Hera

Eating Well, Visiting Sites... La Vita E Bella In Florence

Today promised to be another gorgeous day.

Needing some basic staples, we did some shopping at the local super market, but for lunch, we were headed of to see Pino once again. This time at his food store Verdi.

Around the corner from his wine shop, Pino has a food counter, where the excellent meats we had savoured the night before came from.  It is called Salumeria Verdi, at Via Verdi 36 red. (http://www.salumeriaverdi.it/)

The place was very busy, but Pino smiling, called out "HeraBell" as he served a customer. We each had a sandwich, and a small glass of wine. As we ate, Hera said it was the best sandwich she has ever had, and I have to agree. Pricewise, it was very inexpensive.

This is defintely another place that anyone visiting Florence must stop by.

In addition to his sandwiches, he has other plates of food. Several different plates of pasta was offered for today's lunch, and he mentioned that on Fridays, fish and seafood are offered.

Pino was too busy with the crowds of customers at the moment, so we dropped by later in the day to pick up some of the delicious meats we had eaten the night before.

We walked about the now familiar streets.

While we often passed close by, we did not yet really see Orsanmichele Church.

The site had in the eight century, a very small oratory where miracles had occured. A merchant area was built around it, and became a grain market. After the plague that killed off half of Florence, the arches were filled in, and it became a Church, while grain was still stored above.

Niches surrounding the church were filled by various artists, commissioned by the guilds of Florence. Walking around the Church, one can see the change in sculptures from Gothic to Renaissance.

Inside, the church is spectacular. The painted ceilings and walls, and the intricately carved marble tabernacle that holds Bernardo Daddi' Madonna delle Grazie are wonderful sights to behold.

It had been a few days since Hera had a gelato, but today, it was time for one. Finding a Gelato shop is one of the easiest things to do in Florence, and soon Hera had her Gelato.

We wandered around, crossed the Duoma once again. In the brilliant sun, I find it is way too bright. I think the Duomo looks best at night, lit by lights. The intricacies of the art work are highlighted, the shadows add character, and the square feels much more romantic.

Florence is small, and easily walked, but today, we decided to take a taxi to San Miniato Church. Located south of the Arno, up the hill, behind Piazzale Michelangelo.

St. Minias, was King of Armenia, and gave up his crown to the heavenly king. According to legend, he was beheaded on the banks of the Arno. Picking up his head, he walked up the hill, where he died, and was buried.

An old church, it is a beauty. From the painted wooden ceilings, to wall paintings, to the sumptous Chapel of Cardinal Jacobo. Walking up a few steps, one enters the sacristy, and we are faced with a stunning fresco, while down below is an intimate crypt where a group sang Vespers in Gregorian chant.

We walked down a bit to Piazzale Michelangelo and gazed across the picturesque city. Hera took photos, as the sun was setting, capturing the different light and moods of the city.

As we arrived home, across the street from our apartment, an event was being held at the private club. Dressed as a Florentine guard, he exchanged pleasantries with us, as we took out our keys, and entered our building.

Florence is charming, day or night.

Cheers,

Anthony & Hera

The Art Of Wine Tasting at Pozzodivino With Pino In Florence

Art comes in many forms, and wine is one of them.

Tonight Hera and I were going to Enoteca Pozzodivino at via Ghibellina 144 red (http://www.pozzodivino.eu/). We had been to wine tastings before, and we were looking forward to tonight's tasting.

Pino was a gracious host, as he warmly welcomed us to his establishment. Hera started taking photos. Each angle of his shop offered another glorious image. Soon two young American ladies joined us, as Hera kepted clicking away, but she had to stop, as it was time to descend into the cellar.

The place itself has a history. Dating back over 800 years, it too was damaged by the flood of 1966, and when Pino got hold of it, he had a fair amount of restoration to do, to bring it to what it is today.

We sat, eager for the tasting to begin. Pino started with offering us two samples of Balsamic vinegar aged 8 and 10 years. Most people do not realize the art and flavours in Balsamic vinegar, and usually think of it as a dark version of table vinegar.

But Balsamic vinegar is like a fine wine, aged in barrels that are changed each year. The 8 year old Balsamic vinegar was so deliciously sweet, while the 10 year old was like a syrup that could be had as a dessert on its own.

Small amounts of two different Olive Oils were also offered for us to sample and compare. And then gently mix with the vinegars. While the traditional Olive Oil and Balsamic vinegar is always wonderful, they were each so good, that I prefered having each one on their own with some bread to mop it up.

Excellent parmagiano cheese was offered as we enjoyed the Olive Oils and Balsamic vinegars.

Then came the wines.

Pino talked about the three steps in appreciating a wine. Starting with the eyes, what to look for in the wine, its color, its tranparency, and its legs. Followed by the nose, the aroma and bouquet of the wine, and ultimately the taste, its feel in the mouth, and its flavours.

What made tonight's evening so enjoyable, was Pino's animated discussion, his passion, and charm. He made sure that the evening was a social discussion amoung us all, and not a lecture. He encouraged each of us to participate, and express ourselves.

At times he would hint and prod, as we then started to realized and notice elements that we had not noticed at first, or had trouble putting our finger on.

We started with Colli di Luni, a white wine from the Liguria region, made of Vermentino grapes. Pino explained that while the grape variety is extensively grown, this caostal region in particular adds mineral and salty hints to the wine.

A generous portion of prosciutto ham was placed on our plates as we visually examined the wine, then inhaled it aromas,and finally tasted it. It was wonderful, and very unique.

Pino then encouraged us to now try the wine with some prosciutto in our mouths.

Hera and I have been to several wine tastings. And often the cheese and bread were not even served until after the tasting. This was the first time we were encouraged to have a mouthful of food, and take a sip of wine.

Amazing!

Both the wine, and the prosciutto tasted so differently. A magical transformation of the food and wine. From now on, when I taste a wine, I will always first taste the wine on its own, then try it with food in my mouth.

I had left most of the delicious prosciutto on my plate, as I knew more wines were coming. I did not expect more meat would be served, but Pino told us he had selected a different meat for each wine. He talked, and gave me some time to enjoy the prosciutto.

Next up was a red, Villa Cafaggio Chianti Classico 2007, along with another generous serving of meat, this time, a fennel and garlic salami.

I had known that Chianti was made from the Sangiovese grapes of the Chinati region. The gorgeous country side we toured when we rented a car a few days earlier. I did not know that there was a smaller region within the Chianti region, for it to be a Classico. Not only must at least 85% of the Sangiovese grapes come from the Classico region, but so must any other grapes added.

Chianti is a more aggressive wine, one that many people need some time to get acquainted with. It has a strong aroma of fruits and spices, with a delicious cherry flavour. And with the fatty salami, it made an excellent pairing.

This was followed by a Super Tuscan. Super Tuscans are wines made in Tuscany from grapes that are not necessarily originally from this region, and often follow more modern wine making methods.

Pino poured us a Brancatelli, Valle dell Stelle 2008, which is made of Cabernate Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. While these are common grapes of the Bordeaux region, the wine tasted far from a Bordeaux.

It had an amazing nose, with a wonderful aroma and bouguet. The flavours were full, delicious, and an immediate crowd pleaser. Although we were served a Tuscan salami, Pino mentioned that Super Tuscans are more a meditative wine. A wine that can be drunk alone with out food, and just a single glass. I felt I understood, as it was indeed a wine that one could sniff like a good scotch.

But after tasting and enjoying the Super Tuscan, Pino suggested we try once again the Chianti. Surprisingly, the Chianti had changed. Changed because it had time to open up more, as well as a change as our taste buds now were comparing two very different red wines.

While I loved the Super Tuscan one first sight, I felt I prefered the Chianti, and if I was to pour another glass, it would be the Chianti. Only then did I fully realized, and had to agree with Pino. A Super Tuscan is to be savoured in a single glass, while a Chianti, is one that one can drink, and enjoy more and more, as the night progressed.

Both are excellent wines. But very different, serving different purposes.

As I said above, Hera and I have attended many wine tastings, but this is most definitely the best tasting we have attended. Pino is an excellent educator, and his warm and charming personality, made the night unforgetable.

Florence is a great city to enjoy the art of fine wines. And you could not get a better experience than by attending one of Pino's Wine tastings at Enoteca Pozzodivino (http://www.pozzodivino.eu/)

La Dolce Vita... Si... Si !!!

Photographer's note: All of my shots were done in ambinant light. Which meant, hard lighting conditions and no time for any studio set-up. I had to deal with super bright spot lights placed everywhere. Several food shots were done hand held before I digged into the food. Bottle shots were done on a tripod.


Cheers,

Anthony & Hera