two backpacks and a diaper bag

Thursday, May 3rd. Chianti and Siena. The original plan was for us to head to San Marino today, but we wanted to wake up late, so we decided to visit places that are nearby. We started our journey by driving to the Chianti Classico region. There was supposed to be a good restaurant and wine tasting place called Casa Chianti Classico in a small town called “Radda in Chianti.”

The drive there was nice even though it was slightly raining. I didn’t realize this region was actually hills and valleys. I thought it was just one giant valley. To get to Radda in Chianti, we had to pass several villages and towns, including Castellina in Chianti, which was supposed to be a cool town. We didn’t stop by, but it looked cool and quaint.

It turned out Casa Chianti Classico wasn’t open for dining. The restaurant part would only be open in mid-May. We asked if the enoteca was open. The guard went in to call for Alessandro, the manager. He said the enoteca and the museum were open.

Alessandro introduced us two mystery wine. Then he took us upstairs to the museum and told us to take our time walking around and learning about Chianti Classico wine. At the end, he said, he would give us a quiz and we could guess the type of wine we had.

And so we learned the region that produced Chianti Classico, the various types of soil where the grapes grew, the colors that different types of Chianti Classico wine produce, the four types of smell, and the four types of taste.

We conjectured that wine #1 was kept longer in the barrel. It had a more matured and aged smell, and a sweeter taste. Wine #2 had a more floral and fruity smell. The coloration at the edge was not as orange as #1. We made a prediction that #1 was a Riserva and #2 was a regular vintage.

After reading further about the area and its history, we went downstairs to meet with Alessandro again. What was nice about this was that we were the only one in the whole place, and Alessandro was nice enough to be super attentive to us.

Before he revealed the wine, he showed us around the grounds first. This place used to be a monastery. They had kept most of the original rooms and decor. It was a museum in itself.

At the end of our, essentially, private tour, we went back to the tasting room/shop, and he told us which bottles we had. Indeed, #1 was a Riserva and #2 was a regular vintage. He also showed us a third type: Gran Selezzione, which was aged in a barrel for at least 3 years and made from the best grapes.

We couldn’t help ourselves. We bought two bottles of wine. The Gran Selezzione was from the northern part of Chianti Classico and the Riserva was from the southern part.

From here, we drove up a couple of minutes to the town centre, had lunch in one of the restaurants, walked around the super quaint town, took some pictures, especially with the view of the valley, got some gelato, and walked back to the car to head to Siena.

Getting into Siena was super easy. Even finding parking was not too bad. The GPS led us as close to Piazza del Campo as possible; all we had to do was find parking near there. We stumbled into a parking structure. It was only 2 Euro per hour.

The parking spaces were so small! It was kind of funny.

I don’t know what I expected of Siena, really, but it was surprisingly delightful. It was a city built on a hill. Lots of walking uphill to get to the Piazza, but the walk was enjoyable. The streets were more attractive than the streets in Florence.

And as we turned left to the Piazza, the view of the Torre del Mangia and Palazzo Pubblico was extraordinary. I didn’t realize the Piazza was in a semicircle shape like an amphitheater. It was such a huge open space. It felt quite freeing. It was a delightful surprise. I know I said that already, but it’s true.

We spent some time around the Piazza. We looked at the super white marble fountain in the middle, went inside the Palazzo, but not really the museum, and visited some of the shops in the perimeter.

Then we walked to the Cathedral. I love the stripes!

From here, we walked the narrow streets and alleyways, finding different vantage points.

And then we walked back to the car and we went home. Maybe we should have stayed in Siena for at least two nights. It would have given us time to really get to know the city. I would love to come back here again in the future. I regret not spending more time here.