We walked the two blocks from our apartment to the Palazzo Vecchio which is adjacent to the Uffuzi Museum and faces the Piazza della Signoria. The Palazzo Vecchio was the seat of Florintine government for many centuries and has been a prominent landmark in Florence for over seven hundred years. We toured the massive "Hall of Five Hundred" with its numerous important sculptures and elaborately painted ceiling. Many of the other rooms are covered with paintings showing off the accomplishments of the Mendici family. The "Hall of Maps" features an enormous globe and hand-painted maps detailing the world as it was known in the 1500s. At the conclusion of our self-guided tour, we climbed to the top of the watch tower. We're getting wary of steps, but couldn't resist the opportunity to see Florence from the vantage point of La Torre di Palazzo Vecchio.
Back at our apartment, we grabbed our backpacks and headed downstairs and past the Duomo to the bus station. We caught a bus to the airport where we picked up a rental car that will transport us through Tuscany for the next week. We rented a Fiat 500, and it is fun to be tooling around the hills of Tuscany in an Italian car reminicent of the old-style Fiats that are still seen in the cities and countryside of Italy. We got quite lost when we left the airport area, but eventually found our way to the correct road leading toward Siena. Once in Siena, we shopped for groceries at the first actual supermarket we have seen since leaving the United States (mostly we have shopped in small neighborhood markets.)
We are staying north of Siena in the Tuscan region of Chianti. Our home for the week is a classic "agriturismo" (farm that provides lodging) on a hilltop above the village of Pianella. The twelfth century farm is called Fattoria Argiano and it produces Chianti Classico wines as well as olive oil. Originally, the farm was a hamlet owned by the Catholic Church. Residents produced wine and oil for consumption at the Vatican. After World War Two, the farm was sold and eventually fell into disrepair and was abandoned. Twenty-five years ago it was restored and wine production began again. Twelve apartments for tourists were created out of the old stone buildings that comprised the original hamlet, and a pool was added with a magnificent view of the rolling hills of Chianti.
In the evening, we drove back toward Siena and enjoyed a simple dinner outdoors at a roadside cafe. Leroy found a fifty euro bill in the men's room and brought it to the owner of the restaurant. Shortly after, she brought a selection of liquors to our table (Limincello and something licorice-flavored) in appreciation for what he did. I guest honesty pays! We were extra careful driving home after dark to avoid the wild boars that dart in front of cars here instead of deer. Apparently it's a very bad idea to get out of your car and check on an injured boar after you've hit it with your car.
There are no TVs or radios at the agriturismo. It is a very peaceful place, and it will be an ideal spot for us to rest, visit nearby sights, and prepare for our return to the United States in just one week!
