Chianti Countryside

We stayed three nights at the Villa Sabolini in the Chianti countryside.  Villa Sabolini was delightful and served lovely breakfast buffets and delicious dinners.
The court yard of the Villa:

 A baby Grand sits in one of the living room:

Another sitting room:

My bedroom:

I can see the countryside from my window:

San Galgano who was a legend even before King Arthur.  San Galgano gave up his secular life by thrust his sword into stone, and became a monk in Montesiepi.  A monastery was built in the 13th century and now sits in ruin.   

We hiked a portion of the Via Francigena, an ancient road and pilgrimage route that once connected Europe's largest cities. We saw some beautiful scenery along the way.

 

We also visited San Galgano's birth place, Chiusdino villiage.  A very quiet little town.  

But we had a very interesting lunch in a family run restaurant.  The mom cooks and the daughters serve the tables.  The meal took at least 2 hours and indeed was an experience of slow life style.  I had the most delicious Spinash Cheese balls for the first time.

 

On the way back to the Villa, we stopped at Citta di Colle Di Val D'Elsa for a little stroll.  I bought a deck of cards with Tuscany scenery.  Much to my delight, I also spotted an Italian cousin of Bowtie:

 The fortified gate as built in 1481:

Bowtie's Italian cousin: