Rain and Shine

Dopo il cattivo, viene il bel tempo.
After rain comes sunshine.

Italian adage

Great clashes of thunder rumbled through the early morning hours accompanied by flashes of thunderbolts. We awoke to a light drizzle and an beautiful view from the bedroom window. The sky began to clear as we headed out to the nearby sulfur spring spa that has been soothing tired limbs since Roman times.

Well relaxed, we headed to the hills of Chianti. The region's black super rooster, called Gallo Nero, has marked bottles of authentic Chianti vino since .

Our first stop was Brolio castle, the birthplace of Chianti. The Ricasoli family still lives in the castello and the views from their upper storey windows over the countryside must be extraordinary. We discussed how nice it would be to take our morning coffee while walking along the castle's ramparts.

Down in the valley, we stopped for a wine tasting. We all agreed that Brolio's new issue was the best we tasted. The Chianti highway (a country road) reminded Bro of the Amalfi coast with all its twists and turns.

A little further along, we wandered along a few streets in the town of Radda in Chianti. In a fourteenth century passageway, we stopped at an enoteca (wine shop) and tasted a super Tuscan produced near the town by Brancaia called Il Blu ("The Blue"). I was so besotted with the wine that a bottle was purchased as a birthday present for me.

We had a wonderfully relaxing day. Back at the hotel, we sat in the grand dining room with our purchases of olives, cheeses and wine and picniced with our little repast as thunder rumbled again through the valley. I will sleep well tonight.

A presto!