Tuscany

"A beautiful morning. From the terrace of our balcony I can see cats on roofs, the blue hills of Tuscany and the snow on top of mountains to the left. In front of me are the domes of the Duomo and I can see the Romanesque Church, towers and Basilicas too. Amazing view. Last night we danced on the terrace, below us the sparkling city lights, and imagined the twinkling stars above. Today we rented a private car and and toured Tuscany. It was a perfect day - the air clear and warm, the colors crisp and bright. I took pictures all through Chianti and we stopped at a street market in Greve. They had flowers and all kinds of fruit and vegetables beautifully displayed, surrounded by the old buildings and fountains, it was charming. Next we had lunch and wine tasting at Montagliore. Truffle pasta, crusty bread with the new vintage of olive oil just harvested, and the local wine served in a stone-walled room with a roaring fire. We continued winding up the hills and at our next stop we tried a wine tasting at a castle, Volpaia, of a Super Tuscan, then coffee and a cookies at a tiny little shop with a view of the Tuscan world at its feet. Golden light spilled all over the floor. On the way back to Florence we stopped in Panzano to shop at a wine market, and the owner gave us a free bottle. Sunset just then, orange then red tipped clouds, a soft wave goodbye, streamers of color fading over the hills into inky blue twilight, then purple black night."