MANHATTAN MORNING & a WINE TOUR

Tuscany feeling in the morning

Today we tried something new. As there are so many people during the day in our 'Manhattan'-site called San Gimignano and as the 'light' for our photos is not that nice during the day we decide to start at 6 (!!!) a.m. for a tour around the city - and it was great! The city was not as empty as we expected but we only saw locals starting their work (including the preparation for the week-market on the main piazza). We could take a lot of pictures without a single tourist ruining the atmosphere. Beside that the light during the sunrise was perfect and we happily we had later our breakfast at 8.

Morning atmosphere in San Gimignano

Piazza della Cisterna (without tourists)

Shortly later we started with our today's highlight. We had an appointment with Francesco Mazzei at hin winery (ok, not with him but with some of his employees showing us the winery of Fonterutoli - this is for a long time our favorite wine (Villa Marie, Dresden or Wein&Co, Vienna) and it is only logical that we try to learn more about our favorite. Finally we had an one our tour around the production place, we shook hands with Francesco Mazzei, we saw the cellars and at the end we had the chance to test the wine - and of course to buy some for our celler at home. Great experience but wine tasting around lunch time makes tired ......

GUE working hard to find the best wine

These two hours makes it hard for the afternoon but we try our best. First we find some Mazzei-lavendel-fields where especially Seda is more than excited as you might see. Then we continue driving on the byway in direction of Siena. This takes us for the 30 km around 1 1/2 hours in the most beautiful environment you can imagine!

Seda in heaven No 2 this day

Normally Siena should be the top event of a day trip - but for us it was only the final (short) excitement not the highlight. The city is beautiful: like in many other cities in this region: a wonderful dome but the speciality the famous red place - which is the largest and most impressive place built in Renaissance.  That place gives  a good impressions how it is when the yearly main attraction takes place there: the Palio, a horse riding where the riders are dressed like in the middle ages.

All in all - a perfect day but at the end too hot and ... getting up at 6am is not our life (we know that for a long time!!).