Black Rooster Country - day 2

Another day, another walk, another winery.  Can't beat that! 

"Anita, how much is uphill today?"  "Oh, my little children..."

Walking through the mostly abandoned town of Olena.

The view west

Olena is not dead, yet, and neither are this bug and Beemer

Most likely San Genovese grapes, ready to go.

Leaving Olena

Tuscany views to the east

Up through a vineyard to a shaded platform

Olives and grapes.

...and those tall, spiky spruce trees

 The walk ended at a medieval castle, Castello della Paneretta.  Another winery tour, then lunch.

grapes drying out to get sugar level up.

The castle started with a tower.  Tuscany and towers.  A theme.

I have no idea.

Fresco ceiling. Ancient and in good condition!

castle courtyard

the cellar

lunch!

Winery lunch hound.

No caption needed.

The evening was spent at San Gimignano.  A town of towers.  Middle ages towns generally sprung up on hills - mostly for protection from other towns.  Inside each town, those of means built towers - somewhat for protection, but mostly just to show off.  San Gimignano was right smack dab on the trade route and pilgrimage route between places far to the west and the Holy Land and points east, so it prospered.  Lots of towers.  Then they got into such internal fighting, they called on Florence to help keep the peace.  Florence did.  They moved the road and commerce in San Gimignano collapsed.  The town was more or less preserved due to the lack of any economic progress.  Now, it's a tourist mecca because of it's relatively unaltered state.

The town has a gate on each end.

The piazza

The view from the town wall

City hall and a church

Dueling towers

The view from the other side of town

Dinner was in town at a restaurant where they served one gourmet thing after the other.  I have completely forgotten what, but it was quite a dinner.

We bussed it back to Panzano in the dark.  Tomorrow, the VF.