Tuscany - Panzano, Podere Felceto

Once we'd finished visiting Pisa, (having bought the obligatory leaning tourist trap merchandise), we piled into the two cars for the drive from Pisa, through Firenze (Florence) to a tiny town called Panzano in Chianti.

It was a drive of about an hour and a half, although it was made longer by Italy's COMPLETE INABILITY TO CLEARLY SIGN THEIR STREETS, INCLUDING MAJOR HIGHWAYS.

We had two walkie talkies with us in the cars - but before we set out we did a test run and discovered that only one was working - the other could transmit but not receive. So we gave the walkie that was working to the second car, so they could hear our directions, and took the one that could only transmit into the leading car. It turned out to be fairly useless, however - because we couldn't tell them where to go, because we had no idea. BECAUSE THE STREET SIGNS LIED! LIIIIIEEEEEED!

Anyway, luckily the turn we missed was to a highway that intersected again with the road we were on. So although the drive took a bit longer than it was meant to, it was certainly scenic and no one really minded all that much. (Although at one point I did get onto the walkie talkie and tell the second car that I was going to go back to school for civil engineering so that I could return to Italy and TEACH THEM HOW TO SIGN THEIR ROADS). Ahem.

Pictures from the road:

Brilliant. I love mountains like these. Are they mountains, or are they hills? I don't know! But I like them all the same. I think big rough new mountains with all their edges still on are masculine. They attack things. People, one another, continents, the sky...very male thing to do. Running around all pointy. *shakes head* But mountains like these...they're women, no doubt about it. They go around hugging everyone. I LOVE them.

Moving right along. Once we reached Panzano Aunt Maureen was in her wheelhouse. She'd been there before, many times, and knew where she was going - although she'd never stayed at the house we were staying at. So although we breezed through the many circles and odd directional changes in town, once we hit the driveway we were on our own.

It was a very, very long driveway. Some parts of it were probably a 45 degree slope. Grading was optional, so there were potholes in that driveway that probably predate the Roman Empire. It was very exciting.

It was wonderful to be stationary after the flight and the whirlwind Pisa touring. All the pictures below are of the house, Podere Felceto.

Those gigantic hedges are Rosemary! I die of envy.

And these are lavender - again serious envy...