Rolling hills near Montalcino
One of the many historic piazzas in Siena
The Gallo Nero (black rooster) seal of approval at Colle Bereto in the Chianti Classico region
Alley in the picturesque hill town of San Gimignano
Hauntingly beautiful San Galgano, below, is an abandoned Cistercian Abbey. Impressive in its day, the abbey’s roof collapsed because the leading was removed and sold by a local lord. A beautiful meadow now thrives in the nave. The walls, true to Gothic design, soar upward to the sky.
Legend has it that a wayward knight named Galgano Guidotti renounced worldly goods and became a hermit on Monte Siepi. Spurred on by a vision and determined to prove that renouncing violence and worldly goods would be as difficult as splitting rocks, Galgano impulsively pointed his sword at a stone and miraculously drove it in to it’s hilt! He never left the hill again and was canonized in 1185. And there you have the Italian version of the ‘Sword in the Stone’!
Corner of a stairwell in Florence
Wine bottles in a display case shot during a wine tasting at the Enoteca la Fortezza di Montalcino. Located inside the main tower of the medieval fortress, the enoteca specializes in wines from the Brunello di Montalcino appellation.
Salute!
