May 18 and 19 May 20 May 21 May 22 May 23 May 24 May 25 May 26 May 27 May 28 May 29 May 30 May 31 June 1 June 2 June 3	Monday 5/27/02 We slept in some today, not getting up until a little before 7. I was awake at 6, but just dozed until 7. Downstairs for breakfast, then we met Ursula and Giovanni at 8:30. Our first stop was at San Guisto in Salcio, another small Tuscan town. It has a very old church, built in 1018! Very nice inside - nice and cool. The three photos above show features of this old church. The left and center ones show the rounded structures at the back of the church. The photo on the right shows a cross on the back door to the church. These two photos show the road leading into San Guisto, which was a narrow dirt road lined with cypress trees. We were about ready to leave for our next town when Michelle discovered that she had forgotten to put any film in her camera! After a hearty laugh, she reloaded and quickly retraced her steps, retaking most of what she thought she had shot. We then tried to load the van and Shirley was missing. She finally showed up, but it took some looking to find her... Our next stop was San Sano, a more modern town. Not quite as interesting. I started to take a picture of an archway draped in jasmine (it smelled fantastic) when the man inside popped out, shaking a finger and saying “no tripods”. I smiled and thanked him and walked away. We would encounter jasmine several times during this trip. It smells divine! The three photos above were taken in San Sano. The photo on the left shows a doorway with jasmine growing next to it (not the forbidden doorway, but another). The center photo shows some petunias in a grilled window. The photo on the right shows a vine covered wall. The three photos above show different views of a public park in San Sano. The photo on the left shows a bell tower in San Sano, while the photo on the right shows some detailed brick/stone work, possibly a filled in window. Once again, we managed to lose Shirley. Bill and Ursula tried to find her, but she was nowhere to be found, yet she had been right there just a minute earlier. Turns out that a local had invited her into her courtyard to take a picture and Shirley went along with it. Of course, the fact that our meeting at the van time was 20 minutes earlier didn’t make a dent.... Our next stop was Vignamaggio, another of the major Chianti Classico vineyards. The villa associated with this vineyard is the purported birthplace of Mona Lisa. It was also the primary shooting location for Kenneth Brannagh’s version of Much Ado About Nothing! Nice grounds. It rained off and on the whole time we were here. The rooms are available for lodging, but I didn’t find out the price. I’ll bet they’re expensive.... Lunch was served here. Ursula said it would be a light lunch. She lied. It was a full meal and very delicious. An assortment of antipasto, most of which I can’t remember, just that it was all good. This was followed by a risotto dish, also quite good. This was also a wine tasting. They brought out three bottles of wine and we managed to finish all of them.... The first was a Chianti Classico. The second was a Chianti Classico Supreme (more aging and almost pure Sangiovese). The third was a “super Tuscan”, a Sauvignon Franc (one of the grapes frequently making up the balance in a Classico). This one was the nicest of the three in my opinion. Each wine got its own glass, so that nothing would detract from the tasting. No one thought to get a picture of the table - three empty wine bottles and 21 wine glasses.... Oh, and vin santo for dessert. It was a lovely meal! After lunch, we got to tour the wine cellars. And take some photos there, too. The three photos above were taken in the wine cellar. The photo on the left shows some of the interesting angles in the ceiling architecture. The other two photos show some barrels of wine aging. Then we went out to the formal gardens, where we could spend some time. The photo below was taken in the gardens. The photos above were shot in the formal gardens here. The left and right ones show the gardens themselves. The center photo shows Bill trying to take a picture where Shirley wandered in front of him and set up for a picture of her own. Some days, she was just oblivious.... Unfortunately, the rain started up again and we had to cut that part short. Giovanni had some umbrellas in the van, so we were prepared. Some of the group picked up some wine here to take home. I couldn’t figure out how to manage it on the plane, so passed. And they wouldn’t ship to the US - they have distributors there and can’t undermine that relationship... Ursula gave us a choice of visiting a pottery/ceramics factory or the place that made the cashmere goats milk soap that we found in our rooms. The pots sounded more interesting. So, after dropping Bill off at the Villa Rosa, we continued on to a pottery/ceramics factory. Ursula had given us the impression that this would be a tour of the facility, showing how they make the items there, similar to the tour we had in Florence with the silversmith. Not so. The “tour” consisted of - here’s our showroom for custom orders and here’s our showroom for ready made items. We all picked out something there, but there was grumbling. I picked up a small oil bottle that I’ll probably wind up using as a bud vase. It’s pretty, but I saw the same thing for less at several stores in other villages.... Then it was back to the hotel to rest before dinner. We wound up talking about cameras. Michelle is really coming along. She was asking questions that I didn’t know the answers to! Dinner was another delicious meal. The main course was beef. I was tired. In fact, I nearly fell asleep at the table. Crashed by 10. Next...