Chianti

I drove the beautiful hills of the Chianti region today. My goal was to return to Greve in Chianti where I bought a lovely bracelet of alternating copper and silver links, hung with a ripe grape cluster made of champagne colored crystals during my trip with my mom. I’ve never seen anything like it and I wanted to see what else the little shop might have.

I exited the main highway too early and embarked on a beautiful route of torturous twists and turns I’ve dubbed the “Italian roller coaster. I might add that I have ridden the Scottish and Irish roller coasters as well. All of them share similar razor-sharp hills which descend sickeningly into deep gullies by way of tight hairpin curves on the narrowest roads I’ve ever seen, with nary a guardrail in sight. All of the so-called roller coasters effect me the same way…they seem to have an extremely strong diuretic effect, which today left me to negotiate the spaghetti-like curves, a mere 8 feet ahead of a screaming diesel truck driven by a wild-eyed man belching smoke like a chimney, while attempting to clamp my knees together so as not to become the victim of an “accident”, vehicular or otherwise.

I made a pit stop in Radda in Chianti, gulped down a coffee (which also has a diuretic effect, mind you), loped down the stairs, through the door, down some more stairs, and around the corner to the restroom…only to find it occupied! Experiences like this built character or so I’m told. Personally, I think they built bladder control and the macabre desire to hang out in the Depends aisle of the grocery store.

After what seemed like 6 hours, I arrived in Greve in Chianti, drove ‘round the town looking for parking for 20 minutes, then ran to the store as though it contained the Holy Grail, only to find it was out of business. Disaster! Then it began to rain. It took another hour to get back to the main highway, by which time I was nearly in Florence. I thought I’d stop in San Gimignano to see if Bella Rita was at work, and to visit a little shop with exquisite Italian stationary and cards. Guess what? Neither shop was open! It was just one of those days where you are busy every minute, but accomplish little. Fortunately tomorrow is another day, fresh and untainted, with no mistakes or mishaps in it. I shall paint myself a new day full of beauty, hope, and promise!

An older gentleman patted me on the cheek today as though I were una bambina, reminding me of how much I miss my own nonno. It was almost like having a nonno (grandpa) again for just a moment.