DAY 4 JULY 20 LUCCA-SAN GIMIGNANO-SIENA-FLORENCE

The Tuscan countryside with its rolling hills, pencil-thin cypress trees .

This morning we were driven to hilltop San Gimignano, the most picturesque of Italy's perfectly preserved medieval towns and Lucca a smalll city surround by its original defensive walls; San GIMIGNANO is a medieval town that owes its famous skyline to the rival families who tried to outdo each other by building taller and taller towers. Siena once rivaled Florence for artistic and political dominance in central Italy.

Getting ready to walk into the winding streets of Siena and the Piazza del Compo whis is a beautiful square in the heart of the city where each year rival neighborhoods complete in the "Pallo", the horserace around its perimeter. From there it's a short walk to the big freen and white striped Duomo, with its paintings and sculptures and the famous "Pergamo" or raised altar.

This place reminds mumsie of Johor's "YONG PENG" which is filled with little shops selling ceramic wares like these....

Lots of wine for sale toooooo

Lucca's peaceful narrow lanes wind among the medeval buldings suddenly to reveal churches tiny piazzas and many other reminders of the cithy's long history including a Roman amphitheatre.

This is another square... This square is surrounded by beautiful medival buildings

This is at the Plazza della Cisterna (square)

Enjoying their gelati (Italian ice-cream)

Took this for the sign above about shipping thier wares to all over the world

Then we came into this place for morning coffee. SEE the chunks of dried pork meat..one of Italian's favouriteswaiting for her cuppa

Home made bread and the dried pork at the backSEE the sign about drinking cheap wine??

BOTTLES and bottles of wine

Since it is soooooooo hot ice -cream shops every where is doing good business

Tourist everywhere

Took this cos mumsie is envious of them..Joseph is 70 years old...and Josephine is 60 something and yet they are roaming around with us on our tour (without their children around) Mumsie is praying hard that when mumsie and dadda is around their age...we too can travel like them....HOLDING HANDS all the way and everywhere!

Most of the Italian restaurants have their tables laid outside the shop.....
???WORLD CHAMPION GELATO

This shop was voted 'WORLD CHAMPION 2006-2007' gelati

San Gimignano " the city of Beautiful towers" In the middle ages the city was an important stop for the pilgrims who were going to Rome. The rich families competed int eh erection of high towers which served as lodging, fortresses and prestige symbols. Unlike the other cities, most of the towerw have been brought down due to wars or urban renewal San Gimignano HAS MANAGED TO CONSERVE MOST OF ITS TOWERS.

Eleanor is wearing a disposable shawl .Gotta cover her 'sleeveless 'T' shirt.... whilst visiting the church

The celing of the DUOMO

Look at this 'zebra' like marble pillars...actually the tour guide used her fingers to scratch on the black PART of the pillar and the 'black' soot disapeared and underneath's original gree, colour re-appears

Most of the Italian towns have Squares like this

Took this photo with our Tour Director cos mumsie likes her 'T' shirt

Then we drove off to the chianti area between Florence & Siena whis is one of the most beautiful countryside in Italy

Th quintessential Tuscan countryside

We drove by rows and rows of vineyards!!! Before we reach the splendid VERR AZANO CASTLE to hear about the fine art of blending four types of grapes to obtain the famous Chianti Classico Wine . Tuscany is known all over the world for its wine and its countryside of unequalled beauty!!!

We enter this gates into somebody's castle... for wine tasting

Linny with her grapes...see carefully you can see a few brunches!

Getting ready to go in for our wine tasting tour

Celine looks a bit confused now...with so much wine around

her

Barrels and barrels of them!!

her...See the wine are stored in BIG BIG DRUMS!!! This is our "Wine" guide who not only took us round and showed us the place she also introduced us to the different types of wine...

Dadda must have videoed something interesting

If you look carefully these bottles of wine are covered with dust... cos (we were told) that they had been kept there for many many many years!!!

Look at all those grapes...bunches bunches of them

Normally wine tasting means you will be given little glasses and you gotta sips sips the different wine here you are given by the bottles...and you gotta pour and pour and pour.......

Ooops this place is cooool ! Wine lovers - this tour is for you!!!

See the amount of food on the table???? When ever we go for "wine tasting tours" we were only given a few "sips" of the different wine. Here not only were we given chairs and well laid table with nice food and home made bread !!!!
See the bottles of wines on the table??? You can drink as much as you can!!!!!

"Yum sing" they seem to like it...see we've been to many 'wine tasting' tours but never never never like this!!

Josephine and Joseph joining our table

This is the very famous Chianti classico 'wine'

After all the wine tasting we decided to buy some home...The wine is in the paper bag that mumsie is carrying...Malaysia only allowed us to take in 1 BOTTLE per adult...more than that you gotta pay tax...50% tax!!! Guess whose hat was mumsie wearing????

After the wine tasting tour we were taken to our hotel ...Sheraton Firenze (Florence in English)- we stayed 2 nights here
Outside the hotel at night

The inside of the Sheraton...not bad???