Mon 7 Sept: Round Trip

We had a nice leisurely start today and the extreme temperatures have disappeared.  Today was a lovely 27º and we planned a round trip to see Casale again (which we loved last night) and to see two new places as well:

    Fiorino ('home')  >  Bolgheri  >  Casale (Cas-AR-lee)  >  Montescudaio  >  Fiorino.

Bolgheri was a fantastic discovery.  We LOVED it!  A tiny village found at the end of Viale dei Cipressi (Cypress Avenue).

People who live in Bolgheri can drive in, but visitors need to park outside the village walls.  However, it's only a short walk to the tower of the castle, which is the main gateway into the village. (It is referred to as a castle, and it is certainly fortified.  However, it's not big -- it's not what we Australians think of when the word 'castle' is used.)  Above the entrance is the Gherardesca family's coat of arms.  The family has owned the castle of Bolgheri since 1200!!!

The charm of the village is found inside the walls.  Pedestrian laneways, narrow roads, tiny shops (sometimes specialising in just one product), cafés.

 There was even a school servicing the very small village.  We poked our heads inside the door, but it's still summer holidays in Europe and we didn't feel we could intrude when no-one was around.

 A high priority, of course, was finding somewhere for coffee.

 Some 'locals' were sitting and talking in the square ... no doubt a daily ritual.

 All kinds of preserved fruits and vegetables (here tomatoes and artichokes):

All the buildings are made of stone and red bricks.  We loved walking around the streets of this very special place.

 Lorraine sitting with Nonna Lucia

An olive tree planted around 1720!

After leaving Bolgheri, we wanted to see Casale again.  It was on the way to Montescudaio, so why not?  We were there last night (for dinner with Andrea, Roberta and the boys) but we wanted to see it in daylight.

Absolutely bloody beautiful!  A special part of the world.

Daryl washing his hands

Another candle for Colleen ...

 Lorraine and Daryl

 Lots of small, family-run restaurants ... this one almost entirely covered with vines.

We then drove on to Montescudaio, which looked great from a distance, but of little interest compared with Bolgheri and Casale.  Wasn't even photo-worthy (except for this one taken as we approached).