We have been in Siena for a few weeks now and have done so many wonderful and interesting things that we are a little behind on our blogging.
A couple of weeks ago, we visited a winery we learned about in Rick Steves’ guide to Italy--Santa Giulia near Montalcino.
Without the help of our iPhone and GPS, it would have beenn very hard to find, but following our trusty Genie's commands, after a panoramic ride thru the Tuscan countryside, we turned down a dusty country road and three kilometers later found this beautiful setting.
There we were greeted by Kae Terzuoli, a lovely Japanese woman who came to Italy a few years ago to learn about its history and culture and one day took a wine tasting trip to the Montalcino area where she met her future husband GianCarlo.
Together they have created a little slice of Tuscan heaven and provide a great experience for visitors to their family owned winery.
While GianCarlo tends the grapes and makes the wine, Kae leads the tours of the winery and hosts the wine tastings.
Raised in Yokohama, Japan she has had to learn about wine making from her husband and his family.
She was a fount of knowledge and a delightful hostess. We all so enjoyed our tour, learned a little, and loved the wines--Brunello, Rosso di Montalcino and Merlot.
Following our wine tasting, we drove to the other side of Montalcino, to visit the Abbey and church of Sant’Antimo.
We arrived near dusk. An unpaved road leads you to the 12th century Romanesque Abbey, which looks much as it must have 800 years ago when pilgrims arrived there on the road from France to Rome: beautiful, serene and welcoming.
Fortunately, we were in time to enter the sanctuary, but not to hear the monks singing their Gregorian chants--we were told by the caretaker that the few remaining monks had moved to France, so that beautiful music will no longer be heard in this sacred place.
Still it was an inspiring experience, just to sit quietly in one of the pews, look up to the ceiling high over your head, and meditate on the day's happenings.
It truly is a remarkable and holy place; you feel it as you walk around especially late in the afternoon on a incredibly beautiful late summer day.
There we were greeted by Kae Terzuoli, a lovely Japanese woman who came to Italy a few years ago to learn about its history and culture and one day took a wine tasting trip to the Montalcino area where she met her future husband GianCarlo.
Together they have created a little slice of Tuscan heaven and provide a great experience for visitors to their family owned winery.
Raised in Yokohama, Japan she has had to learn about wine making from her husband and his family.
She was a fount of knowledge and a delightful hostess. We all so enjoyed our tour, learned a little, and loved the wines--Brunello, Rosso di Montalcino and Merlot.
Following our wine tasting, we drove to the other side of Montalcino, to visit the Abbey and church of Sant’Antimo.
We arrived near dusk. An unpaved road leads you to the 12th century Romanesque Abbey, which looks much as it must have 800 years ago when pilgrims arrived there on the road from France to Rome: beautiful, serene and welcoming.
Fortunately, we were in time to enter the sanctuary, but not to hear the monks singing their Gregorian chants--we were told by the caretaker that the few remaining monks had moved to France, so that beautiful music will no longer be heard in this sacred place.
Still it was an inspiring experience, just to sit quietly in one of the pews, look up to the ceiling high over your head, and meditate on the day's happenings.
It truly is a remarkable and holy place; you feel it as you walk around especially late in the afternoon on a incredibly beautiful late summer day.
Happy birthday mom
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