The Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta on the road from Pienza to San Quirico d'Orcia

In 2001 I came to live in Italy. I had some fun, wrote a journal and this is the blog of my story...

"Tuscany is a state of grace. The countryside is so lovingly designed that the eye sweeps the mountains and valleys without stumbling over a single stone. The lilt of the rolling green hills, the upsurging cypresses, the terraces sculptured by generations that have handled the rocks with skillful tenderness, the fields geometrically juxtaposed as though drawn by a draughtsman for beauty as well as productivity; the battlements of castles on the hills, their tall towers standing grey-blue and golden tan among the forest of trees, the air of such clarity that every sod of earth stands out in such dazzling detail. The fields ripening with barley and oats, beans and beets. The grape-heavy vines espaliered between the horizontal branches of silver-green olive trees, composing orchards of webbed design, rich in intimation of wine, olive oil and lacy-leaf poetry. Tuscany untied the knots in a man's intestines, wiped out the ills of the world. Italy is the garden of Europe, Tuscany is the garden of Italy, Florence is the flower of Tuscany." Irving Stone from my favourite book " The Agony and the Ecstacy" A fictional biography of Michelangelo



103. Castello di Brolio and Lecchi-in.Chianti



The new term is well under way and today it's a bright sunny day and a drive in the countryside is in order.
Today's destination is the biggest castle in Chianti, Castello di Brolio, which is near Gaiole. We stop off at Lecchi, a tiny town with picturesque views of the countryside. We park up at the bottom and walk up the hill to Castello di Monteluco...





We drive on to the castle at Brolio and pretty impressive it is too! We join on to a guided tour and find out some interesting facts. The main part of the castle dates back to 1147 and has been added to many times. The famous 'iron' baron Ricasoli of 1829  actually laid down the formula for Chianti Classico wine, a formula that lasted for 150 years!





No visit to Brolio would be complete without a tasting of some of the estates wines... which we do at their newly refurbished enoteca and very nice they are too!




http://www.ricasoli.it/

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