Different Spokes for Different Folks

Margherita and Marco serve breakfast at nine, and there was a rain shower that passed through, so we got a late start on our ride today.  I loved listening to Margherita talk about her family.  Her grandfather, Caesar, who still lives on the farm, had a stroke last year.  They were in the midst of making wine when this happened and the winemaking is a very involved, very precise process.  They do not use sugar, but rather add grapes for the second fermentation, and without Grandpa's sure and steady hand, were unsure how to proceed.  They called his friends, many who were in their 80's or even 90's for advice.  And when Grandpa was able, he told them what to do.  They had the wine tested...and often this is expensive, but because Caesar has farmed this land for decades, they charged Margherita and Marco 5 euros...and declared the wine perfetto.

The first half mile of our ride was uphill, and we stopped at a grocery store for water.  When I came out, Patty asked me if I'd mind riding solo today.  Yesterday took a huge toll on her energy level and she just felt like she needed a day to recharge.  She would stay and enjoy San Gimignano, while I rode to Volterra.  

It was a great training ride.  I was surrounded by vineyards and olive groves on low traffic roads with a LOT of hills and a fair amount of wind.  When I had ridden the 17 miles to Volterra I had over 2100' of gain.  I snapped a couple of pictures, but they do not do the landscape justice.  Even with the haze, you could see 30 miles or more.  I saw a handful of cyclists out on their bikes and it is always "Ciao, ciao!" when you pass.

Patty walked into San Gimignano and did a fair amount of people watching.  The town is so photogenic, and gift shops and restaurants abound.  This is a popular stop for tour buses and the gelaterias had lines out the door.  

We met at the B&B around 4 and watched the rest of the first stage of the Tour de France.  The sprinter finishes always amaze me...I'm never sure how much is skill, how much is strategy, and how much is luck?  This morning we met a couple from The Netherlands who are going to eat dinner with us and then watch the Netherlands play Costa Rica in the quarter finals of the World Cup.  We asked them if they watched the Tour but he said professional cycling had become a "circus" with all of the commercialism.  I had to chuckle, because, seriously, sometimes when I watch football (soccer), I feel like I'm watching theatre.

We opted to have dinner at Casa del Poggio tonight.  Oh my.  Margherita and her mother Daniella make many dishes from family recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation.  We had pasta with tomatoes, garlic, basil, and their own olive oil, and then for a secondi dish, we had  Tomino, a cooked cheese, round zucchini that had been fried and tossed with roasted almonds, and a zucchini and onion frittata.  All of that with a bottle of their chianti.  Yes, it was...very yummy.

Tomorrow we are riding north to San Miniato.  It should be an easy ride of just 25 miles on low traffic, back roads.  I remember when we were planning this trip and I could not remember Miniato...could not spell Gimignano...and though I have only been to a small fraction of Italy, I feel as if I have gotten to know her much, much better.