Vino, Wine
I like wine. I’m only human, right? A long glass of rich red with dinner, acool sip of white with lunch, or a glass of champagne at apperitivo time.
It’s all good. So what better place to be than Tuscany?
Towards the north-west of the grand Italian peninsular sits one of the most
famous wine regions in the world. On the map you may see Tuscany, but ask
any wine connoisseur what lies therein, and they will tell you it’s not just
Tuscany, but Chianti.
Outside of the major tourist cities such as Florence, Pisa, and Siena, the
Tuscan countryside provides the ideal environment for grape growing. It’s a
recipe encompassing rolling hills, nutrient-rich soil, adequate rainfall and
a generous dollop of sunshine mixed with cool nights. It’s the perfect blend
of elements for a perfect blend of wine – Chianti – that has over the
centuries grown to become what is now the most sold (and thus most drank)
wine throughout the world.
But it’s not just the wine that is appealing about the Chianti region. It
also just happens to be one of the most uniquely scenic parts of the world,
with the sculptured landscape rivalling works of Renaissance art that
pervade the streets and galleries of Florence in beauty and visual awe.
The natural elements have carved spectacular cliffs and ravines into the
hillsides, and beside them, amongst them, and atop them, generations of
farmers have manicured the land to resemble a vast and beautiful natural
tapestry. Methodical lines of grape vines criss-cross the hills, with olive
groves, sunflower pastures, and small patches of deciduous forest filling
the voids between.
I’d been to Tuscany before, and had followed the usual tourist trail to the
cities and their impressive but busy sights. But this time I was looking for
something a little different. I was looking to leave the queues and tourist
prices to the tourists in the touristy cities, and venture out to discover
the real Tuscany. And of course some of the famous wine, straight from the
farmer’s cantina.
I had decided Certaldo would be my base for exploring the region after
finding a flyer in my hotel in Rome describing it as a small town situated
‘in the belly button of Tuscany’. It seemed like the perfect place from
which to discover all of the best bits of Chianti and the Tuscan
countryside, as well as being easily within striking distance by train of
the Tuscan tourist cities.
Stepping off that train at Certaldo station was a resurrection for my
travelling spirit. It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of
tourist traffic in Italy, but finally I found a reprieve. I was in a town
that was as beautiful as any other small medieval village on the peninsular,
yet finally I was outnumbered by locals and people who did not speak my
language. I breathed air that reeked of freshness and let my eyes consume a
light visual snack of traditional folk going about their business in peace.
As I waited for a ride to my hostel, many people looked at me like I was
from another planet. I was laden with a heavy backpack and dressed unlike
them, and thus different. Evidently, I was a tourist in a place that was not
used to tourists. It felt great.
The hostel that I had found – the only one in town in fact – was indeed a
find. A building that was constructed by Benedictine Monks about the same
time Dante Aligieri was writing The Divine Comedy, ‘Fattoria Bassetto’ had
only recently been converted into a guesthouse. Prior to the arrival of
modern day travellers like myself, it had weathered around 700 years of
Tuscan sunshine and the busy toil of the monks farming the expansive
property for generous yields of wine, tobacco, olive oil, wheat and corn. It
once also boasted the area’s largest pig sty and a stable big enough to
house more than one horse from each of the 23 families that through the
later years shared life on the huge estate.
On my trip it presented a serene location to kick my feet up and relax,
whilst of course simultaneously sipping a glass of wine. Tail-wagging pets
welcomed my arrival on that first day and soon enough, like most other days
during my visit, I found myself lazing in one of the hammocks by the pool,
happily submitting to the strings of tranquillity that gently pulled my
eyelids shut.
Over the course of my stay in Certaldo, I encountered many opportunities to
sample some Chianti wine. Particularly worthwhile was the hostel
management’s offer of a tour to the sub-region of Chianti Classico, a few
kilometres away, where the original Chianti wine blend was conceived
hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of years ago.
The guide pulled the mini-van up to a number of roadside wineries en route
through the ‘Strada del Vino Chianti Classico’ (Chainti Classico Wine Road)
where myself and the rest of the small group were not only given several
glasses of their wines but also a tour of the property and wine-making
facilities. We were delighted not only to sample the wine but also to be
educated on the process of wine-making, from harvest through to bottling.
The opportunity to buy the odd bottle at wholesale prices was also welcomed
by most everyone on the tour. And given the bottles I brought away with me,
it seemed that I was making amends for those who chose not to buy.
Back on the road, we were constantly engulfed by the scenery that makes the
Tuscan countryside world famous. It was late September, and although the
sunflowers had long been withered and burnt by the searing August sun, the
hills provided plenty of other colourful splendour. The cooler nights had
begun to turn many of the grape vines the same shade as the setting sun as
it drooped laconically towards the undulating horizon, and an abundance of
wildflowers grew brilliantly by the roadside. Every colour of the rainbow
was accounted for. Tractors pulling carts loaded with freshly harvested
grapes trundled out long driveways lined with tall straight cypress pines.
Ancient brick villas dotted the hillsides, vying unsuccessfully with the odd
moss-ladden castle for visual dominance over the vineyards and olive groves.
This was the Tuscany that I had imagined and longed for, and that so many
people miss on a whirl-wind tour in Italy. I am glad I took the time, and
delighted to have taken the wine. Each and every glass of Chianti will
forever remind me of that visit and those country scenes. I almost look
forward to running out of wine, and having to make another journey to pick
up a bargain straight from the winery.
