Tuscany

A drive through Tuscany led us to the village of Vinci to visit the Vinci Museum and Vinci birthplace in the nearby town of Anchiano. Even though the castle/museum was closed for renovation, we were able to see many of the mechanical machines that Leonardo designed. There were working models of many of his famous drawings—from pulley systems to a bicycle to a helicopter. Leonardo also had considered mechanical looms to make the brocades faster and more efficiently. The quaint streets were overhung with climbing ivy and bougainvillea and red and pink geraniums and purple petunias planted in terra cotta pots as large as a person.

After stopping for coffee and a bit of rest, we then headed to the birthplace of Leonardo, a farmhouse on top of the hill overlooking the town of Vinci and the olive groves and row upon row of grape vines that snake up and down the hillsides. The narrow (mostly single lane—YIKES!) roads scenically wind through the olive groves, occasionally ending up in a cluster of pale pink and soft yellow houses and farm buildings.

Weaving our way through the hillsides and having driven this several times before, Charles brought us to the village of Artimino. Villa Artimino, a significant palace built by the Medici family of Florence, was used as a hunting lodge. The farm grows its own grapes for wine and olives for oil, most of which never makes it to the US because the demand in the region is so great. The horse barns of the estate have been turned into a hotel and restaurant, where we enjoyed a two hour lunch of ravioli with ricotta and fennel/lemon sauce (me), and linguini with wild mushrooms (Chas), and heaping baskets of bread (oh, the bread!) dipped in the freshest of olive oils.

Crossing off another day as the sun sets beyond the hills, casting an orange and blue tint to the evening—a splendid day! Sigh.