Another sunny day in Italy and the first day of driving in Tuscany. Earlier this year, we visited New Zealand and also had to rent a car to get around. In previous years, we would make plans that worked only using public transit (mostly trains). However, New Zealand opened up to getting to more remote sections of the country (that’s almost all there is in NZ). This time around, we decided to go further into Tuscany and, later in the trip, to Sicily.
Our first day driving around lasted under an hour. We did learn a lot in such a short drive. Mainly:
- Italians like road signs. There’s at least one every couple of meters; most of the time, there’s at least two. You’ll get signs saying you’re entering a 50kph zone and leaving a 30kph zone. You know, just in case you didn’t know the previous speed limit and wanted to know by how much you were above the speed limit. You’ll get signs saying that if it rains (one sign), freezes (another), or the road is slippery (a third). I guess physics only applies to these areas of Italian roads. A bit too verbose if you ask me, but clearly the Italian ministry in charge of road signs didn’t.
- Driving through a medieval town requires using the “retract mirrors” feature. I never understood why one would need to retract the side mirrors other than once parked or while parking; I wonder no more. Turns out that some streets are so small that without it, you’ll be missing either one of your mirrors or paint on both of them. You’ll also need to keep to a strict 2kph speed limit to thread some of the narrower streets (I know the sign says 10kph, but you have to be on a Vespa to go that fast without worrying about your vehicle's structural integrity).
- Driving in wine country makes you realize that, in wine country, you either drive, walk or drink. That’s what there is to do. Since you’re in Europe, most of the buildings that aren't gas stations are older than most of the cities in America, yet your liver is still doing all the work.
Being in Montalcino, we learn that there’s no such thing as Montalcino wine. It’s Sangiovese grapes grown near Montalcino, made into Brunello by wineries in and around the city. Traditional Brunello wine-making requires aging the wine in large wooden vats for about a year. And then age it in a bottle. From what we’re led to understand, 2008, 2012 and 2013 were very good years for that wine.
Tomorrow calls for more wine tasting, well, drinking really, as they serve you half a glass of each wine you’re tasting. Once you get to tasting 4 or 5 different wines, you are firmly in the fast-drinking category! It’s a lot of delicious fun!
Fortezza di Montalcino · Piazzale Fortezza, 9, 53024 Montalcino SI, Italy
★★★★★ · Castle
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