The Surrounding Areas

On our way to our cars we stopped to take a picture of the current front facade of "The Wow Project" The unit we toured was the top floor right. 

No houses to see today, but we ran into Serena who said there might be some tomorrow. So today we followed Andrea and Melissa to their favorite hike by the sea on the Etruscan Coast. Along the hike you come across Etruscan underground chamber tombs from around the 2nd and 3rd centuries B.C.

And then minutes later you reach Buca delle Fate (Gulf of the Sirens). Legend has it that the waters in this bay were once inhabited by these mythical creatures. With their melodious singing, they lured in fishermen who were never to be seen on land again. 

We enjoyed a snack on the shore while learning how to say hospital in different languages. I attach the video below for your education as well.

After our hike, Andrea and Melissa suggested we explore the neighboring towns on our own. We drove the beautiful Viale dei Cipressi (Boulevard of Cypresses), a 5 kilometer tree-lined road to the historic village of Bolgheri.

We walked the center of this charming medieval town and came across this shop selling sculptural pieces. I post a picture of his mail box so we can remember it for the future. Ira really loved one of his wall hangings.

When we walked around the corner I spotted a man near a poster of the artist, then realized it was actually the artist, gosh. Though there were lots of people enjoying lunch al fresco, we decided to drive to the next town. Though the was beautiful, it was too small for us to consider living there. Though they are home to one of Italy's famous DOC wines, so there's that.

The next town was Castagneto Carducci, named for the Nobel prize winner for Literature in 1906 and a famous Italian poet, Giosuè Carducci. His family lived here between 1838 and 1849.

We parked and walked up the hill to this spot and then up into the town until we reached the church at the top of the hill. We wandered around town looking for a square or a restaurant to have aperitivo, but everything seemed to be closed. Our timing was a little off, but no worries we were ready to get back. This town felt similar in size to Massa, but didn't feel right. Where were all the people? We ran into a total of four the whole time we were there.

On the drive back we realized that this was the land of vineyards and olive trees. It was clearly set up for wine tasting tours with beautiful entrances to the vineyards in between olive orchards. So pretty, until we came across a flooded road. We pulled over to assess.

As we waited, we saw an SUV type vehicle cross the opposite direction without any issue, though their vehicle had more clearance. Then a little car pulled up behind us and stopped. An old Italian man got out with his dog. We watched while the dog ran across the flooded road back and forth in water only a few inches deep. On his way back to his car, the man stopped next to us. As Ira rolled down the window I struggled to find the words to ask for help. I came up with "La strada, tutto bene?" to which he responded in a deep and confident voice "Oh, siiiiii, siiiii". Victory! It felt so good to be able to communicate under pressure.

We made it over the road without any issues, but the rest of the way was pretty hairy. We narrowly missed a big truck coming round a tight corner and oncoming cars on roads that seemed barely wide enough for one car didn't even slow down. These were not the roads that Andrea took on the way out. We were in the Tuscan back country. But Ira was a very attentive and careful driver and we made it back safely.

Back at the Palazzo, we were tired from the stressful drive, but Ira wanted to walk to the Coop to get some wine and some veggies. On a side note, though the Coop is a cooperative, it is written without a hyphen and the pronunciation of the second 'o' is the same as the first. I'm probably the only one who spends that much time dissecting a word, but I find it interesting.

Meanwhile, back on our walk, the Salumeria across the street from "The Gallery" property was open, so we poked our heads in. To our pleasant surprise, the shop sold more than cold meat. There were fresh veggies, wine and many other sundries. Though obviously the prices were quite inflated, we assumed so for the convenient location. The bonus was the shopkeeper who was the nicest most friendliest man. His English was about as good as our Italian, but we figured it all out. He even gave me a "Brava" for having my own shopping bag. We felt so good having met him, we were happy to pay the price on this night.

The evening ended with a steak and pasta dinner, which by the way Ira prepared and cleaned up after as he has been doing since we arrived. He says he's enjoying the process. And so am I! 😀 

Ciao a tutti!