Monday, October 20- Siena.

This day was a highlight of our time in Tuscany, a Tuscan wine tour in the Chianti area. We had made reservations for this event with Tuscan Wine Tours. Our directions were to meet our guide, Rebecca, near the public library on the Arno.

Tuscan Wine Tours features wine tours in a comfortable 6-8 person van. She told us more about wine than we'd ever imagined was ever known as she drove us into the heart of the most beautiful countryside that we've ever seen in Italy. Along the way to our first winery we saw a monastery, vineyards, olive groves, and heard the history of all that we saw.

Our tour was an exploration of Chianti Classico, an area that runs from south of Florence to north of Siena. We were told about how Chianti Classico is made, about grape varieties, how no irrigation is allowed, and much more.

At the first winery we saw grapes being separated from the stems, visited the cellars, learned that white oak barrels made in France are preferred, and tasted the wines included at least Chianti Classico, a Riserva and an IGT Super Tuscan. They also had wine jelly!

We stopped for lunch at another winery that had been highly rated by Wine Spectator. In addition to a tour of that winery, we enjoyed a meal that included pasta made on the farm and the exquisite Chianti Classico wines of that winery.

After lunch, we visited Greve, a picturesque town in the Chianti area which has a triangular main piazza. Here, shops have been operating for centuries, and this day was no exception. Rebecca let us off to explore shops featuring linens, embroidery, a butcher shop, and about every item you might look for. Although we experienced a brief but heavy rain shower while there, the overhanging roofs protected us.

Our tour ended with a return to Florence at approximately 5 p.m. It had been a wonderful, memorable day.