Day 3 with Art and Richard - a creative route in Chianti.

A couple of Culinary moments since the last blog.  The night after my last post, we all went to an amazing event at Pallazzo Gondi, a perfectly restored palazzo in the center of the old city with amazing terraces.  5 wine tastings in different rooms from the Gondi family vineyards, all excellent.  Afterwards, we went to Kate and Nicco's for dinner and the ribbolitta in particular was wonderful.  It is a kind of room temperature "soup" with bread, tuscan beans, and other things, in particular excellent olive oil.  On our ride today, we stopped a couple of times, once at my favorite spot in San Polo, where excellent cafe machiato and cappuccino were consumed.  Second stop for sustenance was in Strada, where we tried a cafe I had not been to before.  Strada is close to home and I simply don't stop there.  The panini were wonderful.

For the Italian phrase of the day, I will simply quote Art after his first bite of the panini.  "Molto better"  Which was really about how he felt.  A creative use of both Italian and English with his Philly accent showing through, even after 40 years in Colorado.  Next time I will try to get him to say, molto maglio.   Ciao.

Creative Chianti ride with Art and Richard - no repeat routes by ridingwithcosimo at Garmin Connect - Details

Art, sporting an Italian kit - looking sharp - and 

Richard at the start where we picked up Art.

What can I say - boys will be boys - Art for pointing,

and me for taking the picture.  Beautiful spot though.

Art, rockin' the kit above Cappanuccia.

Art climbing from San Polo to Poggio alla Croce.

Richard on the climb to Poggio alla Croce.

Another beautiful villa in the Tuscan countryside between 

Brollo and Ponte alle Stogli.