The road from the Cinque Terre is a lot more scenic than the straight as an arrow train which rides mostly through tunnels. We climbed through the Ligurian Hills passing scenic mountain farming villages to the highlands surrounding the less touristy city of Lucca. This relatively unknown (by Rick Steves, I suppose) gem of a city lies in a flat valley and is surrounded by a broad wall. What a great place for a bike ride.
The bike ride was fun and allowed us to cover a lot of ground while enjoying a narration from a local guide, also on a bike, via our wireless system. Quite civilized. We got stunning views of lovely Lucca including its iconic tower with trees on the roof (It's an Italian thing, I suppose), grand downtown views, and on the way out of town passed a number of grand homes. Lucca is a town to visit for a longer time as long as one remembers to bring padded bicycle underwear.
The next stop was Fattoria Colle Verde, a winery and olive tree farm and oil producer located in a Tuscan setting that could be a movie set. Oddly enough the owner, who looks like Victor Borge, is a former film producer who left the world of entertainment to grow grapes and make olive oil. He also runs a cooking school. We were given a lesson in pasta making. The pasta I made was not linguini or tortellini. I made sterco, a new variety I believe. After a tour of a room full of wine barrels and a discussion of olive presses conducted by the ex-film maker owner, we had a lunch which included the winery's wine varieties in great quantities, mostly so we wouldn't notice the texture of the pasta we each had made. A good time was had by all in the bus ride to Siena.
We checked into the Grand Hotel Continental Siena mid-afternoon. This property is considered the best in town. Our room, located in the remains of the tower of the former palace, had frescos on the ceiling, and what appeared to be a murano glass chandelier above the four poster king bed. The nearby public room seemed nice, and the view out our window looked like a painting. I didn't ask what that room costs. Although we took a nice walk around town before dinner in a local restaurant, I'll leave the discussion of lovely Siena for tomorrow's entry.
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