(Part 7 in a series. Previous installments can be found earlier in this blog, or in the Archives section)
Today started the way it seems every day in Chianti begins; a beautiful, sunny morning in our villa and a walk out the to pool to gaze over the countryside. The olive groves and vineyards are still there, all right; if this is indeed a pleasant dream, it sure is a long one!
But this is no dream; this is real: we're really here in Chianti living a dream come true! Today is one of the big reasons why we're here; today I turned 50.
Jeez, when did I get so old? The funny thing is that I look and feel no different that when I turned 40 or 30. Well, okay, a little better upholstered, greyer, and a bit more saggy in places, but I honestly don't feel any different. Was I looking the other way when I passed somewhere along the line the 'entering adulthood: proceed with caution' sign?
Well, there's no time for rumination and being maudlin right now; we need to beat feet to the cafe to meet the others for the days adventure. Today our destination is the Castello di Verrazzano, and it's excellent winery and restaurant!
Located on a commanding hilltop overlooking the Greve vally, this was first the site of an Etruscan settlement, than a Roman village. The site came into the possession of the Verrazzano family in the 7th century. Giovanni da Verrazzano, the man who discovered the bay of New York and most of the East Coast (and has NYC's Verrazzano-Narrows bridge named after him!) was born at the castle.
At this point, dear reader, you may be wondering how I know what I do about Italian history. I assure you I haven't taken a crash course before the trip. I have Italy by Vespa to thank, and their wise choice of Golden Travel as trip leaders in Chianti! Golden Travel is not your typical tour outfit. Our guide Maurizio is by no means your typical tour guide, which is usually some college kid making the extra odd Euro by reading off a prepared spiel about the places your visiting. Maurizio is actually Dr. Maurizio Mattasoni, who holds a PhD in Italian History! Yet Dr. M is no stuffy academic; he has a real gift for working with people and finding out what they want, and a McGuyver-like talent for making it happen! If you aren't interested in history, he doesn't bore you with it. Dr. M deduced, however, that I am a history buff, and shared with me all the fascinating history of the region. 
Dr. M is actually one of the most remarkable people I've met in a long time. He's a bit of a raconteur, and the kind of person we would call in this country a 'fixer' or a 'troubleshooter'. He seems to have a mental Rolodex that won't quit, and knows everyone worth knowing from Milan to Rome! He told us of a recent experience when he got a call from his friend Salvatore Ferragamo (yes, that Salvatore Ferragamo). It seems Sal was in a bit of a jam: he had Jay-Z and Beyonce (yes, that Jay-Z and Beyonce) popping in for a few days, and could Dr. M show them around? Dr. M dropped what he was doing and squired them about the area for several days, and as a result they had a wonderful visit. Dr. M noted they were a very nice couple, but had an almost ADD-like tendency to constantly change their minds on what they wanted to do! In many ways, Dr. M. reminded me a lot of Harrison Fords's immortal character of 'Indiana Jones' from all the "Raiders" movies. In our correspondence, I call him 'Indy'. It really seems to fit, actually.
Needless to say, Mr. Ferragamo was quite pleased and grateful for Dr. M's help. It seems in Italy, this sort of 'you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours' thing is quite common, and would soon work out to our benefit, as you'll find out in future installments! During our rides, it seemed like Dr. M constantly had his flip phone wedged between his ear and the inside of his helmet (kids, do NOT try this at home!). It turns out he was constantly calling ahead to ensure that all was ready for our arrival, and sure enough, whenever we reached our day's destination, we found a warm welcome and everything in readiness. It seems whether you're famous celebrities like Jay-Z and Beyonce or a working stiff like me, Italy by Vespa and Golden Travel really makes you feel like an A-lister!
And if there was ever a day that I felt like I was on the 'A' list, today was it. We spent the morning scooting through the lovely Greve valley until we came to a small gravel road leading uphill into the woods. We soon popped out of the trees at the top of the hill where we saw the Castle and Verrazzano estate. It seemed no sooner had we parked our Vespas we were greeted by one of the Castle's staff. As always, we were expected. Our host took us on a tour of the grounds and the winery that was in the cellars of the Castle. This place would make a great setting for an episode of "Masterpiece Theater" or an Agatha Christie mystery! Besides wine, the grounds have many lemon trees, and a several fenced acres where they were raising wild boar for their own restaurant (see part 6 for more about the cinghiale, or Italian wild boar).
After our tour, we were shown to the dining room for a elaborate multi-course luncheon. Here was the bill of fare:
- First course: Antipasti platter of Tuscan meats (prosciutto, boar salami, etc)
- Second Course: Penne pasta w/primavera sauce
- Third Course: Roast pork, salad, white cannellini beans
Full yet? But wait, there's more!
- Fourth Course: Cheeses featuring a little trick where you are given a piece of parmesan cheese, which you place in your mouth and grind up a little bit with your teeth, and then mix it in your mouth with a spoonful of Castello di Verrazzano's own 20+ year old balsamic vinegar. The taste combination was simply indescribable!
- Fifth Course: Homemade biscotti dipped in vin santo.
Finally came a surprise. Our servers came out bearing a lovely birthday cake for me! It seems Tess discreetly mentioned to Dr. M. that today was my birthday, and he quietly took care of the rest! Soon everyone in the dining room was chanting 'bra-vo! bra-vo!'. I guess this is what they do in Italy in lieu of singing 'happy birthday'. Happily, my cake (a lovely apple cake) didn't have 50 candles on it!
So that is how I spent my 50th birthday; riding a Vespa in Chianti, and enjoying a truly memorable meal with the very best of company! As the old beer commercial said, "it just doesn't get better than this"!
Today's gift from Italy by Vespa was a lovely bottle of locally made balsamic vinegar.
