Day 7. Tuscany: the hills and the Town of Cerreto Guidi

I once had two men in my Spanish class in heated debate about who were the worst drivers- the Italians or the Greeks.  Neither would concede.  Both the Italian and the Greek wanted to be the worst in the world.  That’s probably why I was a bit worried about the driving part of this trip.  Well, it turned out I needed not have worried.  Sure, the Italians park creatively.  Sure they cut it a bit close overtaking.  Sure the speed limit is 130kph maximum and 50 minimum, when I am used to a top speed of 110, but otherwise, so far so good - though I wasn’t driving.  I need to go to Greece to give my decision on which is the worse, but I don’t think it is the Italians.

We woke this morning to birdsong and tractors.  Now we know we are not in Milan.  No traffic noise, no continual sirens.  Bob has a theory that aliens from another planet are taking over Milan.  They are female, impossibly long legged, slim, elegant, tall and beautiful.  I am interested to know whether the aliens have spread this far south.  So far we haven’t seen humans at all.  It is absolute bliss.  Our companions had a wonderful swim in the infinity pool, we wandered round the farm and the lanes beyond

 

admiring the abandoned church,

 the decaying buildings,

 the views

 

and the wildflowers.  As in Milan, little lizards dart busily around.  There are so many insects that they make a good living.  I can see why people pull up roots and move here.

We decided that we should do something beside loll around in nirvana, so dragged ourself down rugged country lanes to the nearby village  that we could see on the next hill, Cerreto Guidi.  

We passed through vineyards and olive groves, and a flock of milking sheep, some wearing bells, and all sheltering from the heat under two trees.

It turns out that the town surrounds a museum at the top of the hill, called Villa Medicea, which used to be one of the Medici’s palaces.   The town also has one of their hunting lodges.  Although the shops were shut, the town was very pretty, with lovely displays of flower using chairs as plant stands

It also has very good views of the neighbouring countryside.

We entered the museum and discovered some fine examples of embroidery

 

 

and tapestry,

family portraits,

 

marble work,

armoury,  ceramics

 

 and furniture.   Through the windows, one can glimpse the fine gardens, which are not open to the public.

Then, we heard the sound of drumming, and discovered that the town was having a competition between teams dressed in medieval garb ,

 

 which include drummers ( tamburi),

 trumpeters (trombettieri)

 and  young men ( sbandieratori) who individually toss and catch flags in their hands and in their legs,

 

 What a lucky experience!