What a great day we had just outside Florence in the Chianti countryside! We traveled in a minibus with our own driver and stopped first at the American Cemetery. This beautiful burial ground is the resting place for 4,398 soldiers from WWII owned and maintained by the United Sates. The Allies liberated Italy from Nazi occupation in April, 1945 and this memorial place honors those who gave their lives for that cause. It was a very inspirational and peaceful experience. From there we drove about 30 minutes to reach the Verrazzano estate and winery. We enjoyed the lovely grounds where wine has been produced for 800 years. There is a special connection for those of us from Southport as Giovanni Verrazzano sailed into the Cape Fear River in 1524 and went on to discover other places along the East Coast including New York. We had a delicious lunch and tasted five of the wines from the estate. Our last stop was in the charming little town of Greve which is the capital of the Chianti area here in Tuscany. Our next to last day has been one of beauty and "taste"!
