Today we were very generously asked by the Signature Travel Group to accompany them on a trip into the heart of the Chianti wine region, for a day of bacchanalian pursuits – 4 months onboard the Silver Whisper has left us perfectly trained to take on this challenge.
We drove from Livorno into the beautiful Tuscan countryside, to the town of Greve in Chianti, a real gem of a place. We've travelled a lot in Tuscany and never stopped in here, which was a shame, because it's a really attractive place, full of arts and crafts, and dedicated to food and wine – my kind of place.
After a fun time of exploring the historic streets of Greve, we went into the countryside to have a tour round an atmospheric Renaissance Villa that's still in private hands. The building was slightly crumbling and draughty, but that gave it a lived-in charm that really made you wish that the owners had enough money to restore it to its former glories. The gardens were beautiful, while we were to find out that the farmland outside produced some delicious food, and some very quaffable wine.
We were served dishes that were wonderful in their simplicity, while the copious wine served ensured that the volume levels steadily increased as the afternoon went on. As the cruise draws to an end, it was great to have an informal occasion like this to share stories and plenty of laughter with our fellow travellers.
As you can imagine, it was a pretty sleepy coach journey back, but everyone had had a great time.