Paradise - Experiencing some of the finer things in life
Pandemic Update March 2020-sitting at home going through boxes of old pics ... what do we find? A picture of K from 1991 at Sirmione - no wonder it seemed familiar when were were here on this day in 2019! Keep scrolling down to see
We decided to ease back into Italy so today was wonderfully filled with sleeping, eating, drinking and sightseeing, all in equal measures.
K pointed out that we did actually ride our bikes for about 10 km to accomplish all of this, but that won't show up in our totals.
First though we have to give our heartfelt thanks to Andrea, our Warmshowers host. He went out of his way to make us welcome, comfortable and extremely well taken care of over the last few days. It was so special to be able to experience this incredibly beautiful area through you.
As noted in the opening para, we started the day by sleeping in ... something we haven't really done yet on this trip. We didn't need it physically, but mentally it was great. This was followed by a leisurely coffee on the balcony overlooking vineyards reaching down to Lake Garda and then a short downhill spin on the bikes into Peschiera.
Hang out, watch the world (mostly dogs!) go by, eat some lunch (great pizza on a boat / restaurant), have some gelato (habit forming) and then meet up with Andrea for some sightseeing.
First up, a tour and tasting of the Ca dei Frati winery, a very beautiful 3rd generation family winery in Lugana. Andrea's girlfriend Maria Chiara is part of the 3rd generation! In a word, it was fabulous. I'll let the pictures tell the story.
Next up was a late afternoon / early evening stroll through Sirmione, a fascinating and achingly beautiful town situated on a very narrow peninsula jutting 3 km into Lake Garda. There were still quite a few tourists around, even on a Tuesday in October, but just enough to make the place lively. It was not crowded at all. And the weather .... perfect. Once again I'll let the images speak.
That was pretty much our day. Tomorrow we remind ourselves that this is a 'travel by bike' trip and we head off south across the Po plain until we hit the Apennine mountains that lie between us and Tuscany!
Song of the Day, Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by John Mayer. This was playing in a sidewalk cafe in Sirmione as we strolled by. The sun was just starting to set, it was calm and peaceful, and the guitar riff in this song just seemed to define the moment. There you go.
Once again it was Tuesday and the day seem to be dominated by older retired folks walking their dogs ... perfect
Including an Amarone named after Maria Chiara's grandfather who started the business. Very modern and automated equipment throughout the facility ... this is the labeling machine
They make a superb sparkling rose in the Champagne method. Here, racks of bottles are stored inverted so the yeast / sediment collects in the neck of the bottle. Cool picture too
This machine was an auto-rotator. It, almost imperceptibly slowly, would gently rock the cages full of sparkling wine to move any sediment into the neck area before freezing and disgorgement
The grape harvest was nearing completion and these chaps were tending one of the hoppers where the newly harvested grapes would start their multi-year transition
ah, that's better. A superb Rose Cuvee dei Frati sparker (made with Gropello, Marzemino, Sangiovese and Barbera grapes that spend 24 months on their lees), a very good Ronchedone (Marzemino - a grape I don't know that we've had before, Sangiovese and a small amount of Cabernet) and a 2008 , their first Amarone vintage, Pietro dal Cero Amarone- excellent
-cut to a late afternoon visit to Sirmione, a very narrow peninsula that sticks out 3 km into Lake Garda. Exceptionally beautiful. K and I vaguely remember cycling by here 29 years ago on our Swiss Alps / Italian Lakes tour ... hard not to remember this in vivid detail!
Pandemic Update - March 2020 ... sitting at home and going through a box of old photo's and what do we find - K perched on a stone wall by the gates of Sirmione, September 1991 - yes we were here before!
