I left Florence at 7:30am and hopped on the SR222 road through the Chianti region. There seemed to be quite a few people doing the same thing too - lots of people in fancy cars and motorbike riders whizzing along the winding roads. I took it easy, as I had nowhere in particular to be.
My first stop was at a place called Greve in Chianti. It had been mentioned in my research plus I wanted to stop and stretch my legs after an hour of driving... and perhaps pick up something tasty for breakfast. So I managed to find a parking spot and walked into town. I tell you, not being a coffee drinker sure makes mornings more complicated in Italy... No one seemed to be eating anything, they were all just standing at bars drinking strong coffee out of tiny cups! So I had a wander around Greve then got back on the road.
The next stop was Radda in Chianti, which had a really good public parking area. Props to them, as parking is not always a given in tiny towns. Radda was actually a really lovely place, with locals and tourists alike milling around and getting lost in the maze of streets between gorgeous old stone buildings. My favourite kind of place!
I left Radda in Chianti and was making for San Gimignano, again in no particular hurry (though it was getting closer to lunch...), and decided to veer off the main roads for the smaller gravel roads, or strade bianche. This turned out to be the best decision! The white gravel roads went through the glorious Tuscan countryside and were such a joy to drive down!
