Amazing Tuscan Villa Rental in Chianti, Italy

Getting out of the Hotel’s tiny private parking garage was an adventure …  made for VERY small vehicles … one of the maids accompanied each driver to the garage … 2 blocks away … then she gave very careful hand signals to avoid fender damage! … felt proud when she hopped in the car and said something to the effect of “good job” !!!

Very heavy rain made driving difficult … some flooding of side roads … total distance ~150 miles … as we neared our Villa (~3 PM) rain stopped (good luck) … the Villa is part of a winery & cooking school … the plan was to meet the manager at 4 PM to check-in.  So, since we had an hour we had lunch at a roadside cafe that was good.

An amazing event while at lunch … a foursome at the next table speaking English … Karen overheard one lady mention Duke … she struck up a conversation … the gal is a urologist … studied & took her internship at Duke … even more amazing, the second lady is the sister of a waitress employed at “Boondocks” restaurant (near our Ponce Inlet condo) and a marina where we kept our boat for several years … we’ve known the waitress for years … they also are acquainted with the Boondocks Dock Master (Jim Bowen) … then we learned one of the couples is from Columbia, SC and knows Mel’s former business partner … WOW, and here we meet at a small road house restaurant out away from any civilization !!! Amazing!
You never know what's in store when one takes these adventures!

So, the hour went quickly … then on to the Villa for check-in … Bill & Linda plus Sid & Cheryl (both couples from Jacksonville) … were to rendezvous with us around 4 PM at the Villa … waited in the Villa till their 7 PM arrival. Quite chilly outside so a fire in the fireplace was in order.

The Villa is set in the midst of a winery and cooking school … back a gravel road ~1 mile with a fantastic view in each direction …. take a close look at the pictures … again, our cameras do not do the views justice.
Decided to return to the Roadhouse for dinner because it is nearby.