Day 16: Gaiole In Chianti

On to Castello di Meletta today for a tour of the inside of a castle.  It was a summer house in its prime and the style was much more quaint than ornate with lovely paintings and frescoes adorning the walls and door ways.  The kids loved the dungeon and secret getaway door underneath the castle.  The gardens were simple and the trees were old and shady, with a lovely view down the valley.  They host weddings and have accommodation in another building just near the castle.  The cellar door proved a lovely little spot to sample a couple of the wines including a glass of bubbly.  We headed off to San Sans and came across a nice place for lunch on the terrace.  They stayed open just for us and again we feasted.  I rang mum for a chat and she informed us of snow in Queensland, schools closing in Katoomba and that they had to shut the Hume Highway.  Wow, it just didn't seem possible as we sat in such extreme heat.  Another day of around 40 degrees and everything is beginning to feel too hard, dare I say it.  Back to our house for a much needed rest and swim before dinner at "Nonna's" house again.  Even Aunty Catherine and Nonno Tony had a swim.  Poor Scarlett did a flip and cut her lip quite badly.  It blew up and went purple within minutes, but she was very brave.  We stopped at the supermarket on the way to the Garbin's and I felt fearful of the cranky shop owner. What's with the rudeness of some of these supermarket vetcha's. Yet again, we lined up for the fruit and vegetables. It took 20 minutes for us to be served by the man and collect about 15 items of fruit and vegies (why did we pick fruit salad for dinner for the kids).  Honestly, why we cant self serve is beyond me. And then I asked the deli lady for some reggio parmesan and she waved her hand at me in disgust (did I say it wrong?) and walked me to the prepacked refrigerator and put pre-grated kraft equivalent parmesan in my hand before disappearing out the back for ages. Hang on, I wanted a piece of the big delicious fresh block amongst the other amazing cheese in the cheese cabinet.  The tension was already high with three kids running wild through the supermarket, so I paid up and did a cranky pants stomp back to the car.  Thank god Tony had a cold champagne ready when we arrived.  Mark cooked us a great seafood pasta with frozen seafood that's origins were a little questionable. The wines flowed and we enjoyed one of the dessert wines from the first castle we visited.  As the night progressed, my face reacted to something and I had red lumps and blotches everywhere. We weren't sure if it was they dodgy seafood, kraft cheese or the wine, but it was late and time to get the kids to bed.  It was a nice end to Chianti, but I am very happy to be leaving for greener pastures.