Italy Part 6: Florence - The Bike Tour

On the Saturday that we were in Florence, we went on a bike tour. The company picked us up in downtown Florence and drove us about 45 minutes southwest out into the countryside near a village called Poppiano. Poppiano has a castle and a Count, and has since at least the 1200s!

These days, the current Count and his family run a winery and olive-oil making facility in their castle.

The castle

Castle courtyard

The castle shop

The most flavorful, delicious olive oil I've ever tasted!
I was able to bring a small bottle of it home with me in my carry-on 1-quart zip lock bag.

Olive press

Their wine was good, too, though I didn't bring any of that home.

More casks

Lots and lots of wine!
(Gus is normal-sized in this photo; it's the cask that's the wrong size!)


The view from the castle tower

After the wine and olive oil tasting and tour of the castle, our tour guides put us on bicycles and led us on a 13-mile bike ride in the surrounding countryside.

Vineyards

More vineyards, with olive groves on the far right hill

The local scenery

The whole excursion (van ride, castle tour, biking, lunch, more biking, and the van ride back to Florence) took about 7 hours. It was a very fun but exhausting day!