Ready to take the train to Milan

Today was another incredible day in Tuscany. We left for a wine tour at 9:30am - we were late again because as much as we try we still can't get to bed at night nor out of bed in the morning - I am not going to master the time change while we are here. By 11am we were tasting incredible Brunello wine from Montalcino, which we really enjoyed and stayed much longer than we thought we would. Brunello is widely considered to be the most prestigious Italian red. Our guide tells us always that the French make better wine, but the Italians are very proud of their distinctive taste and they are very proud of the wines they make with 100% Sangiovese grapes. Our first winery had priceless views of the Tuscan countryside. We were late to midday prayer at a local abbey that had been standing for over 1000 years - unbelievable. Then we went back to Montalcino and had a wine tasting and lunch at the medieval fortress, before heading to Montepulciano for another wine tasting in the most incredible medieval wine cellar you can imagine, right within the walls of Montepulciano. We didn't care for the wines there as much, even though they were quite good. After another requisite stop at a gelateria, we returned late afternoon for our villa at Montechiaro. The guys went into Siena looking for a sports bar to watch the KU/Tech game, but it was just as well that we didn't find one since I now know it was a slaughter. We had an authentic Tuscan menu prepared in the villa for dessert, some great conversation and cards, followed by a good night's sleep (I hope) with an added hour for DST before I take the train to Milan tomorrow morning. Oh yes, I almost forgot the most important thing. When we returned in the afternoon I was able to celebrate Mass in a medieval chapel no longer in use. Talk about stepping back in time. There was no modern altar facing the people, and when I was celebrating Mass I thought of all the Masses that had been celebrated on that same altar since 1700 or so - incredible feeling. The Mass was the highlight of today, followed closely by hundreds of incredible views as we drove through the Tuscan countryside. +m