Florence to Greve in Chianti

This morning I visited the Duomo in Florence and hiked up the many, many steps to see a beautiful view from the top of the dome out over the city. I thought it would be rainy, but it was very sunny and beautiful. Then my friend Dave and I biked out of the city via the South Gate of the old walled part of the city, past the Roman Gate, and up, up, up into the countryside filled with many olive gardens, forests, and several vineyards.
At some point there was a common theme I often discover when I am biking (in my experience bike touring especially) -- we seemed to be somewhat lost, yet somewhat on track. In one of the little towns we had difficulty finding the right route because there were many one way streets with no sidewalk and no shoulder -- you had to ride your bike along with all the traffic and it was quite heavy. Even with Dave's phone GPS, my GPS (that admittedly didn't have the downloaded detailed maps), and with my book's map and directions, we had difficulty figuring it out. Like what usually happens on my bike trips, Dave and I gave up on trying to match up with the supposed directions and decided on the best way to get where we wanted to go next. Also typical, it was uphill all the way! :)
However, I did enjoy some of the uphill (for a change) because there were beautiful views out over the valleys. There was something interesting to see every few moments, whether a picturesque, old church, a mountain view out over olive tree groves, or a town on the hillside in the distance. As we went on like this, making the best of it, there were sporadic sprinkles that kept us cool from the humidity while climbing the uphills. Those sprinkles eventually turned into a steady rain, which eventually turned into a steady downpour. As Dave and I took a break under some roofed gate, we decided to don our rain gear and that helped make us more aerodynamic. During this part of the ride there were several downhills, although a few climbs again as well.
By the time I got to Greve in Chianti (~22 miles or 35 km) I felt like I had done a good workout, and (surprisingly) wasn't completely beat. We are staying at a place know as the Old Spaghetti Factory, so dinner and wine from this famous wine growing region should be great tonight!