Photojournalism in Chianti

The Dolomites are sweet. So is Chianti.After last week's brief four day venture to the northern reaches of Italy, I swung through home in Lucca, enjoyed Taco-Tuesday(-on-Friday) with some friends, thereby bringing arguably the best Mexican food to Europe before continuing south to Chianti. The amazing part of riding down here is that virtually every time you go over a rise, around a corner, look over a wall, or down a city block it's like catching a glimpse of a postcard. This place is absolutely incredible.Have I mentioned inGamba Tours? Yes, I have. And in other news, they're located right there -->I decided to pay them a visit as one of their "pros in residence" in order to continue my cycling escape and soak in the good life, all the while training hard and not racing the Tour. Today I had salad. And it was delicious. Here's a fairly standard day from behind the camera lens (and in fairness, this is an amalgamation of two days).Lots of vineyards.A road.A breathtaking view that just isn't served justice in this photo. Plus a fence.It's wine o'clock somewhere. In this case, it's about that time in Panzano.I didn't eat here. But I liked the photo.Dario Cecchini's macelleria and restaurant are worth the visit. Very un-salad like.Sunday traffic. Estimated combined age of this duo: 197 years.You ever see the Palio? It's kind of a big (absolutely ginormous!) deal in Siena. I stumbled upon it yesterday.Greenery.A fountain. I think this one is called The Lion King.Dusk.Last night was a two'fer: a local town BBQ dinner plus Italy versus Spain in the EuroCup finals. Italy got trounced, but it was amazing to see the enthusiasm and patriotism. The entire room of 100 stood and sang the national anthem. Emphatically. Plus yelled, kicked, screamed, and cheered at every opportunity. Go sports!But like I said, Italy lost. And they like their Chianti Classico in this region.Goodnight.Today was a proper day of bicycle riding. Looked something like this.