I know it sounds a tad cliche but after my 3 month stint I was in love. Over the next couple of years whilst racing my bike as an amateur part time in Holland,Belgium & Germany I returned to Quercegrossa on a number of occasions to train & explore the area further. Many a family member & friend would accompany me on these all too frequent sojourns in Chianti. We would explore the deepest cracks of Chianti eating & drinking & of course cycling till our hearts content. During these visits I began to meet more & more of the locals & soon became known as the Aussie who had worked at 'Il Castello'. I fell deeper & deeper in love, then in June 2001 after only 18 months back home in Australia the desire to return to Tuscany & Quercegrossa in particular became too much to handle so the decision was made to make it my home.
The next few years would end up being some of the most memorable of my life. At 'Centro Bici' it wasn't long before people knew me as the Kangaroo & my Italian couldn't have been too bad since many an hour was passed 'chiacchierando' (chatting) with our friendly customers. We also ventured into organised cycling trips in the hills of Chianti,Le Crete Senese, Montepulciano, Pienza, Bagno Vignoni, Montalcino & even as far down as Saturnia. We had clients from all over Europe & the rest of the world. Week long tours with sometimes as many as 30 people all spread over the country side, creating our very own Tour of Tuscany. Both Avio & I would alternate driving the van or riding together with our clients. We would pull up for a picnic or a coffee & enjoy some of the most inspiring & majestic views this incredible part of Tuscany has to offer. You've seen the post cards!
Both Avio & I continued to work with one another until the seasoned closed in October 2003, dividing our time between the shop & touring around this most picturesque part of Tuscany.I loved my job & the lifestyle it afforded me. It wasn't all work however.
Due to Avio's previous popularity & racing experience with the local cycling community I was fortunate to gain an Italian racing licence & compete regularly in local Granfondo events. In 2003 we raced extensively on the local Granfondo circuit with some rather impressive results without taking it too seriously, often enjoying the post race pasta party & 'Vino Rosso' more than the racing itself. Many a training ride was done with past & present champions honing our form for the next pasta party...........I mean Granfondo.
This area of Tuscany has some of the most beautiful roads for biking.With challenging routes it's certainly not for the faint hearted but I can assure you that it is without a doubt some of the most rewarding cycling you will ever do in your life.I am proud to say, I have never been bored riding around Siena.
Disappointingly, due to different circumstances I moved back to Australia at the start of 2004 & apart for a quick visit in May 2006 during the Giro d'Italia it was Down Under that I remained until March 2008. For 4 years I continued to live & work 'at home' while many of my friends & family continued to visit Siena & the village of Quercegrossa on my recommendation. I longed to return.
During these 4 years I met my girlfriend Chula & we often spoke about heading to Europe together.Chula had never been to Europe & with me constantly in her ear about my exploits in Italy & my adopted second home she had little choice but to see it for herself. So in 2008 we found ourselves together in Quercegrossa.
The moment we walked through the door of 'Bar Paola e Bianca' in the piazza Jacapo della Quercia it was as though I'd never left. All the same people were there just like it was yesterday. There was the entire family working today.Federico(Il sotto cuoco), Francesco(Kekko),Il Sindaco, Barbera & of course Paola & Bianca. Not to mention Beppe, the Siciliano florist & many more. They all hugged & kissed me like a long lost son & then moved on to Chula accepting her immediately as one of there own. We drank a coffee & chatted for what seemed like an eternity as though the last 4 years had never occured. Nothing much really actually changes in this part of the world, apart from the odd new arrival but then that's one of the things I find so appealing. Before I we left the bar to walk the 2 km back to our apartment the whole town pretty much knew I had returned. Oh & who was this pretty girl Graham & turned up with? The gossip mill had begun.Our traditional welcome dinner at ' The Bar ' had already been organised for that evening. As usual the original booking had exploded from half a dozen or so close friends to over 20. This is standard practice here & often a small intimate dinner can turn into a full blown party. The evening started with an 'aperitivo' as usual then proceeded with the best antipasto I have ever eaten, consisting of home cured meats, Pecorino cheese, bruschetta, Crostini, Crostoni & the best picked onions in the world. By this stage I was almost full to the brim then our waitress came around to collect our pizza order. I was wise to this but Chula was already beginning to feel the pinch. After pizza came Paola's Tiramisu 'fatta in casa' & of course Espresso coffee. The entire meal was typical 'Chiantigiano', washed down with plenty of local Chianti vino rosso. I'll spare you all the details of what transpired that first evening back but let's just say it was a night to remember. Chula would later recall that the entire day had been like the set of a movie theatre with all her favourite actors. She had heard me speaking of all these people & then to finally meet them in the flesh was quite extraordinary.
Over the next 2 years up until a few months ago we found ourselves dividing our time between Quercegrossa,Edinburgh, Scotland & Australia all the time having numerous visitors to our little corner of Tuscany, regardless of whether we were there or not. When we were there however I did have plenty of guinea pigs to trial run my ROLLING IN CHIANTI Cycling & Cultural Tours. Eating,drinking & exploring by bike the best scenery Tuscany has to offer.
