The morning started cold and drizzly.  I watched the weekly market setting up from our house but we were in no hurry to go out.  Finally the rain stopped and we made our way through the crowded streets.  Most of the stalls are selling cheap imported stuff.  The markets, like everything else, are not what they used to be.  I was surprised how large it was, covering many streets through the town, and so full of people.  Where did they all come from?

We stopped for a great coffee and conversation on a side street away from the market and made our way to the supermarket to get some paper goods and beans and tomatoes to add to the leftover soup.

On our way back we perused the food stalls and bought some spiedini (like kabobs) for lunch.  

One of my main reasons for choosing this area is the Franciacorta wine.  I just love it!  It is much more like champagne than it is like Prosecco.  We signed up for a tour and tasting at the Berlucchi winery which is one of the oldest here.  The building itself is gorgeous—like a movie set for an old winery.  The tour took about an hour and was very informative.  We liked Giulia, our young guide.  Most of the tour was in the dark cold cellars.  They warned you before coming to bring a jacket.  You wouldn’t believe how bundled up I was;  I was ready for a snow storm.  

After the tour we all (there were about 12 of us) went to their beautiful tasting room where we sampled 3 different wines.  First, the simplest, a Satén, good for aperitivo, 100% chardonnay. Then a single vintage Brut, a bit drier and more complex with the addition of pinot noir.  The last one was called a “Nature” 2017 and was the only one to have seen any oak.  SO good!

Franciacorta is a very small viticultural area, less than 80 square miles.  We stood outside in the sun and admired the vineyards. It had turned into a really beautiful day!

After a rest we went out to explore another area of town and found a bunch of new shops and streets.  

We had our much improved soup for a simple supper and did a laundry, always an adventure in these rental places.