Giuliano knows alot about this forest...he did his thesis on it when he was in university. It's amazing what he knows about the forest and about the history of Petraia. Here are some crazy facts about Petraia:
- Petraia was settled 2000 years ago when the Etruscan's made a village on one of the hills. There are now ruins where their village used to be.
- The house that is still standing today was probably built in the year 1100. What!??! Is that not crazy!
- Up until 50 years ago 'peasants' still farmed Petraia and all of Italy...the system was still that the Property Owner recieved half of what the farmer made...but the farmer had to buy all of his own supplies, etc. So, the farmer was always in debt and the owner kept the books so the farmer had no idea where he stood financially. That is from the Middle Ages...but this law was only abolished in 1950!!
Giuliano told as a lot more...sadly, those were the only things I can really remember. Oh jeez, I'm getting old.
The walk through the forest was beautiful. There are many old, old chestnut trees, but this one is extra special...it's 5oo years old and has a cavity:
It was amazing. That's me standing on my tippy toes!
We talked about mushrooms, wild berries, wild boars, and wild greens...but the most talked about thing was the wild cherries. They were everywhere, and the trees were heavy with fruit. 
The only problem is the trees are really tall and so the cherries turn a rosy red and then taunt you, 'cause there is no way you're getting them with out some kind of machinary.
We found a couple on the ground and they were delicious.
Giuliano and Michael were especially angered by the taunting cherries and tried their hardest to reach some...
I told Giuliano to use his "Italian Intelligence" (his words) but it was hopeless. The birds will be very happy.
It was so neat to walk around the forest and listen to what Giuliano knew and hear the history of Petraia...it is simply unbelieveable.
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