A wonderful evening at Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio in which I had the honor to be with the representatives of the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium and the Comité Champagne. The highlight of the event was an exclusive gala dinner in the stunning Salone dei Cinquecento with several high-profile participants: Dario Nardella and Arnaud Robinet, the Mayors of Florence and Reims, as well as a few key figures of Gallo Nero and the French Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne. On this occasion, before the champagne dinner, the Knights of Champagne were named and the guests paid homage to the Gallo Nero (the black rooster) legend, which is also depicted in Vasari’s very own frescos, on the Salone dei Cinquecento’s ceiling.

Tommaso