Hotel Le Volpaie San Gimignano

... ever been inside and it was so cute! She had these three huge bookcases that her architect sister designed filled with books, paintings and drawings on the wall and a baby grand piano that a girl in our class played while we sipped our tea. The apartment itself was pretty large by Italian standards and our class of about 25 fit inside her living/dinning room with ease.

As far as the ...

... but I distinguished them from each other by the shifting colors of the sky. Monday the sky hung heavy with a deep purple over all the land. Tuesday the clouds disintigrated burnt by the juicy blood orange rays of the sun. Wednesday, following lunch the sun melted like bubblegum ice cream across the horizon. Each sunset overwhelmed me almost to the point of tears. Each evening Van Gogh seemed to grace the sky with his pastels. The sun melted into ...

... s famous panforte (hard cake with nuts and candied fruit) – and they were light and flavorful and delicious.

After such a beautiful meal, I think Murray and I both fought the urge to find a quiet spot in the sun and take a long nap (an urge we have fought several times in Italy, after these big meals!). Yet – onward we walked to our next stop, Piazza del Duomo. Once again, this Duomo (cathedral) was incredible to see. It is ...

nous sommes rester a florence pour terminer notre visite la ville en allant aux jardins boboli et bardini, situe dans la cours du palais pitti. Deux grand jardins qui a cette date n'ont plus autant a offrir qu'en ete. il n'y a plus de fleur, et la moitie des arbres n;ont plus de feuille, mais on a pu constater l'ampleur de la propriete en passant tout l'apres midi a ...

... kitchen.I went down later that eveing to chat to the people staying there and marvel at the double bed inthe kitchen.

Really quiet in the off saeason with a lot of places noteven bothering to open or open reduced hours.

Was sitting outside the only bar in RioMaggore and Jess who I shared a dorm room with in Salzburg walked past. Turns out she's staying in the same dodgy room as me again!

Was lucky there was a bunch of good people ...

... considering getting another one when we left, but I decided against it. Another great thing was that we went into this leather shop and Jenah realized that she bought the bag she was wearing at this exact shop almost three years ago. That was even weirder. But the guy was really really nice and helped us out and helped Lauren decide what to buy and what not. It was fun. San Gimignano was a great little town and I really really liked it there.

... show which roads were uphill we ended up taking the long way and went all the way uphill, all the way back down and then all the way back up again. Piazzale Michelangelo was a touristy place but very scenic nonetheless. There were street vendors set up all along the sidewalk as well as gelato bars. Quite a few people had assembled to watch the sun's last moments above the horizon. It was a fitting end to our time in Florence ...

... s beauty. We stopped in Pisa to let passangers off, and after they decended we continued our trip. As we left Pisa we went over this bridge over the river, and I was able to get a glance of some more of the city. Even though I only saw Pisa for a few minutes (though I didn't get to see the leaning tower from the bus) I felt that Pisa looked very beautiful and quaint, and hopefully someday I will be able to visit it ...

... to prove a challenge. A bus trip back to Siena and an SMS from the Elsternwick neighbours who happen to be in - Siena! A coffee in the Piazza and introductions all round to Rosalba the ceramics lady as we walked back towards their car and chanced to meet Rob and Liz on the way! A change of camps and back to the Piazza with the latter, stopping once more at Rosalba's to contemplate some pasta plates... Had to do it. Couldn't leave them behind when I was this close. Pasta ...

... in a cream sauce, steak Florentine (approx. 27 oz); Vin Santo, a sweet dessert wine, with biscotti; water. 40.50 Euros. This was an excellent meal! After the place filled up, the service slowed down. Between two rooms filled with people, only two waiters took care of the guests. I walked for a short while after dinner, heading towards the Ponte Vechio. The moon was out but behind some clouds. I took a few night shots, which I hope will come out ...