Hotel Sole Volterra

... could use for our research papers on Italian culture. All in all, it made me think how that was exactly how I would like my apartment to be when I get my own one. Tea set and all. I've become surprisingly addicted to tea since I came here. The English variety, of course, with milk and sugar, but I'm still rather surprised that I've come to enjoy tea so much in Italy. Rather than, say, coffee.

... trees lined the road ahead and at the top of the next hill stood another walled town with thick town towers like a castle. Vilmo pointed to this place and said this was his town called Monticciello. We drove up to the front arch next to construction fencing. He told me that the restaurant just inside the entrance sold his products. This town is known for their big theater performance put on every summer, Vilmo said, and some of his wwoofers performed ...

... sink. At the lowest point of the square, the spare but elegant Palazzo Comunale, also known as the Palazzo Pubblico, is the town hall (containing a civic museum on its lower level). From the palazzo, the Torre del Mangia – a graceful bell tower built in 1297 – soars above the entirety of Il Campo.

Il Campo was huge, and spectacular, and full of energy – and by the time we got there around 12 noon, it contained throngs ...

... life time on this trip already!
Climbed the tower in the main piazza, saw an enormously large pizza and had wild boar sausages for lunch which were a bit gamey but nice.
Went for drinks at Lochness bar and ended up drinking long islands as there wasn't much in the way of wine or beer there.

... find them, not knowing who I was looking for, then Kathie came out to help. We caught up with them and I then figured out that Kathie was talking about Dave and Loraine Huner. Their son played baseball with Michael and that son and his twin sister graduated with Michael.

After quickly saying hello we went back to dinner then after dinner went to the bus stop for our ride to the hotel. At the hotel Kathie and I relaxed then started getting ready for our last day of riding.

... at a restaurant in the city where again we were the only non-italians for a while. We lingered long over the meal as it was "bellisimo"! Hearing English from the table across the way, we struck up a conversation with a trio, one whom had just broken his arm. Turns our they were biking around Tuscany and he fell off his bike! They all work in Kuwait for an American oil company (she is American, went to Clemson, one was Lebanese, but lives in ...

... 1500-1600's. They initially built hospitals but then developed into 3 arms, religious, medical and military. The city was pretty fascinating, though we toured it very quickly and were back on the bus to Lindos. On our way we stopped at a ceramic shop were they made hand made bowls, plates and vases. They were beautiful and we bought a small decorative plate. I hope it makes it home! In Lindos, we walked through yet another cute ancient city and climbed up to their Acropolis, which means ...

This weekend was our trip to Firenze (Florence) and it was so amazing. |n Rome its chaotic and there are ruins everywhere, but Firenze is much more laid back. We had quite an adventure taking the train to and from Firenze. First we went after a morning of visiting ruins with our professors and because Bush was visiting Italy there were police everywhere and the buses were way off schedule. Once we finally made it ...

... so I decided to head in the car, and be in the hills as the sun came down. Did that... stopped a few times. Took some pixs (Although, I already know they don't do the sights ANY justice). And found my way to San Gimignano again. Parked the car, and just took a Passigiatta (Evening Walk...thanks Light in the Piazza!!) around the walls, and enjoyed the sky changing colors as the sun went down. Found a place to eat, and had a nice meal. Nothing special ...

... a way that the galleries case in a piazza type area outside, so there are spectacular views from inside the gallery. At one point, we stopped for about an hour so that Matthew could sit on a bench and sketch views of the Palazzo Vecchio and the Duomo from the gallery window (he also sketched Florence from a tiny window/hole while we were high up in the Duomo yesterday). After the museum, we decided to cross the Ponte Vecchio and see the Oltarno (or the area on the other side of the ...