Il Pozzo di Monteriggioni

... tea, she had a tray of ceramic tea pots sitting out at her table with cream and honey and lumps of sugar. There was also some cookies and a plate of brownies she had baked. These she cooked with olive oil instead of vegetable oil because she ran out so we warned us that they might be slightly salty. But they were still very good.

She even lent us some books from her collection that ...

... fresh at the table. Everyone got their own cup of olive oil to dip their bread or cut vegetables in. Then we ate homemade soup or lentils or baked chicken with herbs or cooked fennel, etc. etc. You get the point basically that lunch was my favorite part of the day and I stuffed my face feeling like I was in Italian heaven. I felt so healthy though despite the excess of carbs because we had fresh salad every day as well and Val d'Orcia red wine made ...

... one of Italy’s greatest Gothic churches, and we could see why. Like the famous Duomo in Florence, Siena’s Duomo – completed by 1215 – was quite beautiful from the outside, containing a gorgeous red, white, and green marble façade. Inside, however, the Duomo was even more spectacular; it has an exquisite patterned marble floor that contains 56 different panels depicting historical and Biblical subjects!

If the ...

Siena photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album. php?aid=164853&id=613699523&l=d 7d2db6b42

Thursday caught a bus to Siena with Nonie and Kerrin.
The Duomo there is one of the best and most beautiful churches I've seen inside and out - and I've seen more than enough churches to last ...

... br>
We were let go from the tour at the Duomo and look around on our own then left to souvenir shop. We ran into the Orrs and Jim wanted to stop at McDonalds for dinner so we stopped and watched him eat. The two couples then moved onto the Piazza Campos were we found a restaurant to have dinner at. Kathie had soup and I had pasta while we watched the tourist go by in the piazza. While our meal was being prepared she told me that she saw our neighbors from home go by. I ran out ...

... back to Australia! Today we went to Vinci and visited the Vinci museum - where Leonardo Da Vinci left his drawings and writings. We had a beautiful lunch in a cafe overlooking the rolling hills of Tuscany. It is such a gorgeous area and the food was great too! Tuscany seems so picturesque with such green hills and mountains. We will be visiting Pisa, Florence and various other spots over the next few days. Well I'd better go as this is turning out to be another tome! Suz

... still, Florence is beautiful, and I don't regret choosing it as part of my three-week tour. So, I went down past Piazza San Marco (does every Italian city have one of those?) and into the Basilica di San Lorenzo, another one of those ancient cathedrals the Italians seem to love so much. Now I'm not a particularly religious person, but you have to wonder if all ...

Today I am wrapping up a visit to Italy. A remarkable city, in that everywhere you turn, you run into something very historic. It might be from classical antiquity, the medieval ages, the Renaissance, or even the present day power of the Catholic Church at Sait Peters. After arriving Monday afternoon, I went out that evening to see the Colosseum and surrounding ruins under the lights. Very beautiful and best of all, no crowds ...

... cooking class with a company called the Accidental Tourist. I can't wait! I enjoyed another excellent plate of Lasagna in one of the squares last night under the covered patio roof listening to the sound of the rain beat down. This morning, I got up very early to stand in line at the Academia (Galleria dell' Accademia) where Michelangelo's David and his unfinished 'Prisoners' can be found. In Florence, the smart thing is to make a reservation to see the top sites. Unfortunately ...

... on the buses, so you can ride for free as drivers dont care. SO we didnt stamp them that day, and still ahd the ticks when we were leaving...of course I forgot i had them in my money belt..) So we get on a bus, everything is good. We are going to just make our train at the station, all of a sudden 3 guys in black florence coats come on the bus and start asking for tickets. Christine and I are like, oh ****! because we thought wed just ride the bus for free to ...