L'Antica Posta San Gimignano

For the last couple weeks my Italian culture class has been on and off again because my professor was hospitalized with pneumonia. This week she finally resumed lectures, however we are in a different class room that is literally right across from her apartment so she doesn't have to walk a long way in the cold. And it is getting really cold in Siena right now.

This, unfortunately, means ...

... it in August. One wwoofer in particular named Rebecca was highly spoken of by Vilmo. He said she wowed the town with her loving and open personality. We didn't have time to enter the town now but it was only walking distance from his farm so I'd be able to return when I want later.
We finally reached Vilmo's farm lined with close to 1,300 olive trees as well as land for growing grains and lentils. He dropped me off at a creamy stone house with three ...

... at the hotel, we walked to the bus station, and boarded a bus to Siena, about 1 ½ hours from Florence. Again during this bus ride, we saw incredible Tuscan countryside – rolling hills of patchwork-green farmlands; beautiful old palazzos and country estates; and interesting bushes, shade trees, and an as-yet-identified plant containing plump, orange-looking fruit (but we are pretty sure that they are not actually oranges)!

Siena, a town ...

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 ...

... rented a car and left the city. We headed North to Tuscany. We stopped at a small hilltown, Civita De Bagnoregio. Google it! It's beautiful! It was lightly raining and pretty empty of tourists. There are a total of 14 residents in the small town. The views were amazing and the it felt like old Italy again. Then we drove to San Gimignano. Andrea met us at the gate to the walled town and we followed him to our "apartment". The apartment is within the city walls, cuddled up in a ...

... time display us as tourists. We're just trying to fit in. We're innocent. It's the system. You buyin' this? Cause it's our only defence if we get caught - with alot of hand waving and maybe some crying thrown in if need be. Free buses are wicked. Florence is full of a few things. Free buses is one. Gypsies is another. Another is American's - they're bloody everywhere, in tourist and student form, both, for the most part, equally as annoying. Another is stores ...

We didn't really get to do much in Florence. We ate lunch at a little restaurant, then waited in line for a lovely four hours to see David at the Accademia. Yes it was 95 degrees outside and no shade, but we did it and it was worth it in the end. Nest time we will plan ahead and make reservations or make sure that anyone we know that is ...

... the "hole-in-the-ground squatter" type of toilets. I had run into these when I was in Malaysia and Thailand, and had heard they had them here in Europe, so I finally saw that, yes, they do have 'em, but I think you have to get a bit off the tourist path to find 'em. Eventually, the bus came and we headed off for San Gimignano (this bus was much less crowded). It was only 11 km, so we were there pretty quickly. San Gimignano has a great setting: perched right ...

... The traffic is so bad, and the people here don't give a **** about running you over. I'm not kidding! They get so close to you all the time. Seriously, I get scarred everyday. The bad part is that I see really hot chicks all the time, so you have to focus on the girl, or the car or scooter that's about to run you over. You can only do one at a time. And by default, I look at the pretty girls. I can't help it. It's like dragging an Ethopian through the grocery store...of course he is going ...