Molino d'Era Volterra

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 ...

... the road (good for the heart). Following the main course we ate gelato or panettone and drank Limonccello or Vin Santo (dessert wine). You can imagine afte all this food that going back to work until sundown rarely happened, at least for me. We took an hour siesta relaxing and chatting with Vilmo then worked an hour or so before the sun sank low below the horizon and we had to rush to clean the olives and get them in the cassetta.
Most days blended ...

... until we got to Il Campo, Siena’s civic and social center ever since it was staked out by its "Council of Nine" (a bourgeois group responsible for much of Siena’s construction) in the mid-14th century. The Piazza del Campo itself is colossal, and is divided into nine parts to represent the Council. In the upper part of the square lies the Fonte Gaia (Happy Fountain!). From there, the entire square slopes downward like the basin of a ...

... un prix pour s'assoir a une table! ici c'etait 2 euro par personne! mais sa en valais la peine, les bruchettas., les gnocchis et l'osso buco etaient tous delicieux.

ensuite, la piazza del campo ou il y a un gros chateau avec une tour tres haute, pui une visite a la piazza du duomo pour y voir la seul eglise completement baroque ...

Cinque Terre photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album. php?aid=163678&id=613699523&l=b ae7645b89

Stayed at Affittacamere Patrizia Hostel in Rio Maggiore in Cinque Terre and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
When we got to the Hostel it was just an office and no one was there. Our keys were stuck to the door with instructions on how to get to our dorm room. There was another set of keys there too so we could have taken those too and ...

... so head down and decide to go to the Uffizi (museum) and spend a few hours there while the storm passes. We get to the Uffizi and realize we should've bought tickets ahead of time since the next time slots to purchase tickets was 3 days later - after we plan to leave Florence and be in Sienna. (Erica) I was TOTALLY bummed about this. It's the 1st back fire of my decision to fly by the seat of my pants and not make plans ahead of ...

howdy all jason here..... we have the day to spend at the villa but some of us went into the town to get provisions for the day..... big 4th celebration later on.... wonder what i will drink...hmmmm... went back to florence yesterday and we got to go to the uffizi museum.... major collection of italian renaissance ...

... risqué but the kids enjoyed it a lot. The last act the 3 dancers came out with thong type outfits over their fishnets and Laney tried to cover my eyes and draw my attention away from the girls since she felt it was inappropriate for me to see this, but not her! We went to bed very tired and planned on not going ashore in the morning. We sailed for Crete that night. June 14, 2007 The girls and I slept well though Micki continues not to sleep that well. Laney and I got up around 7:00 for ...

... We finished the laundry and went out to explore. It was mainly a day of finding our bearings and doing simple walk-bys. We found the Santa Croce Church which is a 14th century church and also the home of Michelangelo's and Galileo's remains. The church also showcases work by Donatello. It was a very pretty inside but I must say both of us really liked the churches in Rome and we were going to be hard pressed to find one we liked better. After a gelato ...

We are now officially living and studying in Florence, Italy!! Matthew: I started my classes on Tuesday and am taking an amazing class called Florence Sketchbook. This class meets every week in a different museum or at a different monument around Florence, and the students are encouraged to sketch and study the artists from the Renaissance Period. The teacher says it will be as much an art history class as an art class and I already have ten sketches due by Tuesday, when we meet ...