Piccolo Hotel La Valle Pienza

... first night, the only necessity finding the grocery shop. We have cooked every night at the villa, and found the routine of sitting a round the table together to eat, delightfully homely. After a few times of getting to what Robyn thought was the front of a queue, she has now learned that one queues at the post office, deli or bakery by taking a numbered piece of paper from a dispensing machine and waiting for that number to be shown on a big digital ...

... out of the city in a timely manner. Found a pizza chef with a Master's degree and had built his own pizza shop. Yummy!

We were able to visit Pinnochio's town of Colidi. Very fun! Gelato keeps flowing and Ribbolite (sp?) the local peasant soup is new favorite! Rich found Ossobucco last night finally!
Lots of fun travels.

Love ,
Rich and Kara

We can't decide Florence or Siena. Siena would make a change, but Florence is cheaper.
Ahh cheaper!

So this is how we found our way on a day trip to Siena.

Oh yes there is a big rivalry between the two each competing for the tourist dollar. One with its Renaissance the other with its Gothic architecture. We are choosing to reserve our judgements until later.

Siena is one of Italy's most enchanting cities with its medieval centre and its small puzzle of lanes & ...

I recently spent two weeks at Cascatella Podere San Biagio.
I found this accommodation at www.domusmarri.it
The hospitality is great Lino and Ornella will give you a taste of the real Tuscan life.
The park with natural hot swimming pool is great. The ...

... 90 seconds. Often the jockeys are thrown off their horses as they make the treacherous turns. Also, the square houses the wealthiest families of Siena, a small church and the Fountain of Joy and is lined by restaurants, bars and small boutiques.

On the hill above the piazza sits the famous cathedral. Its façade is constructed of white and rose marble. The interior is a study in black and white columns in honor of the Siena coat of arms. This cathedral is a fabulous ...

... worked tirelessly over the past ten years to return it to its formal glory – at the same time, they are doing this work in an earth-friendly bio-dynamic manner.

Next, the boys (Guiliano, Alex, and Michael) and I began the climb to learn what the land could produce for dinner (Susan drove my father back to the house). First, we found the wild chestnut groves – there are two types of chestnuts, the Castagna and the Marron. Interestingly, the Marron which is ...

... to see life on a working farm. Our agriturismo was called Cretaiole and is just outside the picturesque town of Pienza. From day one we knew we were in for something special. We arrived (that story will come at the end) to the idyllic Tuscan house where we had a charming room and began meeting the other Americans (yes, all Americans) staying for the week as well. We were given a packet of information including all the events for each day of our stay ...

... town is surrounded by a walk along the medieval fortressed walls where we enjoyed breathtaking views of the 360° Tuscan countryside. The weather was sunny and 6o as the morning fog lifted off the Tuscan Hills. Literally, the city was as picturesque as the Tuscan rolling hills seen in the books. Next Stop was Montepulciano where we would spend more time.

Today we took a bus tour to wine region. We spent many hours in a very comfortable tour bus which was a godsend for the many of us who have desperately needed to catch up on our sleep! We sketched some churches. I'm most fascinated by the rich history of Italy and the urban evolution over so many thousands of years. The materials and craftsmanship are also beautiful to me. We walked through some beautiful ...