Sangallo Park Siena

... for our walk through the walled village. There is a 14th century fort with make up part of the walls. Today it is used as a prison - your not supposed to take photos of it, but I snapped a couple off before I knew... luckily I was not spotted by the local polizi. The town was cute for sure but I'm not sure it deservered all the accolades given to it by other travellers we had met in Lucca. Having said that we did take more photos than usual.

... and geleta, i.e. ice cream. We are back at the room and packed for our final place to see tomorrow as we head by train to Cinque Terre. We are staying on Manarola and think it will be an easy train ride and a wonderful view. We will attach pics tonight and then sometime tomorrow attach some video to show you the parade in the square with people on stilts.<br>Hugs and Kisses<br>Mick and Lisa<br>XXX<br>OOO

... of me. She yelled at me and I snapped my hand back. In Italy the Italians eat at the counters after ordering and stand there and eat. It was funny, Mick and I were laughing and then decided we should order a little of meat and sausage. In Rick's book it talks about a picnic lunch they make for around 15 euros. I told the guy just small plate, please. Well 21 euros later the stupid americans were taken again. We went to our balcony and drank some wine and ...

I hope this works, it has been hard to attach some of the video because it times out. FYI to all my not so computer literate friends and family. When you first open the video, it will start and then stop in the middle to keep reloading and then start and stop again. This can get frustrating but is necessary until it is completely ...

Hello friends and family,<br>We have made it to Siena from Venice thank goodness and it was almost easy. We had to change trains in Florence and thought it would be crazy, but everything went smooth and then we got in Siena and could not find our room again. We got on the wrong bus even though when we gott on I asked the mean bus driver and he said, "yes, yes". Then when we asked some fellow ...

... neighborhood (contrade) centers, in other cases they run perpendicular to main arteries, in most cases they make no sense at all. The names of streets change at intersections without changing direction and you can&#8217;t count on elevation to direct you because every other street goes up or down without reason and you can&#8217;t get a sense from the sun or landscape because all the streets are walled by 3-5 stories. We have both been completely disoriented since we ...

... like at all. It comes in a small round shape, it is dark colored, and the outside is all powdered sugar. It basically seems to be a concoction of dried nuts and fruit all being held together by some kind of honey or molasses. It was crazy hard to eat, but it was good. We also visited a church called Basilica of San Domenico. Inside we saw the head of St. Catherine of Siena as well her thumb and the whip she used on herself. It was pretty ...

... and preparing for our departure on Saturday for Florence, our last stop before we go home to Texas. Casa Emilia has been a haven of beauty and tranquility which I'll remember always - especially the cuckoo bird that talked to us every morning from the valley below (not from a Bavarian clock)! Dave and I have been faithfully recording our blogs in Word, awaiting the day once again where we find internet access. Hopefully, Florence will be that place. Ciao from Tuscany!

... but from just a casual appreciation I was blown away. No flash photos were allowed inside but a few of my non-flash photos are included. I found a couple of English books to replenish my stock (Matt, I got one you recommended!). I picked up my backpack and took the bus to my lodging. I was curious what this one would be like. I knew it wasn't in town but it was supposed to be a "villa." It's actually a long way from the city center and with the directions I was given ...

The Piazza del Campo is a wonderful meeting place. The zebra stripped Duomo had it's amazing floors uncovered for viewing...this is a very rare occurance. I flet honored to be there at that time. This city is surrounded by high walls but remains quaint. The neighborhoods engage in the great Palio horse race every year and are very proud of their home.