Villa Loghino VOLTERRA vicino close to Siena e and San Gimignano

... 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 ...

... over the rocks into the pools and the first Roman designed showers. Since it was night time it was hard to make out everything but I could easily see the mist and fog rising off the hot waters. Hotels and fancy restaurants and shops have now built up around the baths. He also took me to visit Monticciello, Montipuchiano and Pienza, all are etruscan hill towns. The streets are narrow stone paths built on a slant winding up between the connected ...

... a guidebook recommendation) for lunch – and It. Was. Awesome. Set off a little street, through a small door framed in ivy, this little hole-in-the-wall served up phenomenal Tuscan food. (A sign inside the restaurant stated: “Slow Food Zone.” Hah.) We started out with bruschetta, and from there, we each had a pasta as our first plate (“primi piatti”) – I had a spicy spaghetti with meat sauce, and Murray had the ...

... 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 ...

... as the place was so cramped and nothing else to do in town, but ended up having a good night both nights we were there.


Sunday did the walk between the 5 towns from Riomaggore to Monterosso. Took about 4.5 hours including thestops in each town to check them out.
The views out over the Ligurian Sea are stunning. Leaving one town and seeing the next far off in the distance, and sometimes a lot higher up in altitude, was really cool.

... house wine. Incredible. This lil' dive was next to Ponte Vecchio (bridge with all the shops). We cross the bridge and finally get into a museum - the Palazzo Petti. Because it was pouring rain - we decided to skip the Boboli gardens part of the museum. The musuem was fantastic - of course no pics were allowed. We saw the Galleria Palatina's most famous painting Raphael's Madonna of the chair -one of the 6th most renowned painting ...

Well, we left the kids at the airport Friday and headed to Tuscany. David, the tour guide, has a van rented. So, we went with him and another couple in the van to pick up his wife in Pisa. It was quite a ride. You don't realize just how crazy everyone drives until you are in a tiny van! We made it to Pisa finally, but couldn't get to the station to pick her up. There was construction. It was pretty funny driving around ...

... large island creating a large cliff rim of the island with the towns built on top of the cliffs overlooking the caldera. The buildings are built right into the edge of the cliff and look as if they will fall off. We first visited Oia which in Greek is said "E-ah". It is a picturesque village with many beautiful shops though much more high end compared to the other islands and pricey. We walked around and took many pictures. Then we were back on the bus to Thira, pronounced "Fee-ra", which ...

... della Alfredo. We started with the Bruschetta, which was very fresh and flavorful. It was crusty bread of course topped with ripe tomatoes marinated in olive oil and Italian spices. Chad had the veal with olives, tomato, and asparagus. I had Pasta alla chef, which included noodles, topped with porcini mushrooms, cream, and tomato. Both were tasty but didn't beat Pienza's meal from the night before. It was time for bed so we headed back to the room about 22:00.

... that I was hanging my clothing with a winter jacket on! I have to go because I have my first video production class right now, but I'll update you after video production and analytical figure/object drawing....This weekend we'll post up a lot of pictures. Ciao Tutti! Nicole: Well, I continued my classes this week (I'm only taking Italian four hours every day, so there's no change), and I actually really like the program I'm in. At first I thought I'd regret not taking cool ...