Fattoria Il Piano San Gimignano

... museums and this one was expensive). While Steve was in the museum, I got separated from Ali and Kelsa, so I spent the time shopping here and there. We all met up, and decided all the girls were in total shopping mode, so Steve went off and did his own (manly) things while the girls shopped. That night, we just kinda chilled at the hostel.

The last day in Florence was beautiful. Clear skys, great temperatures, so we decided to go across the ...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I spent the morning taking an Italian exam!!! The afternoon was a little more fun, touring Palazzo Pitti with my Art History class.

It was a little strange spending it without everyone but my school put together a little gathering for us. A group of us dined on a typical American Thanksgiving at a local restaurant. We were served Butternut Squash soup with bread, Turkey ...

Siena photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album. php?aid=164853&id=613699523&l=d 7d2db6b42

Thursday caught a bus to Siena with Nonie and Kerrin.
The Duomo there is one of the best and most beautiful churches I've seen inside and out - and I've seen more than enough churches to last ...

Hi Everyone!

After an exhausting weekend in Brussels, I was in for yet another treat with cooking classes in Florence. Organized by my school, a group of us met with a chef for some lessons.

We were taught how to prepare typical Tuscan cuisine including Ribollita and Stuffed zucchini-flowers.

Everything was delicious & I look forward to trying these recipes at home!

I'll update you soon,

Siara

... the home of Niccolo Machiavelli during the years he spent in exile. We had an EXTREMELY tasty dinner served to us over the course of about two hours, including five different types of crostini (con fegato, con pate di Olive nere, con stracchino, con Pomodoro), followed by Ribollita alla Toscana, a hearty soup made with many different kinds of vegetables, beans, and bread. Then for the main course there was mixed meats including roasted chicken, pork, and ...

... br>
We were let go from the tour at the Duomo and look around on our own then left to souvenir shop. We ran into the Orrs and Jim wanted to stop at McDonalds for dinner so we stopped and watched him eat. The two couples then moved onto the Piazza Campos were we found a restaurant to have dinner at. Kathie had soup and I had pasta while we watched the tourist go by in the piazza. While our meal was being prepared she told me that she saw our neighbors from home go by. I ran out ...

... Gimignano and it was so beautiful, of course Delshad had to take a million photos before we even climbed the hill to the town square (Piazza). We found a underground wine bar where we had an awesome bottle of wine with olives, Georges favorite. After getting a little tipsy we climbed back down the mountain and were off to St. Donato Winery. It was a small family owned winery where the owner named the wine after all his daughters ...

... our first dinner. Dana made red pasta sauce with spices, mushrooms, and sausage in it. So good. We had broccoli, and a bruschetta that Kelly made. I made sweet tea (of course). It was really great to get us all together and actually "live" in our apartment. Before dinner the person above us was blaring Aerosmith and Metallica...so of course I was stoked! I miss and love you all and wish you were here with me experiencing these amazing things!!! Arrivederci!

... recommended by our guide book...the funny thing was, IT DIDN'T EXIST! We ended up back in the tourist information building asking for a recommendation of a good restaurant. Instead of taking recommendation, we stumbled across a cute little cafe and sat down to order. Dinner was amazing and dessert was even better, the best tiramisu of the trip! Then our journey continued on a night train to Pisa/Florence which deserves an entry all of it's own.

... In the late afternoon we headed to Monteriggiono, a tiny fortified hill top town. We paid to walk the walls and over heard a substantial American lady enquire whether there was "an elevator" available. It was a beautiful spot and would make a great Grand Designs project! Back to the campsite for a swim and spagetti bolognese, red wine and olives in the setting sun. Certainly has made up for the rain in Corsica!