Tuscany

The second part of our trip was spent exploring the region of Tuscany. This was, by far, my favorite part of the trip. In Venice, we stayed in a quiant little town called Montecatini Terme at the "Grand Hotel Francia e Quirinale" . The hotel's elegant lobby, small but friendly staff, tiny elevators and small but clean rooms all reminded me of what 1950's elegance in Italy must have looked like.

In Tuscany, we visited the ancient town of San Gimignano and took a whirlwind tour of Florence (called Firenze in Italy) and made a stop in Siena. San Gimignano is a medieval, hilltop village with breathtaking views of the Tuscan landscape at every angle. Florence is the capitol of Tuscany. We only had a few hours here, not nearly enough time to enjoy the food, shopping, art, culture, and beauty offered by this amazing city. However, we were able to take in the Accademia and Michelangelo's David, do some leather shopping, enjoy a farmer's market and eat a delicious lunch at a friendly little sidewalk winebar/restaurant called "Note di Vino" during the time we were there.

After Florence, we spent the evening a Tuscan farmstead the Fattoria Il Poggio where we enjoyed "slow food" (everyting we ate-olive oil, meat, grains, wine) had been raised, grown and produced on the farm. Amazing food and wine, music, dancing and laughter...it was an unforgettable evening!

The next morning we left Montecatini and traveled to Siena for an overnight stay. Siena has an interesting history and a wild, gaudy cathedral, but it wasn't my favorite stop. I would have much preferred an additional day in Florence over the stop in Siena.

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