Under the Tuscan Sun

I didn't do much blogging from Italy, since I was having far too much fun doing other things - but now that Lisa and I are back it's time to fill everyone in on the great time we had on our second big trip together.

The first half of our vacation was spent with some friends at a fabulous place in the Tuscan countryside about halfway between Florence and Siena.

Jamie & Curt met Lisa and me at the train station in Poggibonsi; they are both friends of Lisa's whom I hadn't met before, and we had a wonderful evening getting to know each other over some local wine and a great home-cooked meal.

Lisa, Curt, Jamie, and Steve dining alfresco in Tuscany

We spent our first full day in Tuscany with a roadtrip to Siena; we roamed the town, climbed the tower, had a great lunch, and Lisa acquired a new leather purse!

Lisa and her new Italian leather purse!

When we returned to our villa our friends Gilles & Daria from Seattle were waiting for us, having arrived late because their flight from southern France to Rome was canceled due the volcanic ash.

Gilles & Daria shoe-shopping Montepulciano

That night, the men took to the kitchen and prepared a meal of artichoke hearts and pasta - mmmmm.

Gilles & Steve shucking artichokes

Sauteed artichoke hearts

Over the course of the next few days, we saw some magnificent Tuscan towns and sampled the great wines that the region is known for.

More on that later...

Ciao!