Last night was windy and cold. But we were so happy to wake up to bright blue skies and temperatures in the low 70s. Here’s Vernazza, from the trail that connects it to Monterossa. And here’s Monterossa, halfway up the trail. I believe this is Riomaggiore. We took a boat from the northern-most town down to here. The Vernazza harbor, autostitched together. And the Vernazza harbor again, this time from a rock we did a little sunning on. I also had an incredibly refreshing swim here, which felt great after our hike. One of our most beautiful days by far. Read more…

Renting a car for two days was expensive, but I'm glad we did it. We discovered so many things we just wouldn't have been able to see. Today's journey from Siena to Montepulciano was slow and winding, but that was exactly how we wanted it. (note: these are all of Mary's photos.) Views like this were common. We actually went searching for this, the Chapel Vitaleta Val d'Orcia. It's pretty idyllic. Less idyllic was the photo safari next to us. We moved on and found another interesting vantage of the chapel and the home next door. So Tuscany is beautiful (who'd Read more…

Last night in Siena was the first time we had a hotel with a view. And what a view! This was stitched together from my iPhone. We spent a lot of time there at Piazza del Campo, the central hub of Siena. And we had a great dinner there. Again, stitched together from my iPhone. We were able to catch a few of the sights again this morning. And the Duomo from the same vantage point. And the beautiful interior. A really wonderful morning! Next time we'll take Rick Steve's suggestion and stay in Siena with a day trip to Read more…