Did I go to Italy? Really?

Sometimes, after you do something really extraordinary (like go to Italy for three weeks) and then you come home and lots of other things happen, doesn't it seem as though maybe you didn't really do that extraordinary thing at all?

I don't quite have that feeling, but after all that has gone on here since the end of October when I returned from Tuscany, I feel like it could start kind of easily.  So, I  decided to pick up where I left off in my trip.

It is a fortuitous place to start, as when last I wrote, I was writing about the Cinque Terre, and that was a busy day.

The next day we rested.

These are pictures from my rest day, a day I spent walking around our rented Villa in Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, walking here and there to explore our surroundings, visiting the grape vines and the olive groves and the rich, beautiful clay-like dirt, and the mushrooms, and acorns and pine cones, and cute, local snails.

ENJOY!  Imagine yourself under the Tuscan Sun!  It is a wondrous place to be!

More About Italy

The next day in Italy was so full that I'm going to split it up into two parts.

It began with the part that I'll tell you about today, and it continued and ended with the part I'll tell you about on Wednesday.

I haven't said much yet about the town near which our Villa was located, but it was called Tavarnelle Val di Pesa.  It is about halfway between Florence and Siena on the Firenze- Siena Highway.  Our Villa was about a 10 or 15 minute walk from town.

Earlier in the week, when we had first arrived in Tavarnelle, we had heard that the Open Air Market, which moves to different towns each day, was going to be in Tavarnelle, so of course we decided to go check it out.

They had everything there!  Here, take a look!!

 First, look at this cool weather balloon floating over our villa.  Well, we called it a weather balloon. 

 And, also, here is the Public Library.  It is amazing how they always look the same, isn't it?

 Here we are, coming up on the booths.  That guy is selling some vegetables.

 Then there were flowers!  Beautiful!!

 And, jewelry.

 And scarves and clothes of all types.

 And fruit-- Peaches!  YUM!

 And more veggies and fruit!

Well, and what market would be complete without tentacles?  Right?

Tune in on Wednesday for Part 2 of this day:  SIENA!