... tales from Tuscany ...

Days 72-77.... Tuscany 

We drove from the villa to Sienna. We parked at a car park and then you had to up 7 or 8 escalators to get to the town. In the square there was a racetrack for horses.  I choose a flag from the Onda team...I choose it because it was blue and had a sea serpent on it.  The next day we had to get up really early to watch the Palio practice. At the practice there were more than 100 people there. Before the horses came out there was a loud cannon noise.  At the real Palio my team didn't win...it came near the back. 

We've had a swim most days. I learnt to do a backflip in the water. 

Jack

Over the last few days we've been to lots of exciting towns. In Florence Mummy, Lily and I bought a diary. The man in the shop printed our names on the front of the books in gold.  

On Tuesday we got up really early to go to Sienna to watch a practice Palio race. We were standing right on the fence and while the horses were going round I nearly got whacked in the face by a tail. Just before the horses came out there was a really loud bang from a cannon...Jack didn't really like that bit.  

Later, for dinner, we drove to Volterra and went to my favourite restaurant.  Inside there's a deep well that we were sitting right next to.  For dinner I had the soup with tortellini...it was delicious! For dessert we had a gelati.

Grace

Continuing the driving theme, Al informs me that a lot of people were recently booked in Hobart for driving while using a mobile phone. Clearly they were practising for driving in Italy where it is the norm. One hand for mobile phone, one hand for cigarette and most of the steering done with your knees or your trusty dog.
If you do not smoke ( which is not the norm) this spare hand is out the window directing the breeze.
My driving has not been perfect but I have had to start driving with earplugs in so I do not hear the rants of policeman Jack.
Hopefully there will be no driving issues in Venice!
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David

Well we didn't see any vampires in Volterra but we did see a beautiful sunset in Florence and the practice for the Palio in Siena. We got up at 6 something and drove to Siena to see the race. The streets support their team by putting up big flags and decorating the streets. Jack bought a flag for a horse that's team was called Onda. It was a blue and white flag with a sea serpent on it. When we were in the square a loud cannon noise sounded and we all jumped. Later it sounded again and we were as ready for it as we were when the first one sounded. When the horses lined up for the race there was one that wouldn't cooperate. But soon the race began and they went so fast- Grace got a horse tail in the face. I wouldn't like to go on the real day because it was quite hot and everyone gets packed in to the middle of the square for 4-5 hours. We were all starved so we found breakfast at a small place. It wasn't anything special. Then we stayed at the pool for most of the day then went back to our favourite place in Volterra for dinner. 

The next day in Florence we found a paper shop and the man would print any word if you had leather on the thing you chose. Grace and I both chose diaries and had our names printed on the edge of them. I chose a purple one and Grace and pinky one. They were pretty. 

Lily

It's been hard to drag ourselves away from the pool (all that learning)....but sunset in Florence, sunflowers and even more gelato are all fairly compelling reasons to move. The horses not so much...but I loved all the flags, colours and noise ...and how intense they all were.  I think we've climbed all the towers we're going to climb...and visited enough churches but Venice beckons and then...the Tour (more intense sporty types!)

A