... 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!
6556 DK 0 AT
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

... a holiday within a holiday ...

Days 68- 71 ... at the villa, near San Gimignano ...

Photos

1, 2 and 3  Bellavista villa 

4, 5 and 6.  San Gimignano home of many towers and amazing gelati

7.  Obligatory tower shots

8.  Those sunflowers

We are staying in a villa made of rocks.  The villa has a pool.  One of the days after we were swimming I pushed Daddy back in the pool with his towel on. It was very funny.  His towel was soaking wet.  In San Gimignano we climbed a tower.  It had big bells at the top.  It was really hot.  After the tower one of the other towers rang their bells - I was glad it wasn't our tower.

Jack

We are staying at a villa with three apartments. The villa has a pool that we spent a lot of time in. One of those times when we spent ages playing and swimming Grace and I had gone up to the house so we didn't see it but Jack pushed Daddy in the water with his towel in. Apparently it was payback for throwing him in the water. 

In San Gimignano we climbed a tall tower. At the top you had to be careful if you were tall so you didn't bump your head. Later one of the bells in one of the towers rang - Jack said he was glad it wasn't our tower. 

On Tuesday we went to Pisa!! The leaning tower of Pisa is amazing!! We didn't get to climb up it but we spent a lot of time taking photos of us three holding it up. Years ago Daddy took a photo of Mummy with her legs up in the air holding the tower. But no one is allowed on the grass anymore so we made do with holding it up. A detour through Lucca, and driving back home we found sunflowers. The next day we did basically nothing. The dinner was amazing in Volterra. We all shared a platter with all sorts of things on it then I had soup with pasta. It was delicious.

Lily

Watch out Tasmanian roads! I may have picked up some cavalier Italian road skills ... driving at a speed limit double what the signs say, passing on blind corners, overuse of the horn and entering an intersection and then looking left and right.
Al's fingernails are warn out and I just ignore the screaming, abuse and horns (from the backseat).
Great to be in one spot for 2 weeks with a great pool (except when 5 year old pushes you in!)
I am also going to miss the 'walled town' when back in Tasmania with more great examples in Tuscany... San Gimignano, Volterra and Lucca.
Except...what are the Italians (and French) up to when they stop you from walking and sitting  on their grass???
What is grass for if it is not to walk on or lie on when tired? It also prevents 'silly' feet shots of Leaning Tower of Pisa!

David

We are staying in a villa in Tuscany.  There are two other families here. We've had lots of swims....the pool is really nice.  On the first night we drove into Certaldo for dinner .... we went to a pirate pizza place...I had ragu with my pasta...it was delicious.  On Sunday we spent the whole day in the pool.  Daddy made us eggs for lunch.  They were really nice.  At dinner I didn't feel very well because I'd swallowed too much pool water.  I didn't eat much dinner and I didn't have an icecream (at the best gelati place in the world!!!!!).

On Monday we went back to San Gimignano...we went back to the best gelati shop!  It was our reward for climbing the tower.  Later we went to a museum that had a photo exhibition on - by Elliot Erwitt - the photos were really interesting.  

The next day we went to Pisa.  It was really, really hot.  We walked to the leaning tower.  It wasn't as tall as I thought it would be.  Next to it were 2 churches.  Mummy took photos of us "holding" up the tower.  

On the way home we had a detour through Lucca.  Of course we had to have an icecream on the way back to the car.  I was doing a Jack and had lemon.  We bought some fresh pasta for dinner ... 3 types...gnocchi, ravioli and tortellini.  I had the ravioli with spinach and ricotta...it was delicious.

Yesterday we stayed home all day...in the afternoon Lily, mummy and I had a swim.  Lily and I were doing backflips.  That night we drove to Volterra for dinner...we had a shared entree of bruschetta, ham, salami and cheese.  For main course Jack and I had ravioli with meat sauce...we love Italy!

Grace

No vampires in Volterra ... but we have found fields of sunflowers, blue skies, World Cup winning gelati and more amazing food.  Jack says he is sick of "walking round the world" and wants to go home but the rest of us are still having too much fun.