More (and more) Hill Towns

On trips to Europe, many tourists say their "ABC"s -- "another bloody church" and "another bloody castle." Well, on this trip, we're starting to say the same about "hill towns." Who knew there were so many Roman and medieval cities in Italy? Don't get me wrong -- these towns are fabulous fairyland villages, all with a unique charm and interesting variations. For example, the current city of Perugia (known for its chocolate) is built on top of the intact medieval village that can be reached conveniently by escaltor. We enjoyed the cosmopolitan but low key atmosphere there, along with a few sitings of handsome Italian men. According to our guide, women outnumber men by 7:1, so there's little risk of Tricia returning with an Italian husband.

After Perugia, we arrived at our Tuscan villa. This place is high on a hill overlooking the Tuscan countryside. The 360 degree view is right out of a movie. Catherine and I pulled the long straw here and have the best room in the villa. It's a two room suite with a "tower" room. Yes, a spiral staircase leads up to a room with windows on three sides and a panoramic view that has to be seen to be believed.

This evening, after spending the day in Siena, we hosted our airplane friends in the tower for wine, cheese, salami, and chocolate. Siena is yet another hill city -- the second largest city in Tuscany. It is the rival city of Florence, and that rivalry is still alive and well today. The Sienese people are very, very proud of their city, and rightly so. The cathedral there is the most beautiful we've seen so far, both inside and out. Although not as big as Saint Peter's it contains artwork from most of the major artists of the middle ages and Renaissance, including Bernini and Michelangelo.

The food there was very good, too. Pictured below are gnocchi pomodoro served in an edible bowl of  parmigiano cheese. Molto buono!