Warmth on the Inside and Out

We left Venice on Saturday, hauling our bags up and down about twenty raised Venetian bridges. At the train station we rented our maxivan, a nine seated Fiat "Scute", with a stick shift. After three previous European trips involving driving, Tom and I have figured out that he is a way better navigator and I LOVE to drive. Just the thought of navigating makes me sweat, but something about taking on the Italian highway makes one side of my mouth raise in a sly smile, with an added wink.

A four hour drive took us south, past Florence, toward Pisa until we reached our beautiful hilltop town of Pienza.

Tom did it again. He researched extensively and found us a working farm one kilometer outside of a sweet little medieval town. This time it was for Kieran, who loves animals. The farm had cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese. Tom, the little kids and I were in the main farm house and the big kids were down the road a little ways in their very own cottage (WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!).

The first thing we did was go shopping.  Everyone got their own basket at the Coop grocery market. Kieran loaded hers up with beans, cheese, crackers and honey nut cheerios, while Aidan got chocolate chip cookies, tic-tacs, milk and pasta.  It was interesting to see what the big kids put into their baskets. It wasn't ALL beer and wine.

We walked through the beautiful cobble stone streets of Pienza that night and had a fantastic dinner at a restaurant called La Buca De La Fate.

This is the view from our bedroom window.