Cinque Fotografie- Tuscany Day 1

After a relaxing morning with breakfast on our host's patio and a lovely conversation with Ruth, who was visiting from Germany, we made our way to Napoli's Central train station.

We marked the first month of our time on the road, and I'm noticing the benefit of all the walking that we're doing. I calculated that we've walked about 143 miles since we began our trip, and I'm excited about building endurance while enjoying the sights.

This was our second time on a fast train in Europe. This time we rode on FrecciaRossa operated by Tren Italia. I really do love the experience. The seats are comfortable,
and the ride is smooth. We had a brief stop in Rome, and then we continued on our way to Firenze (Florence).

We arrived in time in Florence and we walked to the nearby Hertz station to pick up our rental car. The driving experience in Florence was considerably less chaotic than Napoli or Catania. Most of the time, drivers appear to follow rules about right of way and they seem to adhere to speed limits. I will not miss the kamikaze cyclists in this driving adventure.

The trip to our agritururismo, IL Segreto de San Piefratretta was an easy 45-minute drive through the Tuscan hillside. When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by Diego and Pedro who own the agritururismo. The grounds and rooms are really spectacular with olive and fig trees peppered around the vineyard.. We are excited to visit the nearby town of San Gimignano whose towers hover on a hill off to in the distance.

Once we settled in, we lounged by the pool and I chatted with a couple from England who are on holiday.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner on the patio and watched the sunset and accompanying silhouette of San Gimignano. Dinner was delicious: Jim had a cous cous cake and I had pork tenderloin with an apple topping. The Cab Franc blend of wine was spectacular. And we finished the meal with a chocolate souffle and cappuccinos.

We are very grateful to be able to spend the next ten nights here. It's a really great homebase for our time in Tuscany.

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