Tuscany Continued

I never thought I would still be recapping our trip to Italy, but life happens.  It is so much fun to be looking back through the pictures and remembering!  I am ready to go back!

When we left Florence we headed to the country side.  Gorgeous!

We stayed at a fantastic hotel called Hotel Villa Rioddi located in Volterra.  The hotel and grounds were beautiful, breakfast was included, and it was run by a mother and son team who had converted an old estate into a hotel.  We loved it.

(source)

I loved walking the grounds and taking in the views from the property.  It was so amazing and so simple at the same time.

We spent our first day exploring Volterra.  It was probably my favorite town we visited.

Volterra

We spent the day shopping, wandering and enjoying the history of this fantastic town.

Bustling city streets.

We stopped in this church and lit candles for PawPaw.

We visited an artist's studio, an alabaster workshop, and I may have bought a couple of purses.  We also got our first taste of gelato. 

No, I do not know why we waited so long.

The next day we toured other towns in Tuscany with this fantastic lady.

This is Marije and she works for a sight seeing company called Hills and Roads.  Marije is wonderful!  She actually did a lot more than tour us one day, she also picked us up from our hotel in Florence and brought us to Hotel Villa Rioddi, she recommended places to eat and visit in Volterra, and she took us back to the train station after our stay in Volterra.  If you are in the area and need a tour guide, call Hills and Roads, ask or Marije.  You won't be sorry.  She is AWESOME.  Our trip would not have been the same without her.

On our second day in the Tuscan country side with Marije we visited Pisa!

Did you know that the leaning tower is a bell tower?  Yes, it is a free standing bell tower for the church in Pisa.

See?  I had no idea.  It is so beautiful in person.

Here is the baptistry.

There is not much else to see and do in Pisa, but the tower and this church is a must visit.  It is so beautiful.  Very touristy, but so worth the stop.

 

Marije also took us to Lari.  Pasta anyone?

 This pasta is delicious.  We got to see them packaging it.

We came home with some.

So pretty.

This might be my very favorite street in Lari.

Love.

A visit to the Tuscan country side would not be complete without a winery tour.

This is Castelvecchio Winery in Terricola.  It is family owned and they also make olive oil.  A great way to end a fantastic tour.

Thank you Marije for a fantastic journey!!  We can't wait to come back and visit you!

Sigh, I am vacation sick.

Linking Up:

Weekend Recap

We are back from Italy and mostly back in the swing of everyday life.  It is good to be home...I missed you guys!

My weekend was fairly boring, a lot of around the house stuff, so instead of boring you with that I thought I would bombard you with vacation pictures...my fave ones captured by my phone.  The pictures from the actual camera are not edited and ready, but will be coming soon along with reviews of our hotels and tours.

And now...phone pictures!

Venice

Florence

 

Volterra

Pisa

The Vatican

Rome

It is possible that it was a mistake to do this post on a Monday because now I really wish I was still on vacation!

I hope you have a fantastic Monday and your week ahead treats you well.