I just returned from a wonderful weekend down on the Umbria-Tuscany border with Mary, Casey, Kathy, Mey, Mike, Chris, and Will. This is the huge 18th century, fully-stocked, country house we rented, and it was amazing.
This is the valley it overlooked on Thanksgiving morning. Breathtaking.
The eight of us took two cars down, leaving after work on Wednesday evening. We woke up Thursday morning and immediately began preparations for our Thanksgiving meal that afternoon.
Everyone contributed, and luckily, Mey knew how to cook a turkey. I made the macaroni and cheese and a pumpkin cheesecake.
And after dinner, we all contributed to the clean-up effort, which was probably on scale with Katrina.
That evening, we sat around the fire and played games. It was cozy and terrific.
Friday, we all drug ourselves out of bed, laid around all morning, and finally decided to make an early-afternoon trip to the medieval hill town of Montepulciano. It was a little chilly, but the town was amazing.
The girls decided to do aerobics to keep warm.
After we left Montepulciano, we decided to try and hit up a winery or two, which wasn't difficult as you can't swing a dead cat around there without hitting a winery. We all brought back several bottles of Chianti, Nobile, and even olive oil.
Saturday, we all went to Siena, one of the most famous towns in central Italy. It was sunny and warmer, which made the whole sightseeing experience a little better.
We gathered in the piazza for pizza and gelato, and it was great just watching all the locals hang out and enjoy their afternoon.
We spent all afternoon walking the streets, shopping, stopping for caffe, and checking out the home of St. Catherine.
Siena is definitely a place I'd like to visit again, perhaps in the summer when they have their big horse races in the piazza.
Sunday, we woke up and headed back to Aviano. The great thing about the weekend was how relaxing it was. Nobody was in a hurry to do anything, and the sense of fun-loving fellowship was everywhere.
The whole photostream is available here. By the way, have I mentioned how impressed I am with the photography capabilities of the iPhone 4. There are tons of applications the camera utilises, particularly the Hipstamatic, that just blow me away. Highly recommended.
Oh, and one more thing... Project: FETUS was the code name for our mission. Fantastically Excellent Tuscany Umbria Safari. Don't judge us.
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