We stayed in the apartment at the top left (above the arches). We had fantastic views of the farms olive trees, vineyards, horses, and rolling hills. Nearby, the medieval town, San Gimignano perched atop a hill, with it's 14 medieval towers rising into the country sky. This farm produces high quality olive oil and red and white wines, from a type of grape specific to that region and is harder to grow than most.
Through the berries, you can see a glimpse the hilltop town, San Gimignano.
This is a great lounge area, complete with a coffee vending machine (very common here!) and with a view right below our apartment.
Taking in the countryside. 
Lemons in Italy are huge....the size of oranges!
Our quaint apartment really made us feel like we were in the Tuscan countryside with it's old Tuscan decor....antiques, artwork, exposed rafters, and tile flooring.
Pretty Michelle in our room.
The first night we were referred to a restaurant between the hills of San Gimignano, with a characteristic environment. I started with a tasty mushroom crepe and decided to go with the specialty: wild boar. I was thoroughly enjoying the flavor until, I spotted a short, thick, black hair springing out of the meat. I suppressed my desire to overreact, and moved it aside just to find another one a couple bites later. A bit rustic. More vino please.
The pool by our apartment at dusk.
The moon silhouetting he Cypress trees where we stayed.
Exploring San Gimignano.
The originator of the Swine Flu. Wild boar meat is very common in that region, many stores sold boar sausage.
There's always time for a gelato break...again:)
Photo op by an old well and medieval tower in San Gimignano.
We had to cover our shoulders with this cape to see the cathedral whose walls were covered in vibrant frescos of stories from the Bible. Couldn't take pictures inside but was the most brightly colored cathedral I've seen in Europe, stunning!
That night we grilled out back at our apartment. Starting with salami, cheese, fresh olives, and bread, we moved on to tomato pesto salad, grilled eggplant and squash, pork kabobs and fillets.
Dad in a food coma, me serving up some more vino from the winery we were on, and mom, apparently with bad night vision...or too much vino;)
The next day we went to Siena to have a look. First stop, the incredibly intricate Duomo.
Many gargoyles on the facade made a Gothic statement and were practical, they covered the drain pipes.
" Rebel toe" from the 12th century inside the Duomo.
This cathedral, the Duomo, is known for it's black and white marble stripes and it's starry night ceiling.
The starry dome.
Ceiling design in a side room of the Duomo, molto bella!
The stone floor patterns throughout the Duomo were very nice, many of which could be used in current applications.
This wall was intended to be part of the Duomo but it was never expanded that far. We climbed the narrow spiral staircase to the top to take in some scenery of the town.
This was the winning cantrada (district) of the annual bare back horse race, the Palio, that takes place in the main piazza in Sienna. They were flying their victory flags proud.
In the Campo, the main piazza, that night was a banquet for the entire district (about 200 people) that had the winning horse. Bits of the race were shown on screens set up for the event, there were many guest speakers, and of course, the winning horse was paraded down the red carpet. We had dinner at a nearby cafe and observed the celebration.
The next day we went to Pisa to check out the infamous tower that leans. We couldn't help ourselves with the cheesy photos....well, dad could. I was suprised at how fat the tower actually does lean...the top is about 16' from the central axis!
Random little face in this massive city wall.
Pretty Michelle in our room.
The first night we were referred to a restaurant between the hills of San Gimignano, with a characteristic environment. I started with a tasty mushroom crepe and decided to go with the specialty: wild boar. I was thoroughly enjoying the flavor until, I spotted a short, thick, black hair springing out of the meat. I suppressed my desire to overreact, and moved it aside just to find another one a couple bites later. A bit rustic. More vino please.
The pool by our apartment at dusk.
The moon silhouetting he Cypress trees where we stayed.
Exploring San Gimignano.
The originator of the Swine Flu. Wild boar meat is very common in that region, many stores sold boar sausage.
There's always time for a gelato break...again:)
Photo op by an old well and medieval tower in San Gimignano.
We had to cover our shoulders with this cape to see the cathedral whose walls were covered in vibrant frescos of stories from the Bible. Couldn't take pictures inside but was the most brightly colored cathedral I've seen in Europe, stunning!
That night we grilled out back at our apartment. Starting with salami, cheese, fresh olives, and bread, we moved on to tomato pesto salad, grilled eggplant and squash, pork kabobs and fillets. 
Dad in a food coma, me serving up some more vino from the winery we were on, and mom, apparently with bad night vision...or too much vino;)
The next day we went to Siena to have a look. First stop, the incredibly intricate Duomo.
Many gargoyles on the facade made a Gothic statement and were practical, they covered the drain pipes.
" Rebel toe" from the 12th century inside the Duomo.
This cathedral, the Duomo, is known for it's black and white marble stripes and it's starry night ceiling.
The starry dome.
Ceiling design in a side room of the Duomo, molto bella!
The stone floor patterns throughout the Duomo were very nice, many of which could be used in current applications.
This wall was intended to be part of the Duomo but it was never expanded that far. We climbed the narrow spiral staircase to the top to take in some scenery of the town.
This was the winning cantrada (district) of the annual bare back horse race, the Palio, that takes place in the main piazza in Sienna. They were flying their victory flags proud.
In the Campo, the main piazza, that night was a banquet for the entire district (about 200 people) that had the winning horse. Bits of the race were shown on screens set up for the event, there were many guest speakers, and of course, the winning horse was paraded down the red carpet. We had dinner at a nearby cafe and observed the celebration.
The next day we went to Pisa to check out the infamous tower that leans. We couldn't help ourselves with the cheesy photos....well, dad could. I was suprised at how fat the tower actually does lean...the top is about 16' from the central axis!
Random little face in this massive city wall.There is a baptistry and Duomo near the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the "field of miracles". But the tower pretty much steals the show.
Later that day, we set off for Lucca. As we arrived, it started raining. We went to a bike shop thinking we could stick with our plan and ride bikes along the ramparts (city walls). The bike shop owner was a North Carolinian and moved there a couple years ago with his Italian wife, nice guy and nice to hear a Southern American accent:) As we checked the bikes out....a downpour began. We spent the rest of the day sloshing around in the rain trying to see as much of the charming little town as we could.
All three tiers of the columns on this Romanesque cathedral are twisted or carved and all are different from the rest.
My cute parents about to pass through the massive city walls surrounding the town.
Later that day, we set off for Lucca. As we arrived, it started raining. We went to a bike shop thinking we could stick with our plan and ride bikes along the ramparts (city walls). The bike shop owner was a North Carolinian and moved there a couple years ago with his Italian wife, nice guy and nice to hear a Southern American accent:) As we checked the bikes out....a downpour began. We spent the rest of the day sloshing around in the rain trying to see as much of the charming little town as we could.
All three tiers of the columns on this Romanesque cathedral are twisted or carved and all are different from the rest.
My cute parents about to pass through the massive city walls surrounding the town.Stay tuned...more to come on the family visit in Italy....back in Milan!
