Here we are at 9 pm sitting outside writing our diaries, finishing off the lovely jam tart Flaminia, our landlady, made us with the juiciest strawberries watching the sunset over the Tuscan hills.

The best way to get to Florence is anyway that does not involve driving and parking there ( I've heard lots of stories of huge parking fees). So we boarded a local bus that carried a full load of locals and tourists along those awful roads to Florence. Needless to say Cassie felt car sick and I'm glad I couldn't quite see the road as some of the turns were pretty hairy.

We roamed the streets, admired the magnificent Duomo - only from outside as even I was not prepared to wait in the long queues, and the girls think they've seen enough churches now. Instead I dragged them to the top of Palazzo Vecchio, once the home of the powerful Medici family and still used in part as local government chambers. The rooms are incredible, walls and ceilings covered in many frescos, so detailed and ornate. What did they do with all those rooms, how did they sleep with pictures of soldiers being slaughtered, when being useful in the home and all those angels above their heads? Why are all the statues naked......did they really have no clothing? Who was this David that Michelangelo sculpted 10 times his normal height with such large private parts and then stick him in a prominent positron in the plaza? Obviously they didn't have television. Despite this we bought take away lunch and soaked in the atmosphere of Piazza della Signoria with the many amazing sculptures around us. All naked of course.

The thunderstorms forecasted for today only resulted in a light shower, didn't even have to get the gortex jackets out. Yeah. I have not worn my cardigan in days. Tired and weary we got back on the bus, chatted to the Scottish families we had seen on the bus in the morning, then decided to have dinner in Greve in Chianti, our local town. The pasta was so good! So simple yet tasty. Such mouth watering soft gnocchi.

We love Italian food.