The landscape changed quickly and, before long, we were driving through rolling hills, every view - pure art. When we got to Mucigliani, our hamlet, we couldn't believe this was our home for the next week. The apartment has a brand new, modern interior but is part of a house that was originally built in the 1600s. It has a breathtaking view and a swimming pool. The hamlet itself is tiny. There are no stores and probably less than 30 inhabitants. We were thrilled and, for once, even the kids were overwhelmed.

The first order of business was, of course, a swim. At the pool, we met Nicky, a 10 year old boy who lives here. After swimming, we got dressed and went into Arbia for a beautiful Italian supper at the Piccolo Mondo, where we asked the waiter to choose our entire meal for us. It ended up being Margaret's favourite meal thus far. We returned home, for our second order of business - laundry.

Night found us totally contented sitting on our balcony looking up at the Tuscan night sky and enjoying a glass of wine. Ahh Italia...