Travelling day today. Packed up and headed toward the train station, but first stopped by our favourite breakfast trattoria for the ricotta filled croissant. See pic in the photos area. After filled with sugary goodness we went to the little stazione (station) and bought our tickets to Pisa. We have a car reserved at the airport there. Our plan was to taken the train to the main station, lock up our luggage and then go check out the leaning tower. However, once we arrived we were a little tight for time and it seemed like a bit of a hassle. Plus we didn't want to get in to Tuscany too late. We caught the "Pisa Mover", kind of a little rapid transit train that shuttles back and forth between the train station and the airport. Once there we went to the Europa car rental desk and walked out with a shiny new Renault Kajdar sport utility. Perfect for traipsing through Tuscany. So far everything going to plan.

Travelling on the highway was easy as Gaye is an expect navigator using Google maps. Wasn't too long until the GPS was signalling for us to exit onto a much smaller road. Now we are on a windy road going through the Tuscan countryside, really beautiful. Except now the GPS Google lady is saying "turn right" onto the next road. Ok, off we turn. Now its a one lane road, super twisty and windy, and we're going up and up through a forest. Okaaay ... let's keep going. Every so often a little Fiat appears out of nowhere on our tail, but Keith finds a place to pull over a little and off it roars past us. But the Google lady seems optimistic and we keep going. Next up is a "turn right on road #whatever". So we do. It's a potholed narrow gravel lane. And it actually has a road number according to Google. We later find out that the gravel roads here are called "white roads". Seems like a nice name for narrow one-car width potholed pathways. However after a short distance our Tuscany villa appears. We pull in. It's all quiet. Hmm, have the right place? Google is saying go a little further. We back up and go further up the white road a bit when the Google lady says "you have arrived at your destination". We're in the middle of nowhere. Forest, gravel, Tuscan wilderness. So we figured that first villa must be it so back we go. We found Sonia, the owner, and she shows us our digs for the next 8 days. We have a large 2 bedroom suite with a big kitchen and living area. It's part of a large Tuscan farmhouse that looks at least 300 hundred years old. I later find out the "new wing" was built in the 1600's. The original part was built in 1000. That's right, the year 1000. But its got all the amenities, hot water, electricity and comfy beds. It's a little cooler though, as we are up in the hills a bit. Sonia's husband later tells me that they can not turn on the heat until Nov. 1st as it's regulated by the government. One of those odd Italian regulation things. We have a big fireplace and having a fire is OK though.

We ask Sonia if there's a little supermarket nearby as we didn't have time to pick up any provisions. She looks at us sceptically and says "you didn't stop and pick anything up?. I said to do that in my email" Uh ... no, don't remember that. So she says to go down the white road again (oh no, not the white road!) for a mile and then you will hit pavement, turn left and soon there is a little town called Sovicille with a little market. We buckle ourselves back into the Renault, say a prayer, then off we go. Bumping up and down we travel for at least 3km. There are stone walls each side of the road, and at one spot the headlights illuminate what looks like an old deteriorated Roman statue. I think we've entered the Twilight Zone. But sure enough the road finally turns to pavement and soon we're in a little town. We stock up at a little market and drop by a trattoria for some pizza. Shared a 1/2 litre of the house red with Gaye (it cost just 5 Euro) and it was fantastic. I think I'll like it here.>