I think I'm Italian.

Yesterday was a super relax day. We didn't go anywhere and we didn't do anything but lounge around. I had woken with a headache so adventure was not the prime objective of the day. While I napped inside, away from the bright warm sunlight, Bobbie chilled by the pool in the Tuscan sun. It was apparently so pleasant ... she fell asleep. Luckily she wasn't burnt to a crisp though. We did venture out around lunchtime to try and find something to eat but being Sunday, all the little shops in the nearby villages were closed. Back to the Villa and it was coffee for Bobbie and toasted stale bread for me. Hey, stale bread makes great toast - super crunchy! Later on we went to dinner at the restaurant down the road and it was the BEST meal we have had so far!! A huge difference in the price between that and what we had paid in Rome. The Finnish women staying across from us were there as well (they had walked the 3kms while we drove) and as we finished they came up to us and asked whether we had room in our car ... an offer of sharing some wine was made (as we were neighbours) and a deal was struck. Nikki & Sari come to Tuscany every year and this time they brought their friend Ricca. All three ladies were lovely and laughs were shared. They are in Tuscany primarily for the relaxation and the outlet shopping opportunities. Wonder if we'll get time to do that too?! I told them my 'secret' plans for the next day (today) ... in Finnish .... so that Bobbie would be none the wiser. It was very late when we finally excused ourselves and got to bed.

So this morning I was up early ... put the coffee on so that Bobbie could be placated for waking earlier than preferred. Plonked a gift bag in front with the surprise inside. I had stealthily (yes, I can do that sometimes) bought a little Vespa keyring at a market we walked through and as we were going on a Vespa ride today, figured it was appropriate. I had also had a shirt made for Bobbie with the phrase "Non Sparate!!" which means 'don't shoot'. In the course of our research we had come across an iphone app that contained 'essential' travel phrases .... and Non Sparate was one of the them. Another was 'Quelle droghe e non sono mie" (these drugs are not mine!). So Bobbie was dressed in her essential Italian shirt and off we went. Caught the train into Florence and then walked to the meeting point where we boarded a minivan for transfer back outside of Florence!

After 2 laps of the dog bone road ... our training was declared complete and we were out on the road. The whole group we were with were American ... we were the odd/normal ones of the crowd. One lady almost collided with a tree on the very first corner and I was behind her. At the first opportunity, I moved up in the line! We made about 6/7 stops during the day where we got a little history of the area we were scootering around in ... i.e. Chianti. Stopped for a snack of some Schiacciata Pizza - a salted focaccia sandwich with cheese in the middle (ooohhhh my, it was delicious). Gorgeous scenery of vineyards and olive groves scattered over all the hills. Villas popping up like daisies on tiny village roads. We stopped at a 16th century villa where we had a tour of the cellars and heard how the wine was made. This particular property has been owned by the same family for over 600 years and are considered royalty because one of the ancestors was a Pope. The Corsini family. The tour was utterly fascinating and I'm sure many wine drinkers will have appreciated just how much time goes into the production. We enjoyed lunch there where we had the opportunity to taste the wines and olive oil they produce there. Delicious food ... and Bobbie said the wine was good too!

Rode our Vespas through one of the towns ... with traffic ... and pedestrians stepping out in front of us. Do our riding skills not scream TOURISTS - BEWARE ... RUN FOR YOUR LIFE? Some of them just had no idea and were taking their life in the hands in front of us. I was totally loving gunning all 50cc of my vespa power and leaning into some of the corners. Bobbie says I drive like an Italian now ... but I think I have a long way to go if I'm to ride a vespa like a true Italian. I felt pretty daring though - I'm sure that counts.

One of our last stops saw us enjoying some gelati ... yum yum yum. Love gelati - wish I could bring it home. After almost 6 hours of riding and eating it was time to board the bus to take us back to Florence. Who would have thought riding a Vespa woud be so exhausting.

Going to bed now ... and dream about my motorscooter ... broom broom