I begin this blog with a love story. A love story so touching and romantic that it rivals Romeo and Juliet. Ian and I were walking through Bologna without the girls when I asked him how he was finding his holiday so far. He mentioned that at home he and Carmel hardly see each other, with work, gym and what not. Since being on holidays, this is the longest period of time they have been with each other continuously. I asked him how that was going. He said that they were getting along really well and that they hadn't had any arguments. Being together in this way has strengthened their relationship. Later on in the day we were with the girls and I mentioned our conversation. I may have paraphrased and embellished a little, telling Carmel that Ian was telling me that his love for her had deepened during the holiday. In an outward display of loving affection, Carmel reached out, slapped Ian sharply on the back twice and said "Good on ya." It was so moving that I almost choked up.

The next 5 days were spent in a perpetual state of absolute bliss. We took the car into Tuscany and based ourselves in a tiny town called Montaione. This town was a perfect location to base ourselves because it is one hour or so drive to most parts of Tuscany. Driving through Tuscany is like being in the middle of a dream. You can't help but feel a light-headed euphoria as you drift through landscapes that don't even seem real. Medieval villages perched on the tops of green hills and panoramic views that look like a diorama. Pencil pines, ancient buildings, vineyards, fields of bright red poppies and a carpet of green laid over hills that seem to go on forever.

We arrived in Montaione and the views from there were sublime. It was lunchtime so we sourced a pizzeria with views across the valley and the pizza was awesome. After we ate we decided to have a coffee there and the waitress, who was a real live spark but couldn't speak a word of English, came over to take our order. Ian started rambling on about the different types of coffee you can have in Italy. The waitress and Carmel were exchanging raised eyebrows during this diatribe that lasted quite a few minutes and the end result was that Ian didn't want a coffee. The waitress looked at Lidia and in Italian said "After all that he doesn't want anything?"

Ian and Carmel spent the first 2 days in an AirBNB before joining us in an old villa on top of the hill. During their time in the AirBNB they befriended a local name Francesco who owned an antique store across the road from their apartment. Francesco's uncle owned a bar in Montaione.

We had booked our accommodation through Luxury Escapes and besides the fact that the bed was like a pile of bricks covered in concrete and the pillows could have been used to inflict blunt-force trauma, the room was really nice with a balcony overlooking the Tuscan hills.

On the first night we were there we were having a drink in the bar when Ian and Carmel popped in. We shared a bottle of prosecco and during this time we met a tour guide from England called Penny. Penny was a short, older woman who spoke Italian like a fishmonger, walked around in her slippers and complained incessantly about everything. She was having one of the staff fill her hot water bottle when we met her and then started jabbering on about her sore feet, the bad food in the restaurant, and various other complaints.

The next night we had a voucher for a free meal in the restaurant where we discovered that Penny was right. The restaurant was rubbish, although the dessert was delicious. The hotel redeemed itself on the following night where Lidia and I had a wine tasting in a vaulted-ceiling, medieval cellar that was appointed with wall to wall wine. Our waitress, Juliana, was from Albania and although we were supposed to have two tastings, we ended up drinking two bottles, a white vernacchia and a red chianti (yes, Chianti also comes in white!). Both wines were wonderful, but we walked out of there rolling. Juliana was a breath of fresh air and we loved chatting to her about her life. She moved to Italy from Albania with her family to get work and still can't find work in her profession as a hairdresser. She is now contemplating a move to Belgium. Some people do it tough and it just makes us think about how lucky we are to be born in a country like Australia. Some people will never have the opportunities we have.

Anyway, we stumbled out of the cellar and went to Ian and Carmel's room, where we found them in worse shape than we were. Apparently they had spent the night at Francesco's Uncle's bar and had drunk far too much. Ian had apparently tried to play guitar for them and sing, which drove some of the other customers out of the place. We met Francesco the following night and had a drink in the bar. Alcohol is cheap in Italy and it cost us 6 euro for a bottle of prosecco and 3 bowls of snacks.

During our time in Tuscany we took road trips to different towns each day. We saw San Miniato with it's imposing tower built in the 13th century, which sits at the top of the hill as sentry to the ancient cathedral, clock tower and medieval houses sprawling down the hillside. San Gimignano was a medieval town with towers everywhere that looked like a set straight out of Game of Thrones. We went to Pisa and climbed the leaning tower (I tripped up the steps and almost broke my camera). We walked around the 4 kilometre long wall that surrounds the town of Lucca, which was founded by the Etruscans in the 3rd century, with its circular central piazza and tower with trees growing from the top. We went to Collodi, where the author of Pinocchio was born and walked around the lame Pinocchio theme park. We drove down to Montepulciano, where there have been no major building works in 460 years and climbed the winding, cobblestoned streets up to the piazza on top of the hill. Then we saw Siena with it's ancient city, massive oyster shaped piazza where the bi-annual horse race is held and the black and white marble cathedral built in 1215.

All in all, we were all in awe of the beauty of Tuscany. On our final night, we gathered in our room for a drink. Ian had bought a bottle of Sicilian wine at a local Lidl store for 75 cents and was keen to try it. After downing a bottle of Prosecco we braved the 75 cent wine. It actually wasn't bad. Certainly the best value for money wine I have ever had. We were all a little happy by this time and then we went to a restaurant called Pesce Rosso and had a magnificent meal. Ian and I may have had a little more wine and may have been just a little too happy. At one stage we both fell into a fit of laughing and took quite some time to settle down. It was at the point that Ian's face started leaking bodily fluid from every orifice. There was dribble, snot and other unidentifiable liquids streaming onto his shirt. The night culminated in Ian complementing the waiter on his moustache in "Italian". What he should have said was "Tuo baffi e fantastico". What he actually said was "Buffo e fantasmico". I'm sure the waiter thought we were a bunch of raving lunatics at this point.

Now for an update on the things Ian and Carmel have collectively lost so far on this holiday. Carmel has lost her rain jacket, shampoo and conditioner, sunscreen and a pair of sunglasses. Ian has lost his passport, his phone, two pairs of sunglasses and a hat. Fortunately some of these items were found. We're waiting for them to lose each other. It's bound to happen.