We have been to Volterra, San Gimignano and Florence. Every day is exhausting and I can't seem to stay awake long enough to wait for my turn with the internet!!

SS perspective: 3 laptops & 1 adapter puts new meaning in share. So far, the only one able to stay up late at night is Alicia.

Volterra is hilltop town with a large fortification wall like many of the towns and cities in Florence. I will probably remember most that this is where we shopped for groceries at the COOP. It's very intersting how much "Twilight" paraphanalia is around. For those not familiar... Stephanie Myers chose Volterra, Italy as the home location for her vampire coven in her books.

SS perspective: The first day, looking up at soooo many things to see, I whacked into something and obviousky broke a toe. Trying hard not to lag behind.,

San Gimignano... think Diagon Alley in Harry Potter! I felt like I was instantly transported once we walked through the city gate. There were souvenier shops everywhere, but so far it's definitely my favorite.

SS perspective: Santa Maria Novela, a church, was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Art everywhere. Beauty everywhere.

Florence! Big and hot and many, many, many people. Seeing the Doumo was overwhelming! Our first day we saw the Uffizi where Alicia commented on the fact that all the art was about the same subject. Which is true! So many versions of Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints... and Jesus being taken down from the cross. I can only remember one painting that had the Madonna in a different color than the traditional blue. The Ufizzi had some amazing Botticelli! I'm very glad we took the advice given by guide books to reserve tickets ahead of time because otherwise we would have stood in a very long line indeed.

The first day into Florence we drove to Poggibonsi and caught the train into Florence. What an experience! We had no idea how to purchase the tickets or how to find the platform and catch the right train. I take back everything I might have said about rude Italians before because SO many people were nice and willing to help us learn how to get around. The train ended up costing us 15 euro each way which was quite a lot, so we ended up deciding to drive into Florence the second day.

Did I mention how easily Josh adapted to Italian driving? It is awesome! The scary parts are the little country roads where people drive on whatever side they want... pass whenever they want... and drive really fast! The little roads are extremely windy! Think constant switch-backs. The autostrada that everyone said would be overwhelming doesn't seem any different to me than the New Jersey Turnpike!

Driving to Florence was a much cheaper alternative then the train! We parked on the south side of the Arno and took a bus (5 Euro total each way) into the city center. The parking for the day only cost 6 euro so we saved a lot of money.

We also have learned to avoid the Ristorantes in Italy as they are expensive! We will be trying some more out of the way places from now on if possible. We actually have packed lunch into Florence in an effort to save money. Entrance fees into the Uffizi and the Academia were 60 euro's each!

The second day in Italy we visited the Academia where you can find Michelangelo's David. And it is just as impressive as you would think! Alicia snuck a pic on her phone so we will try to figure a way to post soon.

I loved and hated Florence at the same time! All the art and history is overwhelming and I want to see everything! But I can't stand the crowds! The tour groups made me insane! You could hardly look at anything because there was always a HUGE group standing in front of "whatever" with a guide explaining for 10 minutes or so. Accchhkkk! However, I am glad we were not in a group because they rushed them from site to site and the tourists missed a lot of little gems that the guide didn't cover.

Today is Sunday and a day of rest! Mom has hurt her toe and all the walking is really painful for her. I hope it is not broken! Tomorrow we are going to try to head to the coast since most museums are closed on Mondays.