Montepulciano, Tuscan Hilltown/ Lynn Started Classes

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Hello again!  We are now in week two of Italy vacation.  On Friday we finally got into our very nice and very large apartment.  It swallows the one in Cali.  It's two bedroom and has floor to ceiling windows that we have to keep opened since it is very hot here and no a/c in the apartment.  Only problem is they have a big mosquito problem and we have been eaten up!  Oh well at least West Nile isn't an issue over here.  After getting settled on Friday we met my good friend Rise and her  husband Howard who spend every May/June here.  They treated us to a wonderful dinner.  My favorite thing was squash blossoms- they are lightly fried squash with a salty taste.  Yummy.  The next morning they took us in their rental car out into Tuscany where they live each year.  They stay in a little hilltown called Montepulciano.  It was very lovely and cool air.  Very different from Florence.  We saw two churches and an interesting wine cellar way underground and got to sample the local Montepulciano wine- Nobile.  We visited two smaller hilltowns that were also beautiful, all with amazing views of Tuscany.  Rolling green hills and beautiful pastureland.

On Sunday we were going to go to Siena but we were both pretty tired so we just wandered all around the city.  That was so nice and the most fun I've had, just meandering.  It is the nicest at about 6-8pm when it cools off and not quite as many people about.  We've eaten gelato almost every day because it is so hot and the gelato is so good.  It's basically ice cream but is made fresh every day.

I started classes yesterday and they are both very different and seem like they will both be very good.  The mixed media class is an independent study, so just myself and the professor. She is great and we hit it off really well.  She wants to teach me about conceptual art, or the ideas behind art.  The other painting teacher is very academic and we will be painting in the style of the old masters.  These are very different schools of thought within art, so will be interesting.

Every night of the World Cup, there is a huge screen set up at the end of our street in the piazza.  The Italians are really enjoying the world cup events.  There is a big game tonight.

Hope you all are well. Ciao. lynn