Italy: Tuscany

Tuscany may have been one of my favorite parts of our trip to Italy. We rented a car and drove everywhere. Our first stop was San Gimignano.
We left right when the oncoming thunderstorm started and managed to stay dry :)
Next stop...our Tuscan Villa where we stayed for 3 nights. Borgo Santo Pietro was such a wonderful place to stay.
Our first Tuscan sunset...

and 'before-sunrise'...
View from our hot air balloon ride over Chianti. Despite our inability to land anywhere it was a great experience.
Center square of Siena...
Le Crete region:
Montalcino. The site of our favorite wine from Italy . Brunello di Montalcino . And the site where we almost drove off the side of a cliff.
On our way to Rome, we drove along the coast and stopped to see the ocean.
With so much in the world to see, I've always said I probably won't see a place more than once. Well, I intend to see Tuscany as often as I can during my lifetime because so far, there's been no place quite like it...

Italy: Florence

Italy. The name brings a smile to my face. I've been dreaming of Italy for years and my dreams tend to be larger than life -- probably due to the fact that I'm a hopeful romantic with an overactive imagination. And for the first time in my life reality was far better than anything I could ever have imagined.

We started our trip in Florence.
The Ponte Vecchio at night, stretching across the Arno River.
Florence from the top of the Duomo.
Seeing Michelangelo's David took my breath away.
They say that a rub on the nose will guarantee a return visit...
Here's to hoping!