L'avventura in Toscana

We named our little car Lucia.  She struggled up the hill (very steeply inclined) the first day -- my mom suggesting turning off all other moving parts (radio, air conditioning) as we slid backwards, red poppies lining the road that could barely fit two small cars such as these closing in on us.  But she was a trooper as we got on and off the super autostrada -- we could never figure out just where we were to get on the right way -- as we traveled to Firenze, Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra, Pisa, and the grocery store. 

And this was her theme song (actually dedicated to the crazy couple that split up and were on the Today show while we were in Tuscany):


[Later on I dedicated it to John Edwards and his "girlfriend/baby momma" but that is another story altogether.]

When we were in Rome, we spied this calendar that featured a young, good looking priest on the cover. I told my sister it was the Hot Priests of Rome calendar. We laughed but didn't buy it. But then, she realized that it was the perfect gag gift for a friend's mother. In fact, we looked high and low for the real gift in the Vatican until she had decided on a cross from the gift store. But she wanted the calendar so she could tell our friend, I found the perfect gift for your mom at the Vatican! And then hand him the calendar. She was sure that he would be a little more than shocked, and then she would give him the cross.

She kicked herself up and down for the rest of the trip because we couldn't find it anywhere.  And this is how it ties into Tuscany - you can tell there is a dividing line between those loyal to Rome and those not ... we got the sure sign when the only town in Tuscany (that we visited) where we could find the Hot Priests of Rome calendar was Siena.  I am not critizing.  We had been looking for it.  It was just another reason to love Siena, grouchy waitress at the piazza bar notwithstanding.

I have much more on Tuscany, but I think it will come out slowly....