9:00 am Feeling pretty cocky, I have my phone with downloaded maps, the route planned, my guidebook and a good attitude.

Me to Ev: We're definitely getting the hang of things, we're getting familiar with the road signs and noticing all the Spanish cognates giving us clues about what the heck is going on. We're doin' great! 

9:45 am  Me to Ev: Google maps says in 800 meters you'll have another opportunity to do the wrong thing.

That really was how the morning started out, but we were laughing and had nowhere to be so it all worked out. We had some dirt road moments "this can't be right" and some narrow alley moments "could this be right?", but it was ALL right and we pressed on.

Today's activity was to take a UNESCO World Heritage designated drive south of Siena. Stunning doesn't cover it. Everything was green and freshly washed with the nightly rains we've been having. We recognized wheat and alfalfa, grapes and olive groves. Every town we skirted was perched on a hilltop with a medievel church in prominent view. 

Fields and fields of poppies below those incredible blues and greens.

The tall cypress at every estate is so quintessentially Italian.

I had my eye on one tasting room that sounded interesting. "It's never too early to taste good wine!", quipped our server who enjoyed telling us about her cockatiel AND the wine we were tasting.

Did not intend to arrive at 10:30 am

And finally for your viewing pleasure, the Italian in his underpants. We stopped at a light to let oncoming traffic clear the bridge and he hopped out and got his sunglasses out of the trunk. What a day.

We scooted up so I could have a better look.