On our way out of Rome, we decided to stop in Perugia. One of the women in the Rome CHOG was from Perugia and talked about how beautiful it was. The old town sits upon a hill (as is common in Italy) and is very classical Italian. It was on our way, so we stopped and it turned out to be one of my favorite places. It was beautiful. Then we headed to Tuscany. Famous Tuscany--the land of the world's most famous wine. We were specifically in Chianti part of Tuscany. This is classic wine country--the Tuscany of movies. The small medieval towns sit on hilltops and are very quaint and don't appear modern at all. The fields, forests, and vineyards are gorgeous and the hills rise up to 2,000 feet in some places.

Every drive offers a spectacular view and every once in a while, you pass through yet another medieval town that may be only a few blocks big.

We spent most of our time in Radda, Castellano, San Gimignano, and the hospital in Sienna (see previous post "High Drama in Tuscany"). I never could decide which town was my favorite. San Gimignano is probably one of the most beautiful towns in all of Italy. But Radda and Castellano were smaller versions that were both lovely. All offer spectacular views and medieval castles.