We're Alive!

Sorry for the protracted posting absence, since we left Prague 2 weeks ago internet access has been hard to find (and not all that important either)!

I should have more time to crank out some detailed posts tomorrow (we're at the coast in Livorno), but to boil the past 2 weeks down to a few paragraphs:

• We left Prague and took a long driving day - from Prague back into Germany, through Austria, down into Italy and on into the outskirts of Modena.
• Stayed at an agritourismo called Villa Giadello for 3 days, met up with Josie's brother Mike and wife Lina, toured the Ferrari museum in Maranello & toured the most amazing Acetaia in a nearby hill town.
• On to Florence for another 3 days - toured the Uffizi, I wept like a little baby when I saw Botticelli's Mary and child, it was that breathtaking. Oh, and the Birth of Venus was great too! Attended the wedding ceremony of Lina's brother Cesare in the middle of Florence; followed by a reception at a castle/winery that was so beautiful it could have been in a movie.
  
• On to the heart of our honeymoon in southern Tuscany. We rented a house for a week in Bagno Vignoni. Josie's sister Nancy and Glen came with us for a day in Siena and incredible dinner in Montepulciano before they continued on to Amalfi. Our stay here was great, our place was situated near Montepulciano, Montalcino and Pienza. We spent our days driving around these medieval hill towns, each one is unique. It seems like our purpose here is to drink the wine and eat the local Pecorino and proscuitto. We even spent a day at a swanky spa and got treated like royalty.
  
• Took a day trip to Arezzo, looking to spend a day shopping in a bigger city. It was a nice city, but pretty at the same time. Josie and I struck the same thought - we were in the Detroit of Italy!
• On to the wind-down, no plans, 5 day meander back to Frankfurt. We drove to Livorno and plan to work our way up the coast. Livorno is nice, but we almost killed a guy on a moped (!), so we are going to spend a quiet night. Driving can be crazy over here, mopeds are constantly buzzing around like mosquitoes, darting past you on the left and right, running red lights, etc.
  

We're driving to Ciqueterra tomorrow...