Basilica San Francesco d' Assisi

Needless to say we got a late start to our day because of our late night at the festival..Approaching Assisi you can't help but notice the beautiful village built into a hill and marvel at how big this basilica is. The church was started in 1228 and is built into a hill that consists of 2 churches. The lower and upper church. Erich and I loved the lower "gothic" style" church which also contains the crypt of St. Francis. There is no photography or video allowed and complete silence is enforced, and in my opinion the way it should be in any church. Assisi, the town, is simply beautiful as well with cobblestones, columns, and a great view. It is a quiet town where the main focus is the Basilica.

Italian festival Part 2

A second video capturing the festival in Torgiano. Both videos were recorded at 11 at night but time here clearly is not on their minds. Live, Love, Laugh! xoxo!

La Dolce Vita

After a wonderful Italian dinner at our hotel, Erich and I were fortunate enough to take part in the Torgiano festival that takes place only once a year. We purchased our 6 euro tickets and let the fun begin! There were bands playing, people dancing, and wine flowing! There were various tents set up with various different types of food and wine and everyone was so friendly. The atmosphere was stereotypical of a an Italian festival..people dancing in the streets, little kids dancing with their parents, and not a care in the world. It really says a lot of the Italian culture.

Tuscany to Umbria

Today we will leave Tuscany and head to Umbria for a few days. We will stop off at Montepulciano and Lago Trasimeno, Italy's largest non-alpine lake, before arriving in Torgiano just outside of Perugia.

Siena

We had a brief time in Siena the other day. Our hotel is in the countryside overlooking the city and we have spent a lot of time taking small trips around Tuscany and relaxing rather than in the city. It was very nice to see the Duomo and the Piazza del Campo where the Palio is run twice per year. The Palio is a famous horserace running since the 1600s where the districts of the city field a horse and jockey to run.

More info on the Palio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palio_di_Siena

Tuscan countryside

I have been falling behind on my logging..but wanted to give you guys some pictures of the wonderful countryside of Tuscany. We have managed to visit some really cool villages within Tuscany. Siena, Montalcino, and San Gimignano.

Blog Update - Anyone can comment

Hey Everyone - We have had several people tell us that the blog did not allow comments. We have found the setting for this and corrected it so anyone with or without a gmail account can post. Sorry for the inconvenience.