May 18 and 19 May 20 May 21 May 22 May 23 May 24 May 25 May 26 May 27 May 28 May 29 May 30 May 31 June 1 June 2 June 3	Saturday 5/25/02 - Bill’s birthday We were up early this morning, as it’s one of our two mornings with the van. Oh, Ursula informed us that the six hours was misinformation. We would put that to the test today.... We all met Giovanni (who is a dear - a very delightful man) at 6. Michelle decided to sleep in. There was some ground fog, which we used to some advantage, as in the photos to the left and right. Most of the shooting was of countryside, especially from the edges of vineyards. We returned to the hotel about 7:30 for breakfast, feeling that we had gotten some decent shooting in. Ursula joined us about 8:30 and we were off for the day’s wanderings. First, we stopped at an overlook near Panzano for some interesting scenery, including this view of Vignamaggio, a villa. Then on to Greve, where a market was in progress. We spent some time shooting the market (and shopping) before heading on to our next stop. There were some interesting baskets here. And I picked up a couple of olive wood bowls. I plan to use mine to hold my earrings, instead of just dropping them on the dresser... I tried to get a shot of a young girl trying on a hat, but her mother kept getting in the way... I walked through the butcher shop, which was quite interesting. And the cheeses inside were so varied! Ursula showed me where to go down to the cellar there, which used to be a place where ice was stored, so it was quite well insulated (and a welcome bit of coolness). The three photos above were taken in the marketplace at Greve. The photo on the left shows a collection of old corks in the window of a wine shop. The center photo is a collection of baskets offered for sale. The photo on the right shows a colonnade near the outdoor market which sheltered several permanent shops. The three photos above were also taken at the market in Greve. The photo on the left shows a woman buying some flowers. The center photo shows some of the flowers and bedding plants offered for sale at this booth. The photo on the right shows some tomatoes, asparagus, and onions in the vegetable section of the market. Our next stop was Montefioralle, another very small town. We shot for a while before lunch, finding several interesting scenes. The three photos above were taken in Montefioralle. The photo on the left shows an arched walkway through to another section of the town. The center photo shows some of the windows and flowerboxes on the other side of this archway. The photo on the right is a hitching ring with a lion holding the ring. The town isn’t big enough to support a baker, so we saw the baker’s car pull in and the housewives come out to make their daily purchases. One came downstairs in her nightgown and not much else! Another stayed in her upstairs window, but lowered a basket with money in it. The bread was delivered the same way. It was an interesting slice of life. The photo below was taken in Montefioralle. The town has one restaurant, and we ate there. I had ribollita, which is a bread soup. It’s not really a soup, but very thick. Imagine torn pieces of bread which have had the remains of a pot roast spooned over them - you know, the juicy part that has had potatoes, carrots, and onions simmering in it all day. It was very good. I asked for “fruita fresca” (fresh fruit) for dessert and they brought out an apple, a pear, and an orange with a knife and fork. Whole fruit. Never had that happen before.... After leaving Montefioralle, we meandered back to the Villa, stopping a couple more times along the way, including a gelato stop in Panzano. The photo on the left shows a doorway we saw in Panzano. The photo on the right shows the back stairs at our villa. We finally arrived back at the villa close to 5, where we rested a bit before dinner. It was another delicious meal. Giovanni had given Bill a bottle of excellent wine for his birthday. Of course, we helped him finish it... The main course was pork roasted in vin santo! Yum! And, thanks to Michelle talking to Ursula, the Villa brought out a special dessert for Bill’s birthday. It was called bongo. Balls of meringue (or something similar) about 1.5 inches in diameter, stuffed with ice cream, stacked in a about 12 long and three high pyramid, then covered with chocolate. Absolutely delicious! And took Bill completely by surprise. He wound up sharing it with the large table. None of us remembered to bring a camera to the table..... Next...