Festa Medievale di Volterra

We just happened to be staying in Volterra when they had their annual "Festa Medievale." We had loads of fun listening to medieval bands, eating porchetta (roasted big) with wine, exploring the many really medieval-looking stands and costumes of every kind and hanging out with our friend Carlo, who was a medieval alabaster artisan that day. The costumes, stands, music, and food- combined with the architecture of Volterra made it easy to imagine ourselves transported back in time 600 years...

Surviving (and loving!) Venice

Who hasn't heard of Venice Italy as being one of the most romantic and beautiful places on earth? I certainly had heard this and was looking forward to seeing this magical city UNTIL I increasingly met other travelers and Italians that told a different story of a  Venice that is so touristy and so expensive it is just like Disney land. That image didn't sound attractive and We even thought about not going there and opting for a city at lake Garda instead.

Itlalian sunsets and landscapes

Some of our favorite pictures of the sunsets and landscapes we experienced in Italy.

Da Beppino and REAL Italian Food

One of the amazing and unexpected perks of Woofing at the farm that we did in Volterra, the family invited us to eat at their restaurant everyday.

Cinghiale

One of the first words I learned in Italian, cinghiale, means "wild boar" and it is a Tuscan/Volterran delicacy. There were eight Of them on the farm that we fed each morning. It is an important part of regional cuisine and identity- you will find restaurants all over Tuscany offering tagliatelle or pappardelle pasta with cinghiale.

Woofing in Tuscany- Agriturismo Alle Rose

Our third Wwoofing site was with a family about 8km from the center of the Tuscan city if Volterra.  Our host family ran what has come very popular in Italy- an agrotourism site.

Monoliths of Antequera

Everyone has heard of Stonehenge- a monolithic structure dating to 2500 years before Christ. Not many have heard of the Dolmens of Antequera- monolithic structures dated to around 3000+ years before Christ and the only of its kind known about on continental Europe.