www.mattmunson.com

August, 2005

Italy is my absolute favorite country in the world to visit. So far, I've been there twice, and I have every intention of returning every summer for the rest of my life. I'm very fortunate in that my family has a place out there for me to stay, and it just never seems to grow old. Wait, I mean, it IS old, but I don't get tired of it.

Every time I go, I end up driving all over the country to visit nearby towns, villages, and other points of interest. Last year, I went to Florence, which I did not do on this visit. Maybe next year. I'm also looking to make it out to Venice eventually. Time will tell.

Here's the place in Tuscany where I stay, a nice little place called Pieve a Castello. It belongs to my brother in law and sister. They just put the pool in recently, and I think it really livens the place up.

I had a mountain bike with me, and managed to do some really great rides. The scenery is absolutely breath taking. This is a picture I took when I was behind a farm or something. No wait, it was around the back side of a nearby town called Strove.

Here's me at the top of a nearby walled town named Colle Val Delsa. Great place. Very old world, very cool. Good ice cream too.

This is the front and main entrance to Colle Val Delsa. Looks kinda like a castle, huh? That's because it is!

A day trip to Pisa had me posing down in front of the old leaning tower. I think I'm doing a bit of a lean myself.

This is next to the main river that runs through the center of Pisa. I suppose I could have made a separate page for Pisa, but there's like five other small towns I visited, and didn't feel that they all deserved their own.

A day trip to Siena with my sister found me in the Piazza Palio, made famous by that one movie about the Tuscan Sun. Ugh. I think it was made famous a few centuries before that by some other stuff, but I'm trying to appeal to the westerners here.

The duomo in the center of Siena is seen here. Part of it is still under renovation. And remember, Siena is the best preserved midieval city in the world.

Yet another day trip to a tiny city, this day found me in Monterrigioni. This famous walled city is about ten minutes away from Pieve A Castello, and is pretty cool. Not a lot going on inside the city, but they do have a nice gelateria.

This is a view from inside Monterrigioni, from atop one of the towers. I swear it's not a scanned postcard.

Another day trip, another walled city. Ho hum! Seriously though, this is Volterra, another super old walled city that is just so frickin' cool inside that it should be illegal.

San Gimignano, also within spitting distance from Pieve, this city is known for it's really tall towers, of which only 13 remain standing.

	Here's the place in Tuscany where I stay, a nice little place called Pieve a Castello. It belongs to my brother in law and sister. They just put the pool in recently, and I think it really livens the place up.		I had a mountain bike with me, and managed to do some really great rides. The scenery is absolutely breath taking. This is a picture I took when I was behind a farm or something. No wait, it was around the back side of a nearby town called Strove.
	Here's me at the top of a nearby walled town named Colle Val Delsa. Great place. Very old world, very cool. Good ice cream too.		This is the front and main entrance to Colle Val Delsa. Looks kinda like a castle, huh? That's because it is!
	A day trip to Pisa had me posing down in front of the old leaning tower. I think I'm doing a bit of a lean myself.		This is next to the main river that runs through the center of Pisa. I suppose I could have made a separate page for Pisa, but there's like five other small towns I visited, and didn't feel that they all deserved their own.
	A day trip to Siena with my sister found me in the Piazza Palio, made famous by that one movie about the Tuscan Sun. Ugh. I think it was made famous a few centuries before that by some other stuff, but I'm trying to appeal to the westerners here.		The duomo in the center of Siena is seen here. Part of it is still under renovation. And remember, Siena is the best preserved midieval city in the world.
	Yet another day trip to a tiny city, this day found me in Monterrigioni. This famous walled city is about ten minutes away from Pieve A Castello, and is pretty cool. Not a lot going on inside the city, but they do have a nice gelateria.		This is a view from inside Monterrigioni, from atop one of the towers. I swear it's not a scanned postcard.
	Another day trip, another walled city. Ho hum! Seriously though, this is Volterra, another super old walled city that is just so frickin' cool inside that it should be illegal.		San Gimignano, also within spitting distance from Pieve, this city is known for it's really tall towers, of which only 13 remain standing.