Italy :: Day 8

Brian was getting pretty exhausted from all of the driving by this point. The roads were not easy, so even a hour trip seemed longer. So while the others went to Volterra, we stayed back and relaxed by the pool. I have to admit, it really was a nice change of pace. I walked up the steep road to our town of Radicondoli and explored a bit. It's not big, but we like it. After I got home, we drove across the hill to one of the sheep farms we can see -- Podere Paugnano. My sister and crew had stopped by the day before, and said how cool it was. So glad we did. Turns out, you can also rent rooms and arrange to have lunch or dinner. Wish we would have known earlier. The sheep were not out, unfortunately, but we did get to hang out with a million cats. They were everywhere. We also learned a little about the sheep dogs and how they protect the flock from wolves. We were wondering about the dogs -- you can see the sheep moving around in an interesting pattern but the dogs actually blend in with the sheep so you really can't see them out there even though there are five of them. We also got an amazing view of Radicondoli and our house. Such beautiful landscape. Not that we needed more cheese, but we picked up three amazing ones they produce there. Get this -- three large pieces of organic cheese -- 9 Euros. It really was a special place. After we drove around a bit, searched out the soccer field (C has been wanting to play the entire time we've been here but it still didn't happen), and did a little more exploring, we came back and had lunch at the house then lounged by the pool again. That evening, the Hentges and we had special plans for my parents to celebrate their birthdays. A local chef came over and cooked for us. It deserves it's own post. Such a great experience.