La Bella Toscana

Years ago, I had a dream of taking an extended vacation and traveling through Italy. In preparation for the ideal vacation,  I enrolled in Italian language classes at the college and practiced my newly acquired skills with Italian colleagues. I researched the little towns and the big cities, read all the tourism information I could get my hands on and then; a few weeks prior to booking  my 6 week vacation I was laid off from my job. So the vision of visiting the David, the Colosseum and the Vatican fell by the wayside.

I finally made it to Italy a few years later. And although the trip was not as grandiose, I enjoyed every moment of it. The Tuscan countryside offers some breath taking views and scenery.