Pienza...

In 1996, UNESCO declared the town a World Heritage Site, and in 2004 the entire valley, the Val d'Orcia, was included on the list of UNESCO's World Cultural Landscapes. Pienza is known for it's Pecorino cheese - Rob loves it!







The famous Pecorino cheese...

Abbazia di Sant'Antimo

The Sant'Antimo Abbey is a Benedictine monastery situated near Montalcino. The origins of the abbey date to a small oratory built here in 352.











The abbey is nestled in a beautiful Olive Grove...who knows how old this tree is!


Julian found the cows...Chianina...I love this shot!

Montepulciano...

Montepulciano is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and sits on a high limestone ridge. It is a major producer of food and drink - Wine connoisseurs consider its Vino Nobile among Italy's best.








The Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Biagio


Inside the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta




Okay, so call me a dork but I am a HUGE fan of the Twilight Saga and I was so excited to be in Montepulciano because they filmed "New Moon" here...now I can't wait to see it in November!

The clock tower...






For Cameron and Louisa!






Wine tasting at La Dolce Vita :)

Siena...

Are you ready to go to Siena...it is very beautiful!


Piazza del Campo










Trying to fit in with the locals...she is such a copy cat!








A very expensive cappuccino!




The BEST Gelato in the world!!!


Siena's cathedral is one of the great examples of Italian romanesque architecture. Its main façade was completed in 1380. After the completion of the transept and the building of the east wall (which still exists and may be climbed by the public via an internal staircase) the money ran out and the rest of the cathedral was abandoned.










The gates to the city...

Montalcino...

The hill upon which Montalcino sits has been settled probably since Etruscan times. Its first mention in historical documents in 814 AD suggests there was a church here in the 9th century, most likely built by monks who were associated with the nearby Abbey of Sant'Antimo. Montalcino is popular for it's famous wine, Brunello de Montalcino, made from the sangiovese grosso grapes grown within the comune. The number of producers of the wine has grown from only 11 in the 1960s to more than 200 today, producing some 330,000 cases of the Brunello wine annually. And man is it good!!!

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I'm ready to go...












Oh I want some SO bad...






Beautiful Tuscan rooftops!