Day Sixteen

Today was highlighted by a visit to the town of Cortona and punctuated by a dinner in the Tuscan countryside. Cortona is another neat little hilltown. I took my camera with me but had forgotten to put my batteries back in after a charge so I was given a relief from the shutter release. After soaking in some beautiful examples of Etruscan art, some of my favorite ancient stuff, I left the museum and started walking uphill. Every time I came to a fork in the road I would turn in the direction that took me up most steeply. I was rewarded for my efforts with a really cool old fortress on top of the city and panoramic views of the countryside. We checked into our hotel and then went out to a small nondescript cafe in the hills for the feast of a lifetime. There were several large picnic tables that we all sat at and we ate course after course of delicious Tuscan style food, all homemade by the man serving us and his family. The food just kept coming, olives, meat, cheese, honey, melon, vegetables, bread, stuffed peppers and more that I can't even remember! After dinner a few of us went and laid on our backs on the hillside and watched the stars with the crickets serenading us. The night was pleasantly cool and we were so satisfied from the meal, perfect. I will never forget that peaceful hillside in Tuscany.