Day 5: Vineyard and Cortona

Hello everyone!!! This is Emily and Madeline :)

Today was a really exciting and busy day! For breakfast we headed to some of the local cafes for breakfast, as usual, before starting off on our adventure! We were told before the trip that sometimes some girls like to dress up when we visit the vineyard....so we all wore dresses. :) It was about a forty minute walk to the vineyard but it was beautiful and the walk took us through some of the more rural areas. The views, as always around here, were gorgeous, and we took many pictures of the castle on the hill, the flowers, the olive trees, and each other. When we arrived we met Ricardo who runs the vineyard. Walking us around the countryside, Ricardo talked to us about the process of fertilizing the soil, how he protects his vines from fungi as naturally as possible, how they harvest olives and grapes, and of course, how wine and oil are made. After that we sat down to a wine sampling of a variety of wines as well as classic Italian pallet cleansers. We personally didn't care for the wines so we can't remember all of the specific names, but there was a Chardonnay and a Rosato. It was a unique cultural experience, and we were all very grateful towards the family that runs the business for sharing it with us. Some us thought that was lunch...but oh no! There was more! A full three course lunch was waiting for us after our uphill trek back. There was just enough time to catch a short nap if we chose before heading off to Cortona!

Our tour guide is the best tour guide ever! His name is Giovanni, the same tour guide who led us around in Arezzo a few days back. He keeps us laughing nonstop and shares all sorts of interesting and unique stories about the history and himself. We took a bus up to Cortona, a beautiful city on the summit of a hill overlooking the valley below. Though it was a bit rainy, the view was fantastic and we enjoyed every bit of it since it was a break from the heat. During our time in Cortona we visited several churches and the hermitage that Saint Francis of Assisi frequented during his lifetime. While walking we heard music from a distance...and we wondered, "What could that be?" We followed the sound to its source and discovered a choir from London, England on the steps of one of the buildings near the square. We really enjoyed ourselves listening, especially when they started singing songs from the Lion King! There was also a jazz group that was extremely fun to hear. After a dash through the rain to get back to the bus, we headed back to the center for dinner. Gelato of course is always a delicious part of our routine, and we ended the night very full and tired from a long day of walking.

We love Italy!!! It's so much fun, and every day is an unforgettable experience!!! We are SO excited for tomorrow!!! Thanks for making it through our conglomerated writing styles. :) We look forward to sharing more incredible experiences with everyone; getting to know our new friends has been a blast thus far :)