Took a nice long walk around town today, and decided to stop a moment and recreate this old picture I saw online a while back. I can’t get the exact angle, in part because there is always vehicular traffic now!

Here is a little video from Rocca Aldobrandesca. It is astounding to see Tentennano come into view at the end of this video! We climbed both towers last weekend. If you want to see the opposing view, the video is posted just before this one.

Last weekend we climbed the Rocca Tentennano, & afterward its partner castle, Rocca Aldobrandesca. The views from up there are absolutely stunning. Montalcino, Pienza, San Quirico, Radicofani, all easily visible. Here is the 1st video from Tentennano. Next post will be the video from Aldobrandesca.

Pretty good travelers

When we left lunch today, the town band was marching through town. We caught a short clip of them playing Verdi, "Va pensiero". We have played this more times than we can remember, it took me a while to remember which opera this was, but upon hearing it I immediately remembered all the fingerings ;)

Cooked dinner tonight for my parents, who are here visiting. Al fresco dining in November!

9:58am versus 10:21am

Some of Italy's most peculiar bone shrines; our latest article for L'Italo Americano Newspaper italoamericano.org/italy-bone-s...

In general, these two do not sleep together. But cold weather makes strange bedfellows

Where's Hoover? (My white cat, who is in this picture)

We are out on an overnight trip and stopped in Monteriggioni where I got some fun pictures of Matt at the medieval armor museum. The chain mail is super heavy; it took both of us to get that on him and he could barely hold it up for a quick photo. I had not remembered how bonkers heavy it was!

Drumpf has posted three sheets of paper with gold script outside the Oval Office to "fancify" it. This is the permanency he deserves

I'm not a constitutional lawyer, but D. John Sauer sounds like he is getting his ass handed to him on a plate right now at the SCOTUS hearing. Also, when I first heard him speaking I honestly thought it was Charlie Day from "Horrible Bosses"

This is going to really hurt a lot of people who put their faith and trust in him against all the warnings. Even when this happens though, I expect many of them will still remain with him, and find someone else to blame. Combined with cuts to SNAP, health care, and tariffs, well...

Our "Halloween in Italy" podcast is live! We discuss Halloween in Italy, & explain why we hand out spicy tofu to the trick-or-treaters. We also recorded special music just for this episode! Swing versions of Sorcerer’s Apprentice & Grieg Find it under “Little Roads Unfiltered: Italy and Beyond”

Something I love about this country is its diverse fruits and vegetables. This is a white pomegranate, from Sicily. The seeds are much sweeter than a regular pomegranate, almost like candy. I feel like the seeds are maybe a little softer as well, easier to chew. We are so grateful to live here

It looks like a movie poster for a vampire flick, but it is the view from our terrace. Amazing every day in all weather

Our latest podcast episode, “Montisola: Italy’s largest lake island” is now posted! We tell you the name of our favorite bakery, the "hidden" vantage point for the best view of the island, & where to find a bizarre huge fish head in a jar. Find it under “Little Roads Unfiltered: Italy and Beyond”

Here are some pictures of Matt in the Chestnut Festival yesterday! What an honor to be included. We are so grateful to live here.

Beautiful sunset tonight. Some people don't care.

The castle is lit up purple tonight but Hoover doesn't care. Our latest podcast features our friends, Bo and Lee, who introduced us to this small Italian town. It's been a wild ride, but we have shared it with friends along the way. Check it out under "Little Roads Unfiltered: Italy and Beyond"

Last night was the most spectacular moonrise I have ever seen. You can literally see the moon rising with the naked eye, over the castle in the hilltown of Castiglione del Lago. We were so lucky to witness it.

Our latest podcast episode just went live! People always ask us how we found Soriano nel Cimino, the town we live in. Well, the answer is: our friends, Bo and Lee! They are our special guests on this podcast. Find it under “Little Roads Unfiltered: Italy and Beyond”

If you are feeling down and need inspiration, Google Septima Clark. True grit and heroism.

It's not just where we are, it's the potential we have lost. We could have had Star Trek, but instead we chose Idiocracy.

Every single time he speaks, I don't think about how dumb he is, I think about how dumb they are for inflicting this on us. Damn

Latest podcast episode, “Visiting Florence”, is live! Lots of great tips, but also *how* to visit: Getting the most out of your time in Firenze - the same valuable planning strategies that we share with our itinerary service clients. Find it under: “Little Roads Unfiltered: Italy and Beyond”

This afternoon we are cutting our latest podcast which will drop on Tuesday. This one is about Florence, how to manage visiting with a car, and our favorite places to stay and eat. Socksie is helping with the microphone; that is her strong suit.

Our latest podcast episode is live! You’ll hear about a goat that smokes cigarettes, a sausage recipe that caused a riot, and a well that cures warts, on this episode, “Clonakilty: Charming County Cork”. Find it on your favorite podcast listing under “Little Roads Unfiltered: Italy and Beyond”.

Oggi al 16:30! Vi aspettiamo

The castle was lit up green last night! Incredible

Very soon, it won't just be getting punished for what is said. It will be getting punished for what is not said. Meaning, full-throated support and adulation of the regime will be required.

Before lunch, and after. Buon lavoro!

New podcast episode out today! If you need a laugh, this is the episode for you. The worst places we've ever stayed, separated into the four base elements: Earth, Air, Water, and... FIRE! The podcast is called “Little Roads Unfiltered: Italy and Beyond”

Sunset tonight

This weekend we are cutting a new podcast, which will be “Lodging Disasters”. We figured everyone could use a good laugh right now. That episode will drop on Tuesday. Meanwhile, there are 4 others now. Find it on Apple, Spotify, Deezer and more under “Little Roads Unfiltered: Italy and Beyond”.

I found this instructive. Also, never forget that Drumpf himself posted memes of Pepe the Frog, a well-known white supremacist symbol (seen in this drawing), on his social media.

Interesting. For the time being, these records are still available publicly. #tylerrobinson #charliekirk

Our podcast "Little Roads Unfiltered: Italy and Beyond" is getting a lot of listens! Here is the cover art, which we thought was perfect, since this car kind of looks like a Fiat500 and there is a cat in back. We often “move” to different parts of Italy with our cats in tow, meowing all the way.

These are tough days lately so here is a picture of our cat on a table

Here is our latest article for L'Italo-Americano Newspaper, about one of our favorite places: Lago Maggiore. We are grateful to write for this publication! italoamericano.org/the-magic-of...

Lunch today with a friend: spaghetti w/ lemon pesto. Lemon skins, lemon juice, parmigiano reggiano, and almonds, whipped into a creamy pesto that tricks you into thinking you are eating cream. We are so grateful to live here

Just posted a new podcast episode about Vitorchiano, a great little village nearby. The town is famous for the full size Easter Island head that overlooks it, perched on a nearby bluff. Find it on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, etc at “Little Roads Unfiltered: Italy and Beyond"

6-3 SCOTUS decision today that allows lCE to detain people based on skin color alone.

Our podcast is up and running! It is called “Little Roads Unfiltered: Italy and Beyond” on Apple, Spotify, Overcast, & more. 3 episodes live right now: 'Italian Bar Culture 101', 'Chianti: Traditional Foods and “Hidden” Sights', and 'Life As Working Musicians in Italy’. New podcasts every Tuesday.

Sometimes ya just gotta LEAP!

We just had 3 sets of clients traveling at the same time; 2 groups in Italy, and one in Scotland. One couple traveling in Italy sent us some pics from their trip. It is really fun for us to see some of our favorite places through a different set of eyes. With their permission, here are some pics

All roads lead to Rome

Watching this incredible event on Italian TV now in Viterbo, just 15km from here. Every September 3, 100 people (called "facchini") carry the "Macchina di Santa Rosa" through town. The monument is 5,000 kg, over 33m tall, and they carry it over 1 km, to honor the town's patron saint, Santa Rosa.

Who is this asshole standing behind Big Dummy with his stupid sad sack face. I wonder if Himmler looked bored behind Hitler. Being on the periphery will not save you from judgment in the fullness of time, asshole