Sarteano Castle

After a refreshing night of sleep, we spent our first touring day in the nearby hill town of Sarteano. The castle dates back at least to the 1300s, from the days when this area was of strategic importance between the warring city-states. :) Today, it provides fabulous views over the city and the countryside. We had a great time exploring it! And we were happy to have nice weather, too.

Afterwards we explored the town, which is all stone buildings, narrow streets (which the Italian drivers navigate fearlessly, even though it looks to me like there's only room for maybe a golf cart), and hills.

One of the high points was that we found an open gelato shop -- yum!  (Most stores and restaurants are closed on Sundays, except for smaller cafes.)

For dinner, we had an absolutely amazing meal at a restaurant in the city center (Osteria da Gagliano).  One of the friends and I shared an appetizer that was grilled pecorino cheese with local bacon and radiccio, and it was so delicious -- we haven't stopped talking about it.  :)  It's a tiny place -- we filled up half of it -- and the owner is also the waiter. He was so nice and welcoming.  It was a fantastic introduction to Tuscan restaurants!

Mike has been doing a great job driving all these windy roads, and he's become an expert at three-point turns in narrow spaces. :)

We checked in on the boys and they have been having fun with their Grandma and cousin and everyone -- apparently the last couple days they've had so much excitement that Mattie has taken a nap!  (That doesn't happen often these days!)