After all we have read about Italy, and all the research we did and questions we asked, we thought we were prepared for our adventure. However, once we arrived (and finally got our rental car after battling with our bank – ask us later), and set out for the Tuscan hills, we realized that we weren’t quite as prepared as we thought.

Being no strangers to Europe, we have seen narrow lanes, but we weren’t quite prepared for the hilltop towns.

We also weren’t quite prepared for just how amazing some of the street plazas and sights were either.

Wandering about the town before we had a proper Italian meal, we found ourselves staring at the most marvelous food in the shop windows.

It is also hard to comprehend the time and talent required to design everything from the large cathedrals and other buildings, to the adornments in the form of statues, and other stone work.

We knew the Tuscan countryside was spectacular, but we were not quite prepared for the concentrated beauty of the rolling hills covered in vineyards and topped by medieval towns. As we drove north towards San Gimignano, we were overcome with the beauty of the Tuscan countryside.

We stayed near San Gimignano and so had ample opportunity to approach it from various directions. This small town is famous for its many towers, which you can see in the following pictures. It is sometimes known as the “Manhattan of the Middle Ages”.

After driving around the countryside for a couple days, we stopped in Siena, home of one of the first universities. Looking around us, it was hard to believe that this was an actual, working city and not, perhaps, a movie set.

After we finished wandering the streets of Siena, we decided to go for some local Sienese fare, in a local Sienese restaurant – meaning a restaurant full of Sienese people. We asked them to just bring us something good, and this is what we got.

We did a lot of aimless driving through the countryside.

Finally, after several days of driving about the Tuscan countryside, we packed up from our little hotel …

… and headed north and east towards Florence.

Driving through the vast Italian forests, we came across this sign.

How does one wander into the Chianti region without knowing it?