Our friend, Marie, found a castle to rent in Tuscany (good trick!), and enlisted ten friends to share the rent (really good trick!).
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(Click on any of the photos below to see the larger version.)
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This is Castello di Galbino. Built in the 11th century, and remodeled a few times since then. Sleeps nineteen comfortably, and is highly defensible. |
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Our room in the castle. Spacious, high arched ceilings, with a private bath in the turret. |
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Joe, Julie, and Marie enjoy a dip in the castle's swimming pool. We suspect it was built some time after the 11th century. |
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The castle kitchen featured an enormous fireplace, well designed for cooking. Here Kurt expertly prepares mixed grill. |
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Group dinners at the kitchen table featured excellent food, fine wine, and barely believable stories. |
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The closest hill town was Anghiari. From there Raina looks out at the road to San Sepolcro across the upper Tiber River valley. |
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An old government building in Anghiari is covered with the Coats of Arms of the local families. |
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One of the finer brick homes of Anghiari. |
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Kurt, Robin, Raina, Joe, and Julie coming out of Da Alighiero, a Michelin rated restaurant in Anghiari. We had an unbelievable lunch! |
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A view from the top of the nearby town of Monterchi. You can just make out Bilbo Baggins' house in the distance. |
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A side trip to the town of Urbino began in the rain. Here Raina and Chip attempt to locate a route to the Ducal Palace with the help of a Lonely Planet map. |
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Found it! |
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If you're ever in the Ducal Palace in Urbino, do not miss the Studiolo! The most amazing inlaid woodwork I've ever seen. (borrowed photo) |
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And, as long as you're in Urbino, you may as well stop by the Oratorio di San Giovanni Battista for a lovely fresco feast. |
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Another side trip took us to Seattle's sister city of Perugia. Here the National Gallery provides a backdrop for the Fontana Maggiore, built to celebrate the completion of the medieval aqueduct. |
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In Perugia steep streets and arches abound. |
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We had Perugia's Church of Sant'Angelo, one of the oldest churches in Italy, almost all to ourselves. |
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An evening trip to nearby Castello di Sorci provided an abundant table for a group dinner out. I was envious of their monstrous grape press. |
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Robin, Julie, and Raina demonstrate proper attire for our final dinner at the castle. |
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The Last Supper |
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On Saturday morning we said goodbye to Catello di Galbino, and drove back to Rome for our flight home. |
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