So we get buckled in and off we go! We take the main highway and head to Montefollonico. It is a tiny little town surrounded by huge brick walls. The streets were very steep. Here the church at the top of the town. So beautiful.
This is a view from the highest point in the city. Just wonderful. 
If I lived in this little house I could look at the view above all the time.
A view down the street from where I am standing in front of the church. 
Look at this house. Round!
These little buildings are something else. If walls could talk.
After Montefollonico we were driven to Pienza. Pienza is home to Pecorino cheese! We found a shop that shipped so we bought them out! We got Pecorino, pasta, spices, balsamic glaze and mostardo. 
The streets of Pienza were all dressed up for Christmas. Here is the church with pretty Christmas trees out front.
Pienza is also home to Pope Pius II. Yep, I know! Pretty important man. He lived in the Palazzo Piccolomini. I didn't get a picture of it! I did get a picture of the view from the side gardens though!
December is not high season in Italy, so many of the popular restaurants are closed for the season. Which really isn't a bad thing because you end up eating with the locals. It was drizzling a bit so our driver got out of the car and ran over to the restaurant to make sure they were open before he let us walk over! How sweet is that? We ate at Ristorante Dal Falco. The food was good but not the best we have had. My meal was the best. Kate and I started with an antipasto plate of bruschetta. My pasta dish was very good. It was homemade (don't really need to say this because all the pasta in Italy is homemade!) pasta with tomato, garlic, and hot pepper sauce. Tasty and spicy. My meat dish was sausage. Folllowed with profiteroles for dessert. This restaurant also has 6 little rooms that you can rent. Small but sweet. Our bellies were full as we got in the car and asked our driver to take us the long way home. While we were eating he went and bought us some traditional Italian cookies called Ricciarelli. He told us all about them and then offered us each one and the opened up his glove box and it was full of bottled water. I change my mind--I want to marry our driver not Italy! The cookies were very good. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside with a hint of almond. We snuggled in and enjoyed the rest of the ride home. We stayed on the curvy backroads of Tuscany through the Chianti wine country. When I say curvy I mean curvy. This ride was not for anyone who gets motion sick. We made it back to Florence around 5:30 pm.
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