Rick

Rick Steves is my new best friend and my happy solution to the Silent House Syndrome.  Why on earth it took me so long to figure out that I can listen to podcasts I don't know.  Rick and the lovely Cecilia from Italy are currently discussing the ambiance of Umbria and Tuscany.  I am drooling over the wine discussion.  They haven't even gotten onto the food yet.  This is all very pertinent information because we finally settled on our March trip...a week in Umbria!!!  We'd hoped to do Cinque Terre and Florence and it was getting complicated, so I looked into a stay at an "agritourismo", and was given this website by a well-traveled friend-http://www.babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk/.  Jackpot!!!  Child-friendly acommodations all over Europe, from the plain and simple (bare bones cottage with high chair provided) to the over the top (castle in France with full-time nanny during your stay).  I have disappeared into this website several times, dreaming of all the possibilities.  After much research, this is where we will be staying during our vacation, and we are counting the days.  http://casasangabriel.com/.  Lots of hiking, wine drinking and gelato eating in our future!  We will do day trips to Florence and a few other smaller towns, but the thought of just sitting there staring at the scenery with a big glass of wine after a really long hike sounds like heaven. 

Cecilia just said "Eet is very hard to get bad food in Italy".  Ooooh Cecilia.  Alright, back to reality, like that loaf of bread I just picked up at the bakery in the next village.  Better start training for a marathon as this food thing is just too darn fabulous.