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Day 13 - After our last ride we headed back to Le Checche.
Punto Bici would be arriving to pick up the bikes and we had to get
our bags packed as our bus back to Rome would be arriving at 7 AM the
next morning. The best part though, we were being treated with a
dinner prepared for by the establishment.
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The table itself was impressive. Dining this evening is our group, some folks from another agritourismo, and some
friends of the family. |
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Our
Le Checche hosts. |
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Vic with grampa and Helena, our morning server. |
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After starters of
fresh melons, olives, some sort of veggies, we moved onto the hand made
pasta's; spaghetti with tomato and meat sauce and ravioli stuffed with
spinach and cheese. It was all so tasty. |
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Do I have to make a choice? |
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Ian said the pasta was so good he just couldn't stop eating. He hardly had
room for anything after that. |
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We had to stop Sherman from licking his plate but Bob seems disappointed.
Maybe he would rather a nice bowl of rice! |
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There's a
dish! |
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Next came the wild boar meat, a couple different sausages, steak,
and a mixed vegetable dish. |
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The Dreaded Cold is taking hold of someone. |
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Here, taste this. |
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Bill and Jean take time out. |
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The girls in their new Siena dresses.
Talk about fashion stars (and planets)! |
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And lets not forget
about desert. The
specialty of the house,
tira masu |
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And last
but not least was the grappa. |
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Sherman announced before dinner that he was going to get blasted and
dance on the table top.
What a boozer, that guy. |
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All in all it was a great party, fantastic food, and a wonderful way to
wrap up an amazing tour of Italy. |
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The family doing the dishes at the end of the night. |
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This was an amazing bathroom squeezed into a low corner of what was once
the barn for the animals. |
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Tour Guide Extraordinaire - Vic Panei
It is with great thanks and appreciation to Vic Panei, without
whom this trip could never have been as wonderful or memorable as it was.
Yes, Italy has much to offer, but when you have someone with the
patience of a saint, connections of the mafia, humour to match any
comedian, organization skills that were never ending, and just a down to
earth nice guy like Vic, well, you can't help but have fun and enjoy.
It definitely was a trip of a life time.
I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge
THANK YOU from the whole group. And may we all meet again. |
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The bus trip back to Rome. Then, home for some, and new adventures for others.
(Almost all of Italy lost power the next day. We were certainly powered
down about then too.) |
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THE END. Thanks for sharing our adventures
with us. |
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Views of the country side in summer taken
from a calendar. |
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Il Cipressino, Pienza |
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Il Cipressino, Pienza |
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Val d'Orcia |
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Val d'Orcia |
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Val d'Elsa |
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Vinci |
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Terrapilli, Pienza |
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Torrenieri |
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