Bicycling along the path leading to the beach.
On the beach, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Eva, one of the property's dogs. She is a herding dog breed native to the Tuscany coast.
A grove of olive trees - this is what I saw from my bedroom window.
One of the cars on the property - a Renault?
A fallow field, with irrigation ditch. Note the beautiful pine trees (very common on the property).
A wheel of cheese, freshly picked vegetables, and olive oil. Needless to say, we ate well.
Rooftops of the town of Siena.
Overlooking Siena.
"Il Campo" - literally "the field". This is the central square of the city of Siena.
The Dumo ("cathedral") of Siena - amazing gargoyles. The tower in the background is alternating white and black marble - very striking.
In front of the Duomo of Siena.
The Duomo and bell tower of Siena.
The view north along the Tuscan coastline, from Castiglione della Pescaia ("Castle of the Fisheries").
The port town of Castiglione della Pescaia, looking south toward the city of Grosseto.
A self-explanatory sign...
A cobbled street at Castiglione della Pescaia.
The narrow, steep residential streets in Castiglione della Pescaia.
An Italian cat.
A beautiful homefront in Castiglione della Pescaia.
A sign of the entrance of the city.
The beautiful pig at Ariane's farm (soon to become prosciutto, alas).
Conversing with the pig.
With the pig, and Eva the dog.
Petting the pig.
The local breed of cattle - their meat is rumored to be tough.
Ariane and dogs, at the beach.
Happy dogs in the water.
I watched the chef prepare a "crostada" - a typical breakfast tart. This one was made with blackberry jam (made from berries on the property).
Making chocolate "biscotti" (sugar cookies, not biscotti as Americans know them). I'm holding a bag of sweetened cocao powder.
Our table, set for breakfast. A typical spread included a "crostada" (breakfast tart), yogurt, and fresh fruit.
The exterior of the home.
Reposing in the living room.
A proud rooster in the hen coop.
These three peahens were constantly together, and always appeared to be gossiping amongst one another.
Cat and hen.
Ariane feeding the chickens, with a breeding stallion in the background.
Chickens, happily feeding.
A fresh egg!
Showing off the eggs I collected from the chicken coop. We dined on poached eggs that evening for dinner.
A hilltop town in Tuscany.
The cheese room at Nomadelfia, a Catholic community that strives to produce the majority of its food on-site.
Kathy and Ariane.
