Il Giardino

	Nestled on a hillside over looking a very peaceful valley, Il Giardino Agriturisimo is a working olive farm that also provides guest accommodations. During our stay, our neighbors included a Belgian couple, a trio of Japanese women and a husband and wife from Milano. We can't recommend this mode of vacation lodging enough, and our stay at Il Giardino made our visit memorable.

	< This is a glimpse of the pool from our bedroom window. Ann soaks up some Tuscan Sun at "la piscina." >

The accommodations were comfortable but sparse. It really shows just how little we need to be "at home." The old farmhouse was divided into four apartments and a "dining hall" for large group events.		This is a view straight out our bedroom window.
	There was something about this old ladder leaning up into an olive tree that really intrigued me. It reminded me of the traditions so honored and adhered to here.
		Although we were months ahead of the next olive harvest (November or December), we saw the young fruit all around us.
We easily slipped into a routine for the week. Breakfast of coffee and some biscotti (known locally as cantuccini). The agenda for the day (sightseeing and lunch out). Late in the afternoon we'd return to the farm to rest and refresh by the pool. By 5:30 or so, we'd be sipping wine on the patio and sampling some cheese, cured meats, olives etc. Then it was dinner. After the dishes were cleared and washed, we'd move over to "the terrace" for more vino as the sun set over the valley.
		Beth and Lou on the terrace.