We're back!!!

What a fabulous time we had in Italy. Claudia was the greatest hostess ever and Andrea is just gorgeous. He has the most adorable smile and the biggest eyes that just melt your heart.

Amongst the many highlights of the visit was watching the sun set over the Vatican. It was beautiful to watch but then more amazing were the flocks of birds which swooped around St Peter's dome. It was a spectacular sight to see.

Tags:   the vatican at sunset vatican rome St Peter's, Rome visiting claudia in Rome my flickr friend artistic treasure chest abigfave pesky starlings starlings over the vatican

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This is the tiny village of Bagno Vignoni where we stayed in Tuscany.

Bagno Vignoni
Located between the Vignoni Hills and the ravine of the Orcia River, Bagno Vignoni rises among the sweet and rolling moors of the Orcia Valley, in a landscape that gives its visitor a sense of peace and serenity. It is a small spa-town developed at the beginning of the 11th century whose structure, having remained unaltered since that time, has only seen the completed renovation in honor of Pope Pius II, done by Bernardo Rossellino, the affirmed creator of Renaissance Pienza.
The layout of the town, with homes, inns , and the Church of San Giovanni Battista, is developed around a large rectangular pool, containing the famous sulfuric waters that flow from the spring at the benevolent temperature of 52° C. All is structured in a way that the waters surpass a colonnade bridge and reach the thermal baths and mills, which are possible to visit today thanks to insertion in the conservation project taken under by the Commune of San Quircio d'Orcia, that is Mulini Park. The sulfurous springs were already famous in Roman times, and its curative virtues are said to have been appreciated by persons of caliber of Lorenzo the Magnificent and even Santa Caterina of Siena, who loved to stay here, and to which are dedicated a portico and a chapel.
Today Bagno Vignoni is an appreciated spa location, and, and even for its natural environmental value in which it is inserted, is protected by the institution of the Natural and Cultural Artistic Park of the Orcia Valley.

Although the public are no longer allowed in these particular waters, there are other places where you can take a dip........and yes, we most certainly did:-)

Tags:   bagno vignoni tuscany a pretty italian village and it had lots of cats! a wonderful place to visit we definitely plan to go back OMOT

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This was the view from our bedroom balcony when we got up on our last morning in Bagno Vignoni..................*sigh*

Tags:   wish I were there italy tuscany view from a window bagno vignoni watching the mist over the valley

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This is very typical of the area

Tags:   tuscany italy memorable visit tuscan scene OMOT

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Nearly blinded myself taking this - lol

Tags:   vatican sunset at the vatican sun on top of the vatican vatican silhouette roman sunset rome italy OMOT

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