Shane, Syd, Mal and Julie, "tres content en Italie!!!"
The kids enjoyed the gourmet meals and lovely suite, but Shane's highlight was playing the piano!!Lucca
We spent a beautiful day enjoying the history and architecture of this lovely city, founded over 2500 years ago. Mallory and I especially enjoyed walking along the 5km 16th century ramparts, now a tree-lined promenade circling the city. 
Mallory and Syd in front of the Duoma di San Martino.
Piazza Anfiteatro
A lovely arched walkway. 
Will and Jeanie are our close friends and Shane's god parents
Will and Jeanie's home
Roseannano
The sun setting over the church in Roseannano
Gianni, one of the "locals" whom we had met six years ago during a visit when Shane was a baby, enjoyed practicing his English with Shane
Grapes growing wild next to Will and Jeanie's home
The gorgeous Tuscan countryside, also known as Chianti country
Jeanie and Will at a favorite restaurant
Julie and Will hiked one day, enjoying the view of the Castle of Brolio, a 12th century Florentine feudal castle.
Syd befriended several Porsche devotees at Riccardo Autoficina in San Gusme (*see notes below).
Jeanie educating Shane on the olive growing process.
Siena's cathedra. the Duoma, built in the 12th century.
Piazza del Campo, Siena's town square, where the bi-annual medieval Palio horse races are held . Seventeen Contrade (city neighbourhoods originally formed as battalions for the city's defence) vie for the trophy: a painted flag, or Palio bearing an image of the Virgin Mary.
Piazza del Campo
Shane would love to return for the Palio and cheer on his contrade
A visit to Italy is not complete with a gelato..or two, or three! Here the kids are deliberating which flavors to chose from the famous Gelateria Brivido.
The closest village to Roseannano is picture-perfect San Gusme, built in the 9th century with much of its ancient structure still intact.
One of the entraces to the tiny village of San Gusme. 
We spent four lovely days at Borgo San Felice, an old medieval hamlet nestled between Siena, Florence and San Gimignano. It has been lovingly restored and coverted to a Relais et Chateaux inn, surrounded by Chianti Classico vineyards and olive groves. Simply unforgettable!
Mallory loved reading by the swimming pool... 
while Shane enjoyed playing with his knights and pirates with dad!
Ethan, Sydia (holding Max) and Joey (holding Alys)
The winding medieval streets of Cortona...
fabulous architecture and details...
and terrific wines!! 
It was a relaxing and memorable week
Shane shows us how it's done....
Chef Joey helped the kids with the pizza oven.
Voila!
Joey, enjoying the good life from our pool...nice view!
We celebrated Syd's birthday in style with dinner at a nearby locanda, La Locanda Del Molino.
Followed by homemade cake at home!
The next day was Joey's birthday so we hired a babysitter and the grown-ups enjoyed an amazing lunch at Ristorante La Bucaccia in Cortona. We enjoyed course after course of the most amazing pasta...they had to roll us out at the end of the meal! 
Much to Sydia's dismay, we discovered some unique wildlife...like the above scorpion
and this unique "walking stick." But the highlight for me was the wonderful sunset from our terrace....
LIFE IS GOOD!!!
Mallory at the entrance of the Ponte Vecchio.
I couldn't resist posting this photo...a McDonald's "delivery truck" not much bigger than the motorcycles strategically parked behind it.San Gimignano
The square of the fountain - Piazza del Cisterna.
Shane asked me to buy this "costume" for him.
I just love the winding, medieval streets! 
Typical scene in an Italian piazza...I enjoyed watching the people-watchers!
Ah, one last gelato...
The piazza is a tiny, pedestrian-free nirvana! We enjoyed our final al fresco dinner under the stars....a gorgeous ending to a wonderful holiday.
Noi amiamo l'Italia!
We love Italy!
*Syd published the below article in Vorganger, a Porsche Magazine, after our trip...
San Gusme, Italy, August 2008—If you’re looking for Renaissance art on your Italy vacation, San Gusme (“goozmay”) is not your spot. Unlike Florence—which sprawls an hour north via the autostrada,-- there’s no David, no imposing cathedral, no priceless frescoes of Madonna and Child. Da Vinci didn’t sleep here, and very few others do in this tiny village just south of Rosennano (even tinier) and north of Castelnuovo de Berardenga (even harder to pronounce). It hosts no annual horse race in its streets—like Sienna to its southwest—and moviemakers chose trendier spots—like Cortona an hour directly east—to make hit films such as Under the Tuscan Sun. If you want resplendent food and lodging, choose nearby Borgo San Felice. San Gusme has no shopping center, its one grocery has been in the same family for generations, and the only stars assigned to its three cafes are those overhead in the evening sky.
But oh what a landscape drifts down from San Gusme’s ramparts. This is the land of ancient villas, castles, monasteries, olive trees and stone. What these elegant vistas relinquish in “modern” conveniences, they give back in silence, forested hills, sweeping vineyards and sunsets that lay them all to rest each evening. The past—so finely conserved and honored here--softens the present and suggests values for the future. And it’s in this pastoral landscape where—thirty years ago-- Riccardo Rossi founded his autofficina to service Porsche automobiles.
Autofficina Riccardo Rossi, located in an unmarked stone building just off the only road through San Gusme, is an unexpected sight for sore Porsche owner eyes. On the autostrada between Rome and Florence, Cayennes and Carreras had briefly graced the mirrors of my rental Opel miniwagon. Near San Gusme one is far more likely to see tractors, Fiats or an occasional wild boar. There is no sign out front, but the several Porsches parked in the small lot testify that there’s good work within. These aren’t rustbuckets abandoned by long disinterested owners. While there, I admired a 997 Carrera 4S cabriolet, a black/black 996 coupe, a red 944, a 1983 911 Carrera and a beautifully restored grey 356.
Riccardo Rossi started working on Porsches in 1972, near Belluno in northern Italy. He came south to San Gusme in 1978, and eventually enlisted the expert assistance of his nephew Cristiano Collini, who works alongside him today. These two artisans work together in a small, but neat two-lift space, and use the fine, winding roads through the nearby vineyards for test drives. Trusting owners bring their cars from Sienna, Florence, Arrezo and other cities throughout Italy. The Autofficina reflects Riccardo’s and Cristiano’s enthusiasm and professionalism, with neatly arranged tools and numerous Porsche posters on the walls. The fact that both men suffered through my interviews is evidence enough of their dedication to Porsche!
Riccardo’s answers to my questions (translated by a longtime U.S. friend who lives in nearby Rosannano) were sincere and insightful:
“What is your favorite Porsche? The new ones are fantastic, although the early Cayennes had electrical problems which are now fixed. But my favorites are the 356 classics!”
“In the land of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati, why Porsche? Porsche is the only one you can take to shop and to the track.”
“Why have you dedicated your career to caring for Porsches? I admire the story of a man and his family who believed in a dream and made it happen.”
The afternoon after I said arrivederci to Riccardo, I was on a mountainside near Cortona enjoying the sunset and the fine bottle of Tuscan wine. I thought of my time with Riccardo in San Gusme, and was missing my Porsches tucked away in garages in D.C. But wine and Italian sunsets can do wonders for homesickness, and I was soon reflecting on Riccardo’s words and San Gusme’s vistas. Respect the past. Conserve its values and traditions. Honor people and their dreams—whether those dreams are splendid automobiles or ancient landscapes.
Nice messages, nice memories from the land of la dolce vita!
