The "Italian Big 50th" Story

It was an ordinary day. It's Friday, and after breakfast in Florence, we're off to San Gimignano (jim*in*yano). There are 32 of us on a bus tour of this small walled medieval town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy. The town is known for the white wine grown in the area, the 13 magnificent towers that grace the skyline, for being featured in John Grisham's "The Broker" and for being depicted in the video game "Assassin's Creed 2." San Gimignano was founded in the 3rd century BC. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance era, it was a stopping point for Catholic pilgrims on their way to Rome and the Vatican. The city flourished until 1348 when the plague compelled it to submit to Florence. Today it is a

touristic and artistic resort. It has a total area of 53 square miles, an elevation of 1,063 feet and a population of 7,105. As we walk through the main entrance you feel like you are stepping back in time. No motorized vehicles are allowed within the walls of the city. Pathways are stone from eras past and the architecture is amazing. The frescoes which cover the walls depict the renaissance lifestyle. I find it hard to believe that I am walking on the same stones that saints walked on thousands of years before. We walk to the heart of the town that contains four squares, Piazza della Cisterna, Piazza Pecori, Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza Duomo where the Collegiata is located. We tour The Collegiata which is a church that was once a cathedral. Boy, is this Italian!! The view from inside the city of the surrounding countryside with the olive trees and vineyards is breathtaking. After our tour we leave the walled city and head to the Fattoria San Donato, a nearby winery, where we will have lunch and celebrate the "Big 50th" birthday of one of our fellow travelers, Rob Broucht, with a song, a toast and a roast. Wild boar, to be exact.

The wine flows freely in this area of the world. The songs and the toasting gets louder as the wine tasting continued. Rob had been a friend for many years and his mother, Mary Lou is our tour guide and former minister of our church, St. James Episcopal. It seems the barrel dried up so we head back to Florence for a rest, th

en supper. Oh yeah, can't forget the late night trip for gelato!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Pixs from the top: Carol and I at the entrance to the city San Gimignano, frescoes on the walls of the city, two of the remaining towers of the city, a view of the olive trees and vineyards and a birthday photo