On May 27th we arose very early (4.30 AM) to go out and take some sunrise  shots.  We stopped on a country road somewhere near the town of San Quirico d'Orcia which borders Pienza.  

20130527_2013_may_italy_0002 First shot of the morning.  It was pretty cold out but wearing two sweatshirts, a jacket and rain jacket kept me nice and warm.  

20130527_2013_may_italy_0001 We got some really nice colour as the sun started to come up.

20130527_2013_may_italy_0003 There was a lot of ground fog overlooking the valleys and the small town of  San Quirico d'Orcia.  

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The fog looks almost like a lake.   Brenda and Jed knew all of the best spots to stop and photograph.  

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These photos were all taken in the same area.  

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Throughout the region of Val d'Orcia are beautiful glades of cypress trees.   They were planted in rows on either side of of roads leading up to isolated farmhouses.  Sometimes we would see small clusters of cypresses standing alone among crops of bare hillsides.   The clusters were actually planted as bird traps.  Some of the twigs and branches were coated with birdlime, a sticky substance that prevents small birds flying away once they have landed.   At one time, the blackbirds and thrushes were harvested during the season and provided the protein diet of the poor farmers in the area.  The trapping of birds using birdlime has long been prohibited in Italy but the trees remain.  

20130527_2013_may_italy_0009 The cypress tree has become a symbol of the Val d'Orcia.  These trees have been highly respected since ancient times.  These trees were worshipped by the Phoenicians who believed it represented the eternal flame, used by the Etruscans to adorn tombs and in the Book of Genesis it is the wood used to build Noah's Arc.  Ancient Rome considered it a sacred tree and used he wood to sculpt religious figures such as the statue of Jupiter in the Campidolglio in Rome.  

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We came across a poppy field on our travels.  By now the sun was out and it was a beautiful morning.  

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20130527_2013_may_italy_0013 We were just outside of Pienza now.

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20130527_2013_may_italy_0016 Last shot of the morning.  Time to head back to the hotel for breakfast.