I had to  borrow the the title for this blog- it is perfect for how we spent the morning.  It was  May 26th and we had so much fun exploring the hills of Tuscany under the sun.  Thankfully the rain of yesterday was a distant memory and although we had some interesting and menacing clouds it was a beautiful morning.

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My morning views from the terrace at the hotel. 

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20130526_2013_may_italy_0003 Just before we left for the day, I met this group of bikers outside of the hotel and they were happy to pose for me.  Tuscany is an incredible place for bikers and we did see quite a few on the country roads.

20130526_2013_may_italy_0004 I happened to look up from the road where we were shooting from and saw these two cyclists riding by in the distance.

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20130526_2013_may_italy_0012 This is a view of Castiglione d'Orcia, a municipality in the Province of Siena.  The settlement was first mentioned in 714 when it was possessed by the Aldobrandeschi family.  In 1252 it became a free community but lost its independence in the following century to the Republic of Siena which entrusted it to powerful families like hte Piccolomini and Salimbeni.  Eventually, Castiglione was part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and from 1861 of unified Italy.

20130526_2013_may_italy_0008 We drove around in the countryside stopping whenever there was an interesting place to photograph.  

20130526_2013_may_italy_0013 Fred looking for his shot.

20130526_2013_may_italy_0014 Got it.

20130526_2013_may_italy_0011 Everywhere we looked we would find different compositions. 

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20130526_2013_may_italy_0001-2 Megan enjoying some close up photography.

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20130526_2013_may_italy_0019	20130526_2013_may_italy_0041 There were lots of different colours, designs and textures in the hills.
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We drove up to this abandoned farmhouse and walked around the area.  Yes those are chickens in front of the building.  

20130526_2013_may_italy_0040 A close up view of a chicken.  Obviously they were being fed. 

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I tried to find out what the name meant on the house but I  couldn't find any history on it.  

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20130526_2013_may_italy_0034 I loved this view of the old farmhouse surrounded by acres of beautiful farmland so I included a series of photos with the old farmhouse to end this blog.

20130526_2013_may_italy_0044 A close up view of the old farmhouse.

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