Dear and expensive :)

Yesterday we set off early for Pienza.

It's supposed to be a very beautiful little village, according to a travel report.

And I must say: that's true! Very beautiful little streets, charming little cafes and shops... a nice main square. You can tell that it's still a real little village where ordinary people live and are seen on the streets... not too touristy, but very lively and friendly. Even the Italian tour group that kept holding their tablets in the air every few meters to take pictures was simply nice to watch ;) There were of course some Asians here as well.. but it was within limits.

We liked the shops so much that we took a closer look at all of them, and then I absolutely needed a new handbag.. you need souvenirs and keepsakes from the vacation, and I've been looking for a nice handbag for ages! :) That's even true.. but otherwise it would've been a good excuse ;)

We consumed coffee and cake in a nice little cafe.. very delicious. And then in what seemed like another cafe, we had a coffee in the sun.. actually, this cafe turned out to be a tobacco shop, which I only noticed when I wanted to use the restroom - the Italians are funny ;)

Then we continued driving, to Saturnia, in search of the hot springs. We found them too. It was crowded.. but somehow still nice. We also jumped into the waters.. or rather, the limestone basins. As a regular spa-goer, the water was naturally not so extraordinary, but the fact that it was formed by nature itself and still accessible and free; that's something different. You should come here early in the morning.. it's probably not so crowded then :) Unfortunately, the smell of sulfur is not so great.. and it still lingers on us.. at our parking spot, which was right by the sea but a bit difficult and annoying to find because we had to approach it so strangely right next to a highway where we couldn't just exit or turn around, unfortunately, there are no showers.. :(

I think I can already say that I like Italy the most from our trip. It's always difficult to capture in photos, but when you drive through the landscape like this: it's beautiful in Tuscany. Those thin pointed trees, the trees that look like they have a crazy hairstyle.. those gentle hills and olives everywhere! I already know: I have to come back here but next time in spring! :)

In the evening, we went to a village called Talamone, I think. Quite nice.. but somehow nothing going on. It's weird when you sit alone in a restaurant. But at least we helped the restaurant by unintentionally making good sales ;) The fish soup was excellent again, but when it came and I saw the whole amount of mussels, shrimps, and whole fish in the soup, I already had a slight fear that the waiter's bad English might not have been as clear when he said fifteen...?! Let's just say; it was very tasty, but we've never eaten so expensively before ;)