Some Words on Some Good TV

Written by JBMoney Wednesday, 07 December 2011 08:02

I've been recommending some TV/Netflix watching to the Wilsons lately and they've indicated that I have a perfect record so far. I don't watch a lot of episodic TV. For example, I have never seen a single episode of anything with "CSI" or "Law & Order" in its name... and I think that makes up about 50% of broadcast TV doesn't it? 

Typically, I'll just find whole seasons of something interesting on Netflix and watch a couple episodes. If it's good I'll watch the whole season, then wait for the next season to be available. Other times, I wear my pirate hat...

Here are a few of my recommendations.

Firefly (2002)

A sci-fi western written and directed by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel). Even though it's a rarity (sci-fi western!), had great acting, great writing, plenty of humor, and managed to snag an Emmy for Visual Effects, it only lasted one season on the Fox Network.

Since then, it's had great DVD sales and enjoyed a large enough fan following to merit a big-screen movie based on the series called Serenity (2005). It's also expanded to comics and a role-playing game. Every once in a while one cable station or another (SyFy?) will play the entire season as one-day a marathon.

As an added bonus, Christina Hendricks (the buxom redhead of Mad Men) appears in two episodes. There is talk that it could make a comeback someday on a willing cable network.

Arrested Development (2003-2006)

Another undeservedly short-lived show from Fox Network. Ron Howard was executive producer and narrator. Arrested Development is a sitcom following the misadventures of the formerly wealthy and dysfunctional Bluth Family.

It earned six Emmys, was on Time's '100 Best TV Shows of All Time' list, and showcased the ensemble acting chops of Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor and Jessica Walter.

Jason Bateman played the only responsible adult in the family. He consistently attempts to salvage the family fortune, tolerate the shortcomings and abuse of his siblings and parents, and keep the family on speaking terms, all while trying to serve as single parent for a teenage boy. The writing is genius.

Many of the actors continue to work together on other projects and word is that it will be continued in the near future as a mini-series leading into a big-screen movie production.

Archer (2009 - present)

Archer is an animated series currently showing on FX. Archer is a dense, egotistical, crude (yet clumsily suave) master spy who bumbles his way through missions and sexual encounters with great flair. The humor is highly sarcastic, sexually suggestive, politically incorrect... and magnificent. The era seems to be 60s, but there are inconsistencies. The owner of the spy agency is Archer's overbearing mother, and that relationship affects much of the plot line.

The cast is excellent, including two Arrested Devolpment alumni, Jessica Walter & Jeffrey Tambor. H. Jon Benjamin plays Archer. Others include: Judy Greer, Chris Parnell, Aisha Tyler, George Coe & Amber Nash.

If you don't think you like "cartoons", try this out. You won't regret it.

The League (2009 - present)

Currently in its third season, The League (FX) is about five very competitive friends, and a spouse, who partake in a fantasy football league. The humor is brutally sarcastic with some of the most creative put-downs and comebacks I've seen in a TV Show. It's very much like a real bunch of guys would behave.

You do not need to know anything about fantasy football to enjoy The League. In fact, if you hate fantasy football, probably all the better. The ensemble cast is outstanding, which was especially surprising for me as they were not actors whose names I was familiar with before, except for Paul Scheer.

Community (2009 - present)

Community is a sitcom about a suspended lawyer (Joel McHale) who attends community college after its found that he lied about having a degree. Like my previous favorites, this is an ensemble show where no single actor carries the episodes. They have some great comedic talent on display with Chevy Chase, Ken Jeong, Allison Brie, Danny Pudi and the others.

I remember Joel McHale from when he started doing Talk Soup on E! and thinking he was way too talented to not get his own sitcom and leave Talk Soup stranded with some clutz. Then I saw the commercials for Community and feared... this does not look to end well for him. Well... it's suprisingly good... AND he stayed with Talk Soup! Win-win.

Community refuses to get stuck in a formulaic comedy rut. They constantly innovate with perspectives, genres, and parodying (or paying homage to) older shows and movies. Terrific.

Game of Thrones (2010 - present)

I don't subscribe to HBO, but as a fanboy of the books I just had to see this. Wow! I don't think I've ever seen an adaptation that was so loyal to the original source. Game of Thrones is the name of the first book in The Song of Ice and Fire series of books by George R. R. Martin. I don't know whether they will stick with that name or change with the books.

I gave a short review of The Song of Ice and Fire (to date) in my post here.

The casting, in particular Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, has proven to be nothing short of genius. I've had difficulty envisioning Tyrion while reading the books, even though he is probably the single most interesting character. Now, when reading books 4 & 5, I envision Dinklage and it makes them that much more enjoyable.

Most of the rest of the cast were unfamiliar to me, but they are no less exceptional than Dinklage. Sean Bean as Ned Stark... also awesome.

While the acting is tremendous, the story is even better. Is it fantasy or drama? Either way, quite possibly the best that's been made for TV.

Some Words on Some Good Books

Written by JBMoney Thursday, 01 December 2011 06:24

Back when the Forum was active, members used to report on what we had read, make recommendations, etc. For lack of that outlet, thought I'd catch up here on some recent favorites... just for posterity's sake. These are not the only good books I've read, just ones from the last couple years that stick out.

The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear (Kingkiller Chronicle)

Fantasy - Author: Patrick Rothfuss

Compared to most fantasy books, nothing terribly earthshaking is happening (so far) in the Kingkiller Chronicles (books one and two). No all-powerful rings being destroyed, no cataclysms being averted by a simple farm boy, nobody moving between worlds/dimensions to save simple folk from ruin. All the same, it is a hypnotic series that is hard to put down.

The attraction of Kingkiller Chronicles is great story-telling, and the telling of a story within a story. The main protagonist (Kvothe) is an aging, but legendary hero with deeds both great and terrible to his credit. Kvothe seems to have retired, disappearing from the public eye for some reason and living under a false name. He's found out by a renowned scribe and convinced to tell his life story (under the pretense that it's better for him to tell it than others). Kvothe is a magnificent storyteller, raised as a performer during his childhood.

While Kvothe unravels his entire past, he is interrupted every few chapters by the present. The past might be catching up with him. Why is not clear, nor is it clear that he is up to the challenge. While accomplished in youth, he's gotten old, and he's survived up to now mostly on wits and hard work. It would appear that he's treating the tale of his life as his last great work.

Throughout the Kingkiller books, you learn more about how Kvothe became who he is, which in turn reveals a little more about what may be happening in the present, and how he might deal with it. Suspense is operating on multiple levels here, and you can't help but be dragged along for the ride.

Twilight in the Forbidden City

Chinese History - Author: Reginald F. Johnston - 1934

A fascinating first hand account of the end of the Qing Dynasty (Manchu Empire) and the tutelage of Pu Yi (the boy Emperor). Contrary to most reports Pu Yi was not the "Chinese Emperor", he was the Manchu Emperor whose territory happen to include China... one of those little details the Chinese overlook when convenient.

A must read for History aficionados. It's not your typical history book based on hundreds of third party sources, but a first hand account written by the only Westerner ever given immediate access to the Emperor, a palace full of eunuch household staff, and other important persons of the time. Johnston goes into great detail on all the events leading up to (and after) Pu Yi's exile and China's early experiments with Republicanism.

The book was the basis for the movie "The Last Emperor" with Johnston being played by Peter O'Toole.

The Great Rehearsal

American History - Author: Carl Van Doren - 1948.

An engaging read that provides a lot of insight into how certain portions of the Constitution ended up how they did and who you have to thank for it. The making of the Constitution was truly a situation where specific individuals made a difference that ended up affecting the whole world. The book also brings into focus compromises made between delegates of small states and large states. Thank GOD for the small states!

One of the most interesting elements of the Constitutional Convention, and one that makes this book so unique, is that the proceedings were conducted in secrecy. Even in that relatively simple time, participants knew that if special interests were allowed to get involved, and had to be pandered to, that they would get nothing of substance accomplished. The creation of the Constitution was too important to subject to the abuses of the media and extremists on either side.

As a result though, it means there is no SINGLE authoritative source for what happened during the proceedings. Van Doren had to scour through multiple sources to piece together the sequence of the discussions, direct quotes, and the main points of the numerous debates.

Good Stuff. Should be required reading in High School.

The Black Company series

Dark Fantasy. Author: Glen Cook. 1984-2000

The complete series is 10 books, broken into three volumes. The first three books are referred to as The Books of the North, the second two - The Books of the South, the last four - The Books of the Glittering Stone. There is a spin-off book, The Silver Spike, which is typically incorporated into The Books of the South. There are also some short stories floating about, and rumors of two more books to come. The last four books are hard to get, I basically had to buy them from collectors. So far:

The Books of the North: The Black Company (May 1984), Shadows Linger (October 1984), The White Rose (April 1985)

The Books of the South: Shadow Games (June 1989), The Silver Spike (September 1989), Dreams of Steel (April 1990)

The Books of the Glittering Stone: Bleak Seasons (April 1996), She Is the Darkness (September 1997), Water Sleeps (March 1999), Soldiers Live (July 2000) 

The Black Company is an elite mercenary company that's been around for roughly 400 years. The books tell 40 years of their story, in first-person narrative. The narrator is the archivist for the Black Company. As this job changes over the course of the books the perspective changes. People come and go from the Black Company, but the Black Company remains.

The services of the Black Company are typically for sale to the highest bidder. As a result, many of their actions are morally ambiguous, to say the least. However, individual members recognize evil when they see it and attempt to steer things towards a better course as much as is practical. This conflict creates a good deal of the story line.

While I enjoyed the entire series, The Books of the North are the gem of the series. Brilliant and exciting writing.  Glen Cook's description of military life in the Company is gritty. War is a nasty business. While there is sorcery (more supernatural than magical) involved in the books, it is not overdone and not used as a primary plot device to bail out characters left and right. It is more of a potential adversary to be avoided.

I enjoyed the Books of the South, but the narrator changes and I had gotten attached to the old guy. By the Glittering Plain, the old guy is back.

I highly recommend the series to Fantasy buffs who are looking for a real change of pace from the standard good vs. evil and 'chosen one(s) saving the world' stories.

Snow Crash

Cyberpunk. Author:  Neal Stephenson. 1992.

Stephenson books are always more than just a story, weaving in history, religion, information technology, philosophy and a view of the future that is becoming increasingly more realistic as the years go by.

Snow Crash takes place in a future when the United States is fragmented, or exists in name only, and most power is wielded by private organizations and wealthy individuals. In fact, what's left of the Federal Government franchises out a significant portion of it's operations.

A good deal of the story takes place in the Metaverse, the virtual-reality based successor to the internet, which is populated by user-controlled avatars and system programs. The main character Hiro Protagonist, self styled "Last of the freelance hackers and Greatest swordfighter in the world," was one of the creators of the Metaverse but not one who enjoyed the fruits of its success. He learns of a new drug/virus 'Snow Crash' that impacts the infected in real life as well as the Metaverse. This somehow leads to research in ancient Sumer culture, religious cults sponsored by a wealthy monopolist, and all sorts of twisted adventures.

Perhaps it's the likability and style of the main character, but more than any other Stephenson book I've read, Snow Crash is humorous and riddled with memorable quotes. A couple that always stick in my head:

“This is America. People do whatever the fuck they feel like doing, you got a problem with that? Because they have a right to. And because they have guns and no one can fucking stop them.”

“There's only four things we do better than anyone else: music, movies, microcode (software), high-speed pizza delivery”

A Song of Ice & Fire series

Epic Fantasy. Author: George R. R. Martin. 1996-current (unfinished)

Outside of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this is the most epic and enjoyable adult fantasy series I know of. This is 'can't put it down' reading at its best. The characters and politics of the series are without par. At heart, it is a story about politics and the machinations of various characters to either stay in power, gain power, make alliances, and settle scores in an ancient land with a very thorough history. Top that off with a little of the unknown and supernatural lurking around the edges, waiting to make its power felt. 

The series is told in third-person through the perspective of a number of characters. The perspective changes each chapter, but the stories are interwoven to tell the grand tale. So far, there are 25 different perspectives.

I have doubts this series will ever be finished, the author is 63 and probably around 300 pounds. However, now that HBO has created the "Game of Thrones" TV series (based on the books) there may be incentive to prioritize it over other projects and get it done. So far, there are five books out of an expected seven. The most recent two books were intended to be one book, but became so unwieldy that publishers demanded it be split into two... which together took 11 years to finish.

So far: A Game of Thrones (1996), A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000), A Feast for Crows (2005), A Dance with Dragons (2011)

There is some grousing that those last two books were not up to the standard of the first three, but they are no less engrossing and go far in setting up the final books.

Books I Haven't Read Yet... Because of the Kindle

Written by JBMoney Friday, 07 October 2011 14:38

Lately, I've been boxing up some books for a few reasons: to keep Fianna from destroying the nice hardbacks, to make room for other "stuff", and the expectation that we'll move soon and have to do so anyway.

In an indicator of how pampered modern life has become (not just me), I'm running across several books that I planned to read but never did... because I bought a Kindle roughly two years ago. With an ereader on hand, the prospect of prying open poorly binded books to read all the text comfortably, squinting at small type, or propping up a one-pound hardback for extended periods... sort of... lost its appeal.

In the past, students, researchers, clergy and others would travel far and wide for access to great libraries of books, risking their lives in the pursuit of knowledge. Comfort while reading was also a luxury few could afford... having to read large, poorly printed tomes by candlelight or worse... and good luck finding a worthy translation of some works. Many people in the world still face poor access to books. Yet, I was putting aside books because... they were inconvenient? Oof.

What's more, if I already own the book in print, I feel it a matter of principle to NOT buy an ereader version. I already bought the damn thing! The transition to ereaders has many in that boat, looking at library of books carefully collected over the years and thinking, "no way I'm paying to duplicate that digitally, however, if I happen to find them for free..." I'm with you on that one. Unfortunately, unless it was a bestseller, you probably won't be able to find a "pirated" copy.

After getting through a hundred or so books on the Kindle (Philip K Dick's almost complete works being the most recent), I am finally getting back to some of these bulky things laying about in piles on my desk and nightstand. For example:

Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic (1789-1815) and What Hath God Wrought: The Tranformation of America (1815-1848): Two huge books from the Oxford History of America. The first, The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution (1763-1789), was the last book I was reading when I acquired the Kindle. It is also the only book where I paid for a print and digital version. I was halfway through and wanted to finish, the book probably weighs a pound, so I sucked it up and paid twice for the same thing (the way I see it).

American Ceasar: Douglas MacArthur (William Manchester) - Manchester rocks!

The Inimitable Jeeves & Stiff Upper Lip Jeeves (P.G. Wodehouse) - Cody sent me these from Japan. I don't know where he got them but they must be some indication of the Japanese love of western culture. The lenghty Jeeves series started in the 1920's and has been brought to the small and big screen since. They are comedies and P.G. Wodehouse was a genius at capturing and satirizing upper-crust English culture at the end of the Empire's heyday.

20th Century Boys - A graphic novel from Japan, also from Cody. Very Japanese, in fact, I need to start reading it from the last page... or first.. ehh, what?

Voyaging Down The Thames (Clyde Eddy) - I have a yen for reading OLD travelogues. You know, back before there were a couple thousand travel blogs and TV shows, and when only the most priveleged could afford to travel anywhere except domestically. This book was written in 1938 by an American who went to England with some notepads and a camera, got himself a canoe and traced the entire route of the Thames. Interesting because he provides a detailed history of some of the most mundane sites (by our standards) through the ages... Celts, Romans, Danes, Normans,Saxons, etc. It's also a good peek at British life between the World Wars.

China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia - One of many Chinese history books I have. Made it all the easier to skip the huge hardback.

The Great Shark Hunt (Hunter Thompson) - I think I only half finished this, but I'm not positive. Another big tome.

..and some other stuff that got packed away.

2011 August: Tuscany, Italy (Week Two)

Written by JBMoney Thursday, 01 September 2011 12:16

After leaving the Val d’Orcia, we made a short 1.5 hour drive to Siena. Siena is an impressive city. At one time, Siena was in a class along with Florence, Venice, and Genoa, competing for political superiority. Siena’s grand hopes were wiped out, along with a third of the population, during the bubonic plague of the mid-1300’s. Florence’s military conquered them in the 1550’s.

Once in Siena, it took 30 minutes for us to find parking outside the historic center, and another 20 minutes to hike into the hill town to find our lodging. It was a big day, the day before the Palio de Siena, a four centuries old tradition held twice (sometimes thrice) a year. During the Palio, the Piazzo Il Campo (possibly the grandest Piazza in Italy) is covered with a dirt track and bareback horse races are held. Each horse represents one of Sienna’s city wards (Contrade). Every Contrade has their own symbol/flag that is typically worn as a kerchief. It is an impressive gathering!

On the day before the races begin, horses are ‘introduced’, some laps are run, and the Contrades set up their separate headquarters, drink, and sing anthems. You could hear the sound of Contade voices echoing through ancient streets all afternoon and evening. I captured some video of horses and the march of the Contrades as they left the Piazza that day. Here’s someone else’s video of the 2011 race in progress.

In addition to the impressive Piazza Il Campo, Siena has a magnificent Duomo built during its 13th Century heyday. For our one night here, we stayed at the B&B Palazzo Bruchi.

The next day, we set off for a 1.5 hour drive to Volterra.  Volterra is another old hill city. Never a powerhouse of Italian history, but a place of great archaeological interest and long-time human habitation. Volterra was a former Neolithic settlement, an Etruscan center, and a Roman municipium. Trivia... Volterra is also the vampire center of power from the Twilight series, but in the movies all those scenes were filmed in Montepulciano (see Week One).

As a hill city, Volterra again presented us with transportation challenges. While there are not as many tourists, there are something like 150 steep steps up into the city. On our Sienna and Volterra days, we lived out of daypacks because there was no way we were going to carry all our junk AND Fianna up all these hills.

Volterra is very pleasant and relaxing. Most of our time was spent walking, enjoying the views, and letting Fianna play in two of the nice parks they have. One notable historical site in Volterra is the excavated Roman Theatre (1st Century BC).  There are also Etruscan (2nd - 3rd Century BC) walls and gates that are still used to enter the city.

The next morning was a cluster****. After leaving the hotel, we climbed down the city steps only to find the rental had a dead battery. So... back up the steps to find some help... only to find out that it was an Italian holiday. Italians are rather ‘unhurried’ on a normal day... on a holiday... things did not look good. Fortunately, Avis has a certain obligation to NOT leave its customers stranded and we only waited about an hour. If it wasn’t for Avis... we may have stayed another day. Also, the place we stayed in Volterra, Albergo Etruria, was very helpful in dealing with Italian Avis to get us on the road again.

Finally... on to Florence. We stopped in Florence in 2002 and regretted not spending more time here, so we looked forward to seeing a bit more of it.

Florence is a historical Disneyland, not just because of the density of “attractions” but the impressive wall of visitors. Fortunately, a good portion of the central historic city is now restricted to pedestrians.

A visit to the Florence historical center needs planned. In fact, for the Accademia (David / Venetian Paintings) and Uffizi (best collection of Renaissance art anywhere in the Universe), you should make reservations up to a month ahead of time or you will stand outside in the heat & bustle for a very long time.

Taking Fianna into consideration, we approached Florence as a series of walks. A 1-2 hour indoor museum in the morning (before nap) and maybe one shorter indoor site before dinner. The rest of the time was walking, Piazza cafes, a local park, a gelato stop (my favorite), the carousel, and feeding the birds (Fianna’s favorite).

Our hotel, Soggiorno Battistero, was dead center of the historic area and tourist insanity. We literally (after climbing down three sets of concrete stairs) opened our door to the Baptistery and the horse carriages of Piazza San Giovanni. Turn the head slightly to the right... The Duomo. Just about everything the average tourist would want to do was conveniently withiin 15 minute stroller range, and the room still managed to be quiet.

Some Florence recommendations:

Take a walk south of the Arno River: There are less tourists and more local flavor south of the Arno. Palazzo Pitti and the Palatinate Gardens are here. IMHO, the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine is one of the most underrated sites in Florence. The ceiling is amazing, creating the 3D effect of additional stories leading up into heaven. Beautiful.

The Piazza & Basillica Santa Croce: Per Fianna, the Piazza Santa Croce is the best place to feed pigeons in Florence. It is also relatively quiet compared to the other main Piazzas. The Basilica interior is very impressive (beats hell out of the Duomo) even though the front end is currently all scaffolding.

The Duomo “Terraces of the Cathedral and Dome” Tour: There are at least three ridiculously long and uncomfortable looking lines leading into the Duomo area, one for the Duomo itself, one to climb the Dome, and one to climb the Campanile. Skip them. Go to the Duomo Museum (behind the Duomo) and buy a “Terraces of the Cathedral and Dome” tour ticket. For one ticket you get a set time GUIDED tour of the Duomo, a tour of the Duomo terraces (the ONLY way you will see the terraces and its great views), and, once that’s done, you can head up to the Dome WITHOUT standing in the line. So, one ticket, three attractions, a guide, no lines.

Gusto Leo: Maybe someone would mock me for this... “You go to Italy, surrounded by fine food, and you eat at Gusto Leo for dinner... THREE TIMES IN A ROW!” I don’t know its reputation, but it was relatively inexpensive and we liked the food. More importantly, and you will know this if you have kids, it is hard to find a place where it is comfortable to eat with a toddler... especially when the people around you are probably trying to ‘enjoy the travel experience’ and not your kid. Gusto Leo was one of these places and the staff was very accommodating to us and Fianna.. their web site needs work though.

The key is the striker!

To close things out, Fianna was quite subdued on the ride home. Thanks to the Baer kids, who both had their own iPods to watch movies on, she learned a wonder of technology and used the tablet to watch almost three movies on the way home. She also took two naps.

All in all, a great trip that we’ll remember for some time. Thanks to the Baers for providing the extra nudge required to get us out of Sacramento.

[All 330+ photos (mostly taken by Robb)]

2011 August: Tuscany, Italy (Week One)

Written by JBMoney Tuesday, 30 August 2011 08:45

In August, the Bresslers went on our first two week vacation since Fianna was born (Feb. 2009). We used to take 3-4 weeks of vacation a year, so it was nice to get ‘back in the saddle’. Our destination... Tuscany, Italy. We’d been to Italy in 2002 and were looking forward to a return. Italy is a terrific place to vacation. Italians are nice folk with a good deal of respect for family, neighborhood & tradition. There is no shortage of historical sites either, which is a big plus in my book.

The big challenge for this trip was bringing Fianna, who recently entered her ‘terrible twos’ in full force. She has flown often, but we weren’t looking forward to locking her down for a couple of 11 hour plane flights. As expected, the flight to Italy was an exhausting experience, but isn’t every international flight? Unfortunately, at least on the way there, she had no interest in watching movies on the tablet and no interest in taking a nap. An additional test was carting her (40 lbs.), a stroller, an awkward car seat, and the additional luggage around. We managed.

For the first week of our trip, we stayed at Agriturismo Cretaiole, near Pienza, in the Val d’Orcia region of Tuscany. “Agriturismo” is a combination of agriculture and tourism in Italian, a style of vacationing in farm house resorts codified into Italian law in 1985 to financially benefit small farmers. Good for tourists, good for small farmers, and good for Tuscany as it prevented big agricultural interests from taking over the countryside.

The Val d’Orcia region is unique in that the entire region has been set aside as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Strict development guidelines keep the area as historically authentic as possible.... so, no Best Western Tuscanys with Olympic size swimming pools. In fact, swimming pools are not allowed even for local residents.

At the Agriturismo, we met up with the Baer Family (Robb, Melinda, Jack & Amanda). They were on the 2002 Italy trip, had stayed at Agriturismo Cretaiole before, and recommended we come this year.

While you can simply enjoy Agriturismo Cretaiole and the surrounding area in your own time and way, the family that runs it schedules an entire week of optional activities for visitors (some free, some not).

On our first full day there, we toured the family residence in Pienza to see and sample some of the different products produced on the farm. This was also a good opportunity for the kids to ride a tractor and touch some of the farm animals.

Later that day, Robb, Amanda and I decided to go for a “short walk” to see an abandoned farm house. Although Cretaiole and the farmhouse were visible most of the time, we still managed to get lost and our short walk turned into a 5-6 mile mystery tour of dead ends, gates, and steep hills. We ended up hiking all the way to Pienza before turning around. It was a good walk for me. Unfortunately for Robb, Amanda slept most of the time so he had to cart her 30-some pounds around most of this time.

On day two, we rose for a 6:30 am 3-hour walk covering a lot of the same territory this time with a local guide though. Our guide “Gary” was an expat who had decided to chuck it all and move to Tuscany. He provided us with a lot of information on the Val d’Orcia, like showing us the house where scenes from Gladiator were filmed and how to identify the trail markers that have been posted since the 18th century for rich European tourists.

In the afternoon, we toured the local Icario Vineyard and Winery, had some lunch, and goofed around. In the evening, we visited the Organic Farm Il Casale to see how organic cheese is made, enjoy another opportunity for the kids to see farm animals, and eat dinner.

On day three, Isabella (our Cretaoile hostess) gave us a thorough briefing from Pienza on the Val d’Orcia, what makes it different from any other place in Tuscany, how the area developed through history, how the people live and think there, and some local animosities. After the briefing she took us to the “Romitorio”. Thanks to an oddity of local property law, and the fact that nobody had ever paid it much mind, the Romitoria ended up as private property of Isabella’s family. It was at one time an Etruscan tomb (roughly 700 BC), eventually became a christian chapel/hermitage of some sort, and finally a place where locals hung out and possibly hid from WW2 bombers. There is evidence of much of this activity, but much has been defaced and/or stolen. The family has not been able to persuade any authorities to research/excavate it more thoroughly, although they have themselves been restricted from doing any more of their own digging.

For dinner, we had an outstanding meal at the Monastery of Sant’ Anna in Camprena. In addition to having many frescoes of the 14th and 15th centuries, it was the setting for possibly one of the most boring movies ever made... The English Patient.

On day four, we mostly relaxed and enjoyed the peacefulness of the Val d’Orcia. In the evening, however, we hired a babysitter and a van, and went to the Calici di Stelle (Chalices under the stars) wine festival in Montepulciano to let our hair down, unsupervised by high maintenance toddlers. We drank a lot of wine, watched some guys throw flags around, walked around and enjoyed the sites, and had a terrific dinner in a great old hill town.

On day five, back to wine tasting. For lunch and early afternoon, we visited the Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda. Not just a winery, but a 16th Century villa with it’s own hermitage that is still in the same family hands.

In the evening, Isabella gave an interactive demonstration of how to make the local Pici pasta. Most everyone took part in creating their own Pici which was cooked and added to a humongous evening feast that featured food stuffs from the family farm. Luciano (Carlo’s Dad) & Carlo (Isabella’s husband) were also in attendance.

On our final full day in the Val d’Orcia we toured the Brunella Winery and Wine Cellar in Montalcino. We also had a terrific lunch there with all the kids and Fred. In the late afternoon we listened to Isabella tell us all she knew about Olive Oil (her husband Carlo is a competition taster).

Finally, in the evening, we completed our last day with an impressive wood stove cooked steak dinner at a family diner in Montepulciano.

On the next day we were off for Siena, Voltera and Florence (see Week two).

[All 330+ photos (mostly taken by Robb)]