Day 08 - Tuesday 1st September

Yesterday had been quite tiring and so we had planned a more relaxed day today. Late in the morning, Suzy, Nicky, Joan and I drove to Cortona in the Avis Nissan hire car. The girls spent time looking through the shops while I took photos around the town. We got back to the villa at about 2pm for a late lunch.

In the afternoon, the others relaxed around the pool while I went for a walk down the hill to Ossaia.

We’d booked for dinner at a restaurant in Ossaia that had been highly recommended. The restaurant looks very unassuming from the outside – just a simple doorway in a stone wall. However, you walk through to an open terrace area with a very pleasant view over the valley. When we arrived, the sun was just about to set over the hills directly opposite the terrace.

We could see why the restaurant was highly recommended – great view, good service and excellent food.

It is unlikely that we will see Nicky and John again until next year and before then three of us will be having our 60th birthdays. So we decided that tonight would be a birthday celebration. It turned out to be a very pleasant evening indeed.