Europe Summer Trip - England - May and June 2026

The second stop on our summer trip was spending three weeks in England, trying to catch up with some of our friends there. Shawna first flew in and Keith joined her a day later as he was in Switzerland at the KISC member meeting. 

London Gatwick

Shawna spent two nights and Keith one at the Courtyard Marriott Gatwick airport. Shawna caught up on admin and rested from our previous two weeks in Italy. The hotel is a bit run down but it served its purpose. All meals were also at the hotel. 

Lyme Regis

We spent two nights in Lyme Regis on the Jurassic Coast visiting with Steve who recently had had surgery. We were last here briefly before a wedding we attended so was nice to return and spend more time.

Lyme Regis

Accommodation:

AirBnB - We stayed at this 2 story, 4 bedroom cottage with 2 baths and a large kitchen and living room. The house is dated but it was clean and the bed was very comfortable.  It's also walkable into town.

Activities:

We picked up Steve from his house in Southsea and then went to visit his parents for a bit - his mom is turning 90 this summer and his dad 100 later this year. They both seem to be doing quite well. Once we got to Lyme Regis and put our bags into the AirBnB, we went for a walk along the wharf and beach searching for fossils as the area is known for having dinosaur bones and fossils - thus the name Jurassic Coast. 

Visit with Steve's parents

Walk along the coast in Lyme Regis

The following day, we hiked the Charmouth Beach to Golden Cap loop. Steve joined us for part of it. The first part of the hike was nice as it followed the coast but the loop back was not as scenic. It total, we hiked 7 miles and 1.5K feet in elevation and took 2 hours and 40 minutes. Before dinner, we did another walk along the river path to Uplyme - the path was very nice.

Hike to Golden Cap

Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door Circuit Hike - We drove to Lulworth Cove and hiked this beautiful trail that has wonderful views of the coast. The hike was 6 miles and 1.2K feet in elevation and took about 3 hours.

Lulworth Cove Hike

Restaurants:

Athelhampton House and Gardens - We stopped here on our drive in for a late lunch. We shared a lamb curry and scone.

The Ship Inn and Lyme's Fish Bar - We got fish and chips from Lyme's Fish Bar as take-out and ate it with a beer at The Ship Inn. Fish was pretty good. 

The Alcove - We stopped here for a Cornish pasty for lunch and sat on the boardwalk guarding our pasties with our lives as the seagulls swooped down to try to steal them!

Rock Point Inn - We had a G&T here before dinner and sat on the deck with views of the ocean - it was chilly but nice views.

Lal Qilla - We were craving some proper Indian food so had dinner here, sharing the very spicy lamb vindaloo with rice, raita and garlic naan.

The Boat Shed - After our hike, we had lunch at this cute cafe on the water in Lulworth Cove, sharing a soup and sausage roll. 

Lunch at The Boat Shed

East Sussex

We spent four nights in the East Sussex area with Ewan and Sharon - the primary point of our visit here (other than seeing one another) was to do some sparking wine tasting which apparently England is now known for!

Accommodations:

The Southern Bell - Located in Brighton, we spent one night here. Small place with comfortable and modern rooms. We had breakfast here - breakfast sandwiches.

The Southern Bell

The Bull - Located in Ditchling, we spent three nights here. It's a very cute pub and inn with a great restaurant and beer garden. The rooms were very nice but ours was small and it was quite hot so unfortunately, we did not sleep the best. We also had most of our meals here (see below).

The Bull

Activities:

In Brighton, we walked around the city, stopping by the Royal Pavillion (a seaside retreat build for King George in the 1800s), walking through the Lanes (a cute area with shops and restaurants) and along the coast and boardwalk. The weather was quite warm so there were a lot of people on the beach. 

Brighton Beach Pier

While in Ditchling, we hiked to Ditchling Beacon, the nearby hilltop, which was about 1.5 hours. We also did the Devils Dyke hike which was 7 miles and 1K feet in elevation, taking about 3 hours. Both of these hikes had nice view of the rolling hills. On our last full day, we drove out to the coast and did the Seven Sisters hike which was 8 miles and 1K feet in elevation, taking 3 hours - really nice views of the chalk hills along the coast. 

Devils Dyke Hike

Seven Sisters Hike

The main event was sparkling wine tasting - we went to two wineries on two different days:

Everflyht - We did a tour and a tasting which was very interesting. The winery is quite small and they only produce sparkling wine. We really like the cuvee so bought a few bottles to enjoy over the next couple of weeks.

Tasting at Everflyht

Aretelium - Another small winery that produces both still and sparkling wines. The tour here was not as nice and was a bit depressing as they tossed quite a bit of their crop to frost. That said, we really liked their cuvee and sparkling rose - we bought a couple of bottles of the cuvee.

Restaurants:

The Meeting Place - Located on the beach in Brighton, we stopped here for a drink before dinner. Nice views of the ocean.

The Urchin - Located in Brighton, we had dinner here at this cute, seafood focused restaurant. We shared a few appetizers for the table and then shared a shrimp entree.  Everything was tasty.

Shelter Hall - A food hall located on the beach in Brighton - we had lunch here sharing some tacos.

The Bull - Located in Ditchling, we had breakfast here one morning and had three dinners here. One night we ate inside the pub and the other two nights we ate in the beer garden. We had trout, pizza and the traditional Sunday roast for our dinners. The food was very good. 

The Beer Garden at The Bull

Green Welly Cafe - Located in Ditchling, we had breakfast at this cute cafe one morning - we each got the yogurt. 

Yorkshire Dales

We spent four nights in the Yorkshire Dales - just the two of us. We had spent a day here in our previous trip to England so decided we wanted to explore the area more. On our drive here, we stopped for brunch in Winchester at The Long Barn and met up with Rachel, Quintin, Dawn and Stewart. 

Brunch at The Long Barn

Accommodation:

AirBnB - We stayed at this cute 1BR, 1 Bath house in Gayle, near the cute town of Hawes. The house was very cute and the bed was super comfortable. The owner was also very nice. We had the use of a washer in the kitchen and a drier in the garage. The only downside was the wifi was super slow. We had all of our breakfasts here.

Our AirBnB

Activities:

Buckden Circular Hike - We did this 8 miles, 2.2K feet elevation gain hike through the hilly farmlands in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Beautiful scenery. The hike took 3.5 hours and went through sections of the Dales Way which is a trail that starts at the Bolton Abbey in the souther part of the park and goes all the day to the Lake District.

Buckden Circular Hike

Keld and Tan Hill Circular Hike - We did this 11 miles, 2K feet elevation gain hike that went through a small section of the coast to coast trail. It took us 4.5 hours to complete it. The first and last couple of miles were very pretty but then the fields got plain and monotonous. There were a few cool ruins along the way and at about half way, we got to Tan Hill Inn, the highest inn in the British Isles. It was super busy so we didn't get anything inside but they did have an outside tent serving a few things so we split a bacon and sausage roll.

Approaching the Tan Hill Inn on our hike

Hawes and Hardraw Force Circular - We did this 6 mile hike that took us to the highest single drop waterfall in England at 100 feet. We then walked through fields back into town. It was an easy and pretty hike.

Hawes Hike

Restaurants:

We picked up some cheese and crackers in town and had that for dinner two evenings as well as made tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches another evening. Some of the cheese was purchased at the local Wensleydale Creamery. 

White Hart Inn - We had a few drinks in their beer garden and then had dinner here, sharing a mushroom appetizer and lamb dish for our entree. We decided to have lamb given all the sheep we have been seeing!

Beer Garden at White Hart Inn

Lake District

We spent seven nights in the Lake District as we love this area so much. Rachel and Oliver joined us for the first four nights.

The river by our house

Accommodation:

Grass Ings Cottage - We booked this house on Sykes Holiday Cottages. The house is located in Skelwith Bridge, a small hamlet west of Ambleside. The house has three bedrooms (two with Queen beds) and three bathrooms along with a large kitchen and den area. It also has a wonderful deck where we ate most meals with wonderful views of the hills and river. The gardens are also quite nice. The house far exceeded our expectations!

Our house and view in the Lake District

Activities:

Walk to Skelwith Force - We did a brief walk up to the waterfall in Skelwith.

Old Man Coniston Hike - We did this 6 mile, 2K feet elevation gain hike which is our favorite hike in the area. We added a couple of miles to the hike as we parked in town and walked up to the trailhead. It turned out to be a sunny, beautiful day. At the top, we relaxed and had a few snacks while Rachel had her tea.

Old Man Coniston Hike

Hike to Grasmere - We hiked to Grasmere, skirting around Loughrigg Fell and stopping at Rydal Cave. In Grasmere, we visited the church and Wadsworth's grave and had lunch before walking back, stopping in Elterwater for a beer. 

Rydal Cave

Hike to Hawkshead - It was a rainy day but we still ventured out, walking 5 miles to Hawkshead where we visited the church and explored the town a bit. This is a very cute village. We took a cab back.

Hike to Hawkshead

Hawkshead Church

Little Langdale Hike - We did this 7 mile and 1.7K elevation gain hike that took 3 hours - the hike was very nice as we crossed over the famous Slaters Bridge (which is the oldest bridge built of slate in the area) and we visited the Cathedral Quarry which is quite large.

Slater's Bridge

Cute sheep

We wrapped up our time here by enjoying a couple of relaxing days at the house.

Restaurants:

We had breakfast at the house each day and Shawna cooked several meals. The first night we had Italian with cheese and crackers to start and then cacio e Pepe pasta and eggplant parmesan with arugula salad. Another night she made mediterranean meatballs with orzo and roasted vegetables - we had hummus and pita and veggies to start.

Talbot Bar - Located across the street from our AirBnB, we had a beer here when Rachel and Oliver first arrived.

Royal Oak Pub - Located in Ambleside, we stopped here for a beer before dinner.

Jintana Thai - Located in Ambleside, we had dinner here sharing a couple of curries, a stir fry and a noodle dish for the table. The food was very tasty.

Grasmere Gingerbread Shop - We stopped here to get some yummy ginger cookies. The bakery has been in existence for over 170 years.

Grasmere Tea Gardens - We had lunch here, sharing a panini and chili. 

Britannia Inn - Located in Elterwater, we popped in for a beer on our hike.

Chocolate Factory - Located in Hawkshead, we bought some chocolate and fudge.

King's Arms - Located in Hawkshead, we popped in for a beer. Cute place.

Birmingham

We spent four nights visiting with Charlie and Lena and their kids. On our drive down, we stopped at Levens Hall in Kendall and toured the beautiful topiary gardens and the house. Before we left, we grabbed a few items from their bakery to snack on a light lunch.

Levens Hall

Accommodation:

Birmingham - We stayed at Charlie and Lena's house in the same large and cozy guest room we had last time.

Huins / Dodds Family

Activities:

During our visit, we participated in a few of the kids activities - including tennis lessons and an award ceremony for the rugby team. We also rented a canal boat with Anglo Welsh Waterway (the same company we used in Wales two years earlier), riding down the river from Wooten Wawen along the Stratford Canal, crossing over an aqueduct and several locks. The kids really enjoyed helping with the locks. We had cheese, bread and sparkling wine onboard for lunch. 

Canal boat

We also went for a few walks. One was for a few hours in the Lickey Hills Country Park, taking a few rests for the kids. Another one was a 6 mile hike in the Malvern Hills with Charlie - turns out that we had hiked in this area two summers prior when we spent a few days in Wales. The weather was great and we had wonderful views.

Hike in Malvern Hills

Restaurants:

Lena cooked for us one night where we had a yummy Iraqi dish of chickpeas and ground lamb. We ordered in pizza another night. For our last night, Charlie made salmon, rice and salad and we had some yummy baclava that he brought from London. 

Chakana - The real treat was an early birthday dinner at their favorite Peruvian restaurant. We got the tasting menu with the wine pairing and the food was delicious! 

Dinner at Chakana

Faun Bakery & Cafe - Located in Malvern, we stopped here for lunch during our hike. We had soup, a sandwich, burrata and a wonderful labney and white bean dip. Very tasty!

Europe Summer Trip - Italy with NC Gang - May 2026

Shawna was turning 55 this summer and we were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary so we decided to spend the summer in Europe, visiting Italy, France, Switzerland and England. During the summer, we also went to Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) for a two week safari.

The first stop on the trip was two weeks in Italy with the NC Gang - John/JoAnna, Phil/Joyce and Kim/Jonathan. Shawna's friend Chris also joined us for the second week in Tuscany.

The crew in Tuscany at the Villa

Rome

We stayed in Rome for four nights, arriving one night before the rest of the gang.

Accommodations:

Rubens Collection - The place has six rooms that are small but very nice and comfortable. In particular, the shower was amazing. It's also in a great location, easily walkable to most sights. It's on a quiet street but at times, you can hear people in other rooms.

Activities:

While in Rome, we did the following activities:

Walk around Rome - Joyce and Phil arrived early on Saturday morning while the rest of the crew arrived early evening. So we walked around Rome with the two of them, stopping by the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. We also walked up the steps that overlook the Popolo Plaza so we can see views of the city.

Trevi Fountain

Roman Forum and Colosseum - The first Sunday of the month is free museum day so we got up early and stood in line to get tickets to these two attractions. Thankfully, the line was not too bad. We first walked around the Forum and then went inside the Colosseum. Unfortunately, Phil's wallet was stollen from his waist belt while we were walking around - thankfully, we noticed it quickly so he could cancel his credit cards.

Roman Forum

Colosseum

San Clemente Church - Kate had recommended that we go to this church so we did. It's famous by having multiple underground levels so that you can see how Rome was built on top of multiple layers.

San Clemente

Golf Cart Tour of Rome - We did this tour in the evening stopping by: Gianicolo Hill to see the city, Fontana dell'Acqua Paola, Forum, Colosseum, a few churches, Trevi Fountain where we saw a laser light show advertising a tennis tournament, Spanish Steps and Navona Plaza. It was cool to see these sights at night.

View of the city from Gianicolo Hill

St Peter's Church - We went in the morning and thankfully the line moved quickly. We spent about an hour walking around inside, including going down to the catacombs. 

St Peter's Cathedral

Church of St Louis of the French - Another place recommended by Kate so we popped in for a few minutes on our way to the Pantheon.

Pantheon - We got tickets in advance and went inside to see the very cool dome which is the largest un-reinforced concrete dome in the world which is also almost 2K years old.

Pantheon

Vatican Tour - We got the evening tour and our guide was fantastic - very knowledgeable and funny. He pointed out all of the must see art and of course we ended the tour in the Sistine Chapel admiring the famous paintings of Michelangelo. 

Vatican

Restaurants:

Hosteria Grappolo D'Oro - We found out that Dawn and Stuart were going to be in Rome at the same time as us so we met up with them for dinner our first night. The place was great - we shared a few appetizers for the table and then we split a pasta and lamb dish for our entree. 

Mr Brown Pub - Located in Trastevere, we stopped here for a few drinks before dinner. Good selection of beer and cocktails. 

Come 'na Vorta Pasta e Vino - There are a few locations of this restaurant - we had dinner at the one in Trastevere. Great pasta. 

Rimessa - There are two locations of this place next to the hotel - one right next door and another around the corner. JoAnna and Shawna had drinks here one night and most of us had a late dinner here another night. The manager is super nice and the food was great. 

Grand Cafe Rione VIII - We stopped here for pasties and coffee on our way to the Forum. Great selection of pastries.

Bottega67 - Located near the Coliseum, we had pizza here for lunch - lots of options for slices where you can choose how much of a slice you want.

Prosciutteria Cantina dei Papi - Located in Trastevere, we had dinner here - small place with great sandwich options.

Dinner at Prosciutteria Cantina dei Papi

Gelatteria SM Maggiore - We stopped here on our golf car tour. The gelato is very creamy.

Pancia Felice Trattoria Romana - Located near the Vatican, we had lunch here sharing two pastas - both very good.

Magus Bistro and Winery - Located in Campo di Fiori square, we stopped here for a beer.

Osteria Nuvolari - Located near the Vatican, we had dinner here, sharing a pasta and the meatballs. Also very tasty.

Amalfi Coast

We stayed in Sorrento for four nights - Sorrento is the cheaper place to stay on the Amalfi Coast and is convenient to both the coast and Pompeii. We picked up our rental cars at the Rome airport and then drove to Sorrento, stopping in Cassino on the way to see the Montecassino Abbey and grabbing a quick pizza lunch in town at Mamma Mia. The abbey has been destroyed/bombed several times over the years, the most recent of which was during WWII - it was this bombing that allowed the US to advance further into Italy. We also stopped at the Commonwealth Cemetery which is where the soldiers from the Commonwealth countries were buried. 

Montecassino Abbey

Accommodations:

Syrrenton Home - We stayed at this cute, small hotel where there are only four rooms so we took up the whole place. Each room was a nice size and are modern with great showers. What really made this place stand out was the owner, Giacomo, who was so incredibly nice and welcoming. It was Joyce's birthday while we were there so Shawna had arranged with him to put flowers in her room. His wife also baked her a lemon cake for her actual birthday and he came by one day to give us a taste of his homemade limoncello. Breakfast was included which was a hot beverage, juice and pastry of choice at the bistro next door.

Lemoncello with Giacomo

Activities:

Pompeii and Vesuvius Tour - We got picked up from our hotel and we drove to Pompeii where we had a three hour tour. We learned quite a bit about the innovations of ancient Romans, many of which we still use today - including how the roads, sidewalks and drainage were built. While it was our third time visiting Pompeii, it is still such a cool place to see and we learned a few new things (some of which could have been forgotten from the prior visits!). We then drove to Mt Vesuvius where we hiked 1 mile and almost 1K feet in elevation to get to the crater which was also very cool to see.

Pompeii

Mt Vesuvius

Amalfi Coast Boat Tour - We walked to the marina in Sorrento where we boarded our private boat that took us along the Amalfi Coast. We rode through the Li Galli islands and then stopped in Amalfi to walk around for 90 minutes. Our next stop was Positano where we walked around for 45 minutes. We wish we had more time there as it is very cute with lots of little alley ways to get lost in. Our final stop was the restaurant in Nerano where we had lunch. We celebrated Joyce's birthday on the boat with prosecco and lemon spritz's. 

Amalfi Coast

Capri - All but Phil and Joyce took the ferry over to Capri where we took the funicular up to the top, walked around, came back down and had lunch. Beautiful island with lots of narrow lanes and expensive hotels and shops. 

Capri

Cooking Class - For our final dinner on the coast, we did this cooking class - they picked us up from the bus terminal and took us via golf carts to a hotel up on the hillside with beautiful views. We were joined by 7 other guests. We made pizza, ravioli, a beef dish and limoncello tiramisu. The chef was quite funny with her direct style.

Cooking Class

Restaurants:

Nalu Trattoria - Located in Sorrento, we had dinner here our first night. Both the restaurant and the food were great. We had some really good wine here and they gave us some free limoncello tastes. 

Le Ptit Bistr96 - Located next to our hotel in Sorrento, this is where the group had breakfast and we had drinks here one night after dinner.

Ristorante Kona - Located near Vesuvius, we had lunch here while on our tour of Pompeii and Vesuvius. We had a pizza which was pretty good. The best part was the panzanella salad which we got to start - very tasty! Nice views.

O'Parrucchiano La Favorita - Located in Sorrento, we had dinner here, known to be the oldest in town and the creator of cannelloni. The place is very large and cute with lemon trees and flowers all around. We had a yummy salad and fish dish. 

Ristorate il Cantuccio Nerano - Located in Nerano, we stopped here for a late lunch on our boat tour of the coast. They are famous for their zucchini pasta which we had with a fish and a few appetizers shared at the table. The food was great but it was expensive!

Ibis Garden Restaurant - Located in Sorrento, we had dinner here sitting in a garden. We were all quite full from our late lunch so we shared a bruschetta and a veggie pasta - both tasty. 

Limo - Located on Capri, we had lunch here sharing a salad and poke bowl - both great.

Tuscany

Accommodations:

Casa Felicita Villa - We rented this villa for a week which is a five bedroom house, each with king beds and their own bathrooms. It is located about 20 minutes NE of Siena. It has a swimming pool with a wonderful outside deck where we could enjoy our meals. The decor is very modern, light and airy and there are amazing views of the valley. Unfortunately, the weather was a bit cool and rainy so we were not able to take advantage of the pool and were only able to have dinner on the deck one evening. We would definitely stay here again.

Our villa

Activities:

Private Chef Dinner at the Villa - For our first evening, we arranged for a chef (Claudio) to cook us dinner. We started with various charcuterie dishes, then had a panzanella salad, two pastas (wild boar ragu and cacio e pepe), grilled meats and veggies and then sautéed pears with ice cream for dessert. We sat outside enjoying the views with wine and the amazing food. 

Claudio, our private chef

Wine Tour - We arranged for this tour through the villa booking agency. Two vans picked us up and took us to three wineries, all located NE of Florence so it took us about 1.5 hours each way to drive. If we were to do it again, we would choose wineries closer to where we were staying. The first winery (Tenuta Bossi) was great with lots of history and good wines. The next two (Fattoria Lavacchio and Castello di Trebbio) were OK - we had a light lunch at the second winery with large charcuterie platters. 

Wine Tour

Day at the Villa - We picked one day to just relax at the villa. Unfortunately, the weather was too cool to enjoy the pool but we all really enjoyed having a break. We got a masseuse to come to the villa and six of us each got one hour massages which was much needed! We had lunch at the villa - salad with leftover meats and then Joyce and Shawna made dinner - caprese salad, cacio e pepe pasta, eggplant parmesan and gelato. Chris had brought ingredients to make key lime martinis so we had that along with wine.

Day at the villa - key lime martinis

Day in Florence - We drove to Florence and Chris had arranged a three hour walking tour that took us to the Academia Museum to see the statue of David. We then walked around to see various churches, squares, old palaces and government buildings and ended at the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral which has the third largest dome in the world. After the tour, everyone was on their own until we met up for dinner so Keith and Shawna walked around going inside the Santa Croce church where we saw the graves of Galileo and Michelangelo. We then met up with Jodi who was also in town for the evening and walked around the Boboli Gardens before meeting up with the rest of the gang for dinner.

Florence

Day in Siena - We drove into Siena where John had arranged a three hour food tour which included five stops as well as seeing some of the signs in town, including the famous Siena Cathedral and the Piazza del Campo where they run the Palio horse races each year. After the tour, we walked around a bit before heading back to the villa. During the tour, we stopped at:

• Rombo e Vas where we had a tasting of cheeses and meats along with wine
• Osteria Cice where we could order one of several pasta or stew dishes - Shawna and Keith shared two different pastas
• La Vecchia Latteria where we had our choice of gelato - Shawna got pistachio and Keith got straciatella
• A shop on the plaza (did not record the name) where we sampled a few different cookies
• Nannini where we had our choice of coffee

Siena Cathedral

Osteria Cice - one of the food tour stops

Day in San Gimignano - We spent a half day in this cute hill top town. We first toured the Torre e Casa Campatelli which tells the history of the town through one of the houses and towers in town. We learned that the towers played no function other than to demonstrate strength and wealth. We then walked around, popping into the church and taking pictures of the views and had lunch before returning to the villa.

San Gimignano

Keith left early on the Friday morning to drive to Kandersteg as he was presenting at the Member's Meeting and was running for Committee - he got on the Committee! The rest of the crew stayed for another full day in Tuscany. 

Day in Pienza - Pecorino cheese was first created in Pienza so we started our day with a 1.5 hour cheese making/tasting tour. We visited a farm where they make various types of pecorino for distribution in local markets and restaurants. We learned about the cheese making process and also learned that they use the leftover whey to make ricotta. We then tasted their cheese as well as their olive oil. The tour was awesome as was the tasting! We then drove into Pienza and walked around - the town is very cute. We had lunch and then visited the Vitaleta Chapel which is a tiny chapel with beautiful views of the countryside - the original plan was to hike along the hills from here into town but unfortunately it was too rainy so we just quickly visited the chapel which unfortunately was closed so we could not go inside. 

Cheese tour

Pienza

Vitaleta Chapel

Drive back to Rome - We checked out of the villa and drove back to Rome where we stayed one more night at the Hilton Rome Airport before we all flew out the next day. Chris shared a room with Shawna and they had a spa night with masks and wine while chatting. On our way to Rome, we stopped in Orvieto which is another cool hilltop town. We first walked down and up the almost 300 steps of St Patrick's Well which was used to bring water up to the town by horse. We tried to do the Underground tour but the timing did not work so instead we went inside the Orvieto Cathedral which is quite impressive. We walked around the town a bit more, had lunch and then drove back to Rome.

St Patrick's Well

Orvieto Cathedral

Restaurants:

In addition to getting the private chef (see above) the first night, we cooked at the villa a few other nights as well.  One night Shawna and Joyce cooked (see above for Day at the Villa). Another night, the gang waited on Shawna and Keith 'hand and foot' where we were not allowed to lift a finger. They made hummus with veggies and pita for an appetizer, roasted chicken and orzo for our main and ice cream and cookies for dessert. And our last night, Chris made tomato soup and Shawna made a salad and grilled cheese sandwiches. Each of these nights involved lots of cocktails, wine and beer.

Pizza Pie - Located in Radda in Chianti, we got pizzas from here and brought them back to the villa. Very tasty.

Mercado Centrale - This is the central market in Florence where there is a large food court upstairs. We had lunch here, each getting our own food. We shared a couple of slices of pizza.

Casa de Vin Santo - Located in Florence, we had an early dinner here - sharing a large Florentine steak for an appetizer and then we each got our own entrees. Jodi joined us for dinner. Good food.

Dinner at Casa de Vin Santo

Antica Macelleria - Located in San Gimignano, we had lunch here sharing a tasty salad and pasta.

Al Fierale - Located in Pienza, we had lunch here. Shawna got the lasagna which was very good.

Osteria da Mamma Angela - Located in Orvieto, we had lunch at this cute restaurant. Shawna got the sausage and potatoes which was tasty. 

Lunch at Osteria da Mamma Angela

Hilton Rome Airport - Our last night's meal was at the hotel and while not as quaint as the rest of our dining, the food was pretty good. We had a few drinks in the lobby while we waited for dinner and then Shawna shared a pizza, salad and caprese with JoAnna and Kim.

Switzerland

Keith had decided to stand for the KISC Committee.  While not part of the original plan, he had to leave the gang early in Italy to go to the General Assembly.  He left the Villa at 2:30am and took 8 hours to drive to Kandersteg via the Lotchberg Tunnel.   The weekend was a whirlwind, with time spent shaking hands and kissing babies.  He was able to say hello to some old friends: Connie/Mike, Lomi, Aiden, Tania/Mark, and a few others.  Steve, Kerstin, and Byron were able to join the GA remotely.  The great news is that he won - so he'll have to return to KISC 2-3 times annually for the next 4 years.  While at KISC he stayed in the German room in the old Chalet, and stayed until Monday afternoon for a meeting on the Monday morning.  He drove to Geneva with Oli and Harry to catch a flight to meet Shawna at Gatwick airport.

New KISC Committee