Italy 2012 – Another Free Day In Cortona

Today I did what I normally would never do on a vacation with things to do and places to see: sleep in until 11. (Actually, normally, I wouldn’t even have been able to sleep in that late in the midst of exciting adventures.). But, I’m still quite sick, so I think the sleep was much needed.

My goal for today is to shop, buy a few nice things we can remember our trip by. And not the cheap tourist stuff – I have no use for a keychain or a cheap wine opener that will break sooner rather than later.

So, I’ve discovered that you have to walk off the beaten path a bit to find the nice stuff I’m looking for. But this morning on my way to coffee, I may have found it down a long, narrow alley. A gem of an art shop off the main drag. I’m excited to do some shopping there this afternoon.

Now we’ve finally found reliable Internet at the Irish pub in the big square. Unfortunately, we couldn’t sit outside because there are at least 120 8-year-olds swarming the gelati shop next door. While this is a great time of year to travel Italy due to good weather with lower tourism, this is also apparently the time that kids take trips with their schools, and you’ll run into giant, unruly groups of kids everywhere. But, once the kids leave the immediate vicinity, you almost have the area to yourself again, so it’s worth it.

After shopping this afternoon, we ended up back at the pub. We had eaten a very late lunch and weren’t hungry enough for a full four-course dinner, but finding just a light dinner was impossible because the cafes were all closing. Alternatively, we tried to find a place that just served dessert, but that also proved to be impossible. Even the pub didn’t have any dessert, so we had to get ice cream from next door and bring it back to the pub for dessert.

Tomorrow is our wine tour. I’m excited! (Don’t worry, I’ll be strictly moderating!)

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Location:Cortona, Italy