I think I just died and went to Tuscany

We couldn't get out fast and far enough from Rome if we tried. Hubby and I were dying to get out of Rome and the Chianti region in Tuscany couldn't have been a better next stop.

I'm sitting here soaking in some Tuscan sun on the balcony of our rented apartment in a little village called 'Lano' - about 25km north of Siena. The owners are a husband and wife couple probably in their 60s or 70s and live on site. They speak Italian, German and French. Very little English in there too...but better than our Italian. It's a working property with olive trees planted all around so they make their own olive oil. I think they make their own wine too but I haven't seen any vineyards. We sampled a bottle of unlabelled (homemade?) Chianti red wine they gave us on arrival and it was pretty good (I'm not usually a fan of red wine).

We arrived late in the afternoon yesterday so apart from a quick drive into the town of Casole d'Elsa for some groceries, we haven't really explored the surrounds. The views of the rolling hills from that little medieval town were breath-taking...as I'm sure all views around this place are. For now I'm just happy to sit here while the kids sleep.

Having visited several cities, towns, and villages over the past 9 weeks 'on the road' through Europe it's easy to get a feel for what makes your spirit soar and what makes it scream. There are places, then there are places that you simply feel you belong. It's not so easy to get a sense of that caught up in the daily hum-drum of life but on this trip it's become clear to me that my favourite places aren't the big cosmopolitan cities. I find more peace in the little villages and country towns that we've visited. The little white village of Gaucin in Spain, the Cotswold town of Chalford in England, the medieval village of Roussillon in Southern France...and now our Tuscan stop in Italy.

All these places are so far removed from our daily suburban life raising a family back in Sydney, Australia that it's hard to imagine reconciling where I find peace with where we actually are. Many families have done it with a sea-change or tree-change, but with Hubby's profession very 'big city-centric' (fortunately my business just needs a good postal system) I'm not sure whether our family is brave enough to follow in their path.

So for now, I'm happy to just let my spirit roam free in Tuscany.