So Twi-Hard

Back to our Mediterranean cruise! Our first cruise stop (after a layover in Paris and a night nigh Barcelona) was Volterra and San Gimignano (which I will forever refer to as Jimmy Johns).

What a fantastic port stop! We took our only cruise-organized tour and it was perfect. While the rest of the cruise ship headed to Pisa and Florence -- we headed to the Tuscan country side. First stop was the beautiful town of Volterra (yes, from Twilight!). Volterra sits on top of a hill surrounded by intimidating walls and amazing views. Today there is a large jail on the hilltop but up to the 70's Volterra was home to a mental hospital that housed 6,000 patients (!!!). Not to mention the vampires that live in the sewers.

After Volterra we headed to an organic dairy farm for a delicious, farm-fresh, homemade Italian lunch. After lunch we headed to San Gimignano which was a beautiful, but very touristy stop.

Overall -- it was fantastic. A great taste of the country side!