The Fun is in the Wandering -- not just the Destination

Mona and Vanna with our new memento

One of the fun things about this trip has been the wandering through the side streets and neighborhoods -- finding a neat little store, discovering hidden arches, or seeing a fabulous view.  Such was the case when we stumbled into Vanna Spagnolo's studio in Volterra.  Vanna was alone in her studio working on her next painting when we wandered in and begin looking at her paintings.  We loved how she painted the frame as part of her pictures which gave it a 3-D appearance.  All of her paintings were of the Tuscan countryside and views we've been seeing.  One of the views we frequently saw in our travels we were not expecting  -- fields of sunflowers.  Vineyards and olive groves --yes;  sunflowers -- no.  While she did speak some English, a lot of what she told us was in Italian.  Our Italian is practically non-existent, but we understood one another.  She showed us how the various features of the painting represented wisdom, serenity, security, and tradition.  We probably spent 30 minutes or more in her shop -- just the three of us -- talking about her paintings and deciding which one we'd like to purchase.  We now have a fantastic memento that will remind us of the wonderful time we spent in Tuscany every time we look at it.  This is why we have so much fun wandering.