Volterra, Pisa, Siena

This was our first weekend trip!  We drove straight to Volterra after work on Friday, March 9, and got there just in time to check in to our hotel/hostel and get some dinner!  The drive there was so beautiful...through the Tuscan hills!  For dinner, we ate at "La Vecchia Lira," which a woman at the hotel recommended...it was wonderful and we had a few items that Giulia, our clinical instructor, recommended that the area is known for:  pici pasta and pecorino cheese...both of us had pork dishes, vino, dessert (I can't remember the name, but I'm sure Hannah has it written down somewhere), and limoncello (you know, for the digestion).
The following day, March 10, we walked around Volterra in the morning...viewing the scenery (beautiful), buildings (beautiful), parks (beautiful), etc.  We also went to the Museo Etrusco Guarnacci (which was cool...a lot of history and relics), Museo della Tortura (the museum of torture...crazy!...my camera was on the fritz but Hannah got some good pics), and the Pinacoteca e Museo Sacra.  Finally, we grabbed some lunch (take away) and headed to Pisa!
The only thing we wanted to do in Pisa was see and walk up the tower, which was a success!  We went to the duomo as well, and it was magnificent!  Walking up the tower was interesting, and when we got to the top, it was a crazy experience to slope up/down depending on where you were walking.  The whole structure and history is just amazing!  Hannah made me take a cheesy picture of her leaning on the tower before we left, but that's why I love her :)
After Pisa, we headed to Siena!  Thank goodness Hannah was driving...our hotel was right in the city (where people walk and cars are just an annoyance), and our GPS was just spinning us in circles.  We finally found the place, and were disappointed to find out that the "available parking" at the hotel was outside the city walls in any of the "free parking" spots we find available...bleh!  Anyhow...we got settled into our room and went walking around looking for dinner.  I don't remember the place we ate at, but we shared a grilled vegetable appetizer, each had pizza, some rosso de montepulciano (recommended by Giulia), I'm pretty sure we got dessert here as well, and maybe some limoncello (it was so long ago, I'm not sure!).
The next day we were up early and ready to go!  We went to:  Basilica di San Domenico (where the head of St. Catherine of Siena is), Casa di Santa Caterina, Cattedrale, Battistero, Cripta, Museo dell'Opera, and Panorama dal facciatone...pictures for everything, I swear (except for the places that don't allow pictures)!
Then we headed back to Montone/Umbertide, Umbria, where we met our two new roommates...Stephanie and Zarah, PT students from Missouri.

Istituto Prosperius Tiberino...

...Is the name of the clinic Hannah and I are at right now in Umbertide.  It's essentially a rehab hospital, and the patients stay for about 1-2 months for their treatment.  What is interesting (and completely different from the US) is that it is not just post-op patients; right now Hannah has a low back patient that is a resident of Prosperius during the course of his treatment.  We like to call it a "summer camp/resort" for physical therapy. 
All the people we work with are nice, and we enjoy learning as much as we can from them.  Our patients are wonderful as well; we just wish we could communicate with them better.  However, they get laughs out of our mixed up Italian, so that's okay too ;)
Most importantly...the FOOD!  First of all, there is this wonderful coffee/espresso/capuccino/hot chocolate machine that everyone frequents throughout the day...coffee breaks are essential!  Also, there is always some kind of pizza, panino, or pastry to enjoy for "second breakfast."

UMBRIA!

Hannah and I are finally together again!  We are in our home in Montone, Umbria that we will be living in for the next 2 months.  It is so cute and the scenery is beautiful!  We have a lot to catch everyone up on.  Hannah went to Salzburg while in Austria, and I visited Vatican City and the Spanish Steps my last day in Rome (no strikes!).  Right now we have a slow dial-up connection, so connecting to the internet and posting pictures is not as easy as it usually is...we'll catch up with those soon :) 

STRIKE!

Well, all my planning went down the tubes today!  I had a big day ahead of me this morning:  Vatican City, and if time, The Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.  Come to find out this evening (through a cousin of a cousin that lives in Rome - thank God!), that there was a strike (it happens about twice a year), which is why the metro I wanted to take was closed!  Since I didn't have a back-up plan, and my attempts at "winging it" failed, I gave up on that plan; however, I was able to visit one of the four main basilicas in Rome, which is just walking distance from where I'm staying - San Giovanni in Laterano.  Here are some pictures (I'll have to use another way to show pictures...it's taken me FOREVER to upload these few here)!

HANNAH update:  After some bumps in the road for the first couple days (she'll write more later), she had a really good day in Salzburg today!!! 

Add caption