long lost friends_

so we left pisa friday afternoon to go meet up with some old archie friends from ksu in castiglion fiorentino. this is a lovely hill town of about 10-15 thousand residents, if i remember correctly. there were some amazing views (above) from almost anywhere in town. that night we were able to catch up on what everyone has done in the past 3 months over a liter, yes a liter (seriously, look at those mugs), of beer at a local pub (maybe those of you who have been can help me out with the name of this place, as i don't recall). the next day a large group of us took a bus to the adjacent town of cortona. apparently this is where "under the tuscan sun" was filmed. i can see why, cause it is very picturesque and perched high above the surrounding areas (below). near the top of the hill that the town rests on is a church (below). it is pretty nice for a town so small, but i still dont know how they actually went through with it after lugging the first stone up the hill. after that hike, i would have settled for a sacred rock at the top of the hill.
overall, it was refreshing to see some old faces and hear funny stories, as well as tell some of our own. i know they would be upset at me if i didnt mention how good the gelatto is in castiglion. they claim it's the best in italy, but i'll let you know after i try them all, which i plan to do.