h ham, cheese, a variety of cereals, juice, fruit, coffee, tea and bread. After breakfast, 
Linda went on her first horseback ride of the week, She rode 3 times during the week and enjoyed all 3 rides. The young people (from all over Europe) who were in charge of the equestrian programs were nice, fairly knowledgeable, and always ready to have a good ride. The horses were quite fit and ready to go. Pictures here are of the stables and horses available to the hotel guests. Lynn's ride for this Sunday was to be with the young 
lady that would serve as her guide, Emma. She was from England and spoke an unusual (to our American ears) dialect of our language. She was a very effervescent young girl with a contagious sense of fun and an equally contagious personality. The ride was through the surrounding hills of our hotel and passed through the mi
ddle of the small near by village of Montieri . They got back around noon so we had the afternoon yet to enjoy together.While Linda was riding, Bill, Christine, and I lounged around the pool reading and resting. It was fairly quiet and very peaceful.
Soon after Lynn got back from her ride, we took off in the car and headed for the town of Follonica. We stopped in the village of Montieri for lunch. We ate some pasta and admired the 300 0r 400 year old room in which we ate.
Satisfied with our lunch, off we went to the beach.The little resort town of Follonica is on the Tyrrhenian Sea at the Golfo di Folloncia. (See the map in a previous post) This city must have served as the model for the whole east coast of Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. Had I been blindfolded on the trip and then un-blindfolded after our arrival, I would have guessed we had somehow been dropped in the town of
Naples, Florida. The beach was populated, but not crowded, and the water was quite warm and tranquil, softly lapping at the white sandy beach. Bill and Christine had not expected the water to be quite so inviting, and had not come prepared to swim, but did a little bit of wading. Linda and I had our suits 
on under our shorts, and managed a little swim. We walked and laid on the beach for awhile and just soaked up the sun.
We were disappointed that we could not find a geleto shop on the beach, but not to miss our daily fix, we drove through the town until we found a little shop that catered to our needs. Sooo good!
The trip home was about an hour and we got back in time to clean up and rest before our dinner.
Bill and Christine left their room earlier than Linda and I, so they stopped and got a bottle of wine and sat out on the yard/patio and watched the sunset.
We met in the dinning room at 8:00 and enjoyed our dinner. Lynn and I went to bed, but I believe Bill and Christine enjoyed a cocktail or two in the bar before retiring. Ain't Life Grand!!!More to follow....
