"Niente Con Gli Occhi"

That phrase, found as one of the top phrases Rick Steves suggests one may need in Italy, means, "Nothing with eyeballs." Seriously? That is what he considered "critical knowledge" when ordering in Italy? We noticed pigeon on our dinner menu and I closely examined a goat head in the supermarket the other day, but have not come across any dire situations to save me from eyeballs.

Nevertheless, we are having a fantastic time in Umbria! The rental house is lovely, perfect for our use with a modest kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and even a pool! We made dinner at home the first two nights (okay...I didn't "make" anything, but did a helluva job putting things in the dishwasher as part of the clean-up crew).


Side View of Rental House


Pool and Garden


View of Lago Trasimeno from House

The homeowners (Cristina and Vittorio) joined us for dinner at one of their favorite spots on Monday night which was delicious! Tuesday, we drove to Siena for the day, followed by the fancy outlet mall (it only had the top brands...Gucci, Pucci, YSL, Ferrigamo, etc....).


Group Dinner

We rented a car (a hatchback beauty called a Twingo) and I am using those great stick-shift skillzzzz from the Nissan Lindsay and I shared in high school. Dave, Chris and Valerie had to PUSH the car backwards out of the driveway because I couldn't figure out reverse!!!


Issues with Reverse

Today, we are heading to Orvieto, said to be the wine capital of Umbria. Updates to follow! I will leave you with one other phrase Rick Steves found to be imperative to include in the brief phrasebook of Italian we have been referencing: "Passiamo una notte di fuoco!"

"Let's have a wild and crazy night!"