Minimizing Sightseeing?

Much to our dismay, Simon minimized how much sightseeing we’d do on our all-day tour. Rather than taking us to a winery, we stopped for a tasting at a wine distributor. Then we went to San Galgano Abbey. This Cistercian church was finished in 1268. The roof collapsed due to a fire in the 16th century and it has been in ruins ever since.

The abbey is now used to host operas during the summer, which is a fantastic setting. We tried to sneak the kids onto the stage for a photo, but got caught. Steve also caught them when they posed for this photo.

Unfortunately, Simon wasn’t aware that the church on the hill above housed the original Sword in the Stone, so we missed seeing it. Sadly, despite a variety of walled cities and castles in the vicinity, we missed seeing anything else in the area. Simon was a nice guy, but he was clueless as a tour guide.