Arezzo e ritorno

It is not easy to get 9 people to decide on a days activities, so today we split into two groups, with one group going into Florence, and the GPS enhanced group (Carol, John, Oral, Christina, and me) heading to Arezzo.
We had a most enjoyable day trip to Arezzo, southeast of Florence. While it is a tourist destination, it was much less crowded than San Gimignano. The highest point in town is the site of the Duomo (Cathedral). Although we took the GPS equiped BMW via the autostrada today, we parked near the train station and walked up hill to the Duomo, through narrow, medieval city streets with small shops and restaurants. To learn more about Arezzo check out http://www.apt.arezzo.it/comune.asp?var=1&varc=1&idcmn=2&area=5
(in English). San Gimignano is very cute, but Arezzo seemed less like a hot tourist spot and more like a small Italian town.
We had lunch at Lancia d'Oro on Piazza Grande just below the Duomo. I had a "delicioso" Pasta Carbonara - probably the best I have ever had. If you visit Arezzo, go here for lunch.
After lunch we found a wonderful cheese, bread and dolce shop, where I purchased some panforte, a typical dessert from Siene, for tonight. I actually wanted to buy out the store, the cheeses looked exception.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's report on a schedule wine tour to Greve in Chianti and Radda in Chianti with lunch prepared for us in a Tuscan farm house. Hmmm, maybe I will have a little Chianti, eh?
Ciao for now.