We spend our days wandering hilly, narrow cobblestone streets in town after Medieval town all dating back to the 1200s. These hill towns -- and they indeed come by their name honestly -- are comprised of interlocking passageways, steps and alleyways curving around and through and behind and beyond the main square. And not a shopping mall in site. It’s just amazing how the present and past coexist; you can travel back and forth through 800 years within a couple of hours of doing day-to-day errands.

Every town has its basic church and museum. Its de rigueur duomo, fortress and Etruscan tomb. You know the drill. We've managed to pretty much avoid going into any of them -- too much art and stuff… -- but if you tell anyone that, I'll have to kill you. I’m not proud of this, and I don’t recommend it. I’m a travel writer you know, and this is sacrilege. But for me, the wonder of traveling is to be found wandering the streets, and in Tuscany especially, stopping at every café for a Cappuccino or scoop of gelato -- after all, woman cannot live by wine and cheese alone. But I’m trying!

Pizza and pasta and Pecorino cheese. My arteries are totally clogged but I’m trying to drink sufficient quantities of red wine to counter-balance the effect. So far so good, but the last thing I want to do when I return home is have my cholesterol checked.

The wine is impossible to avoid -- not that I’m complaining. Even at lunch, there’s a bottle on every table. You just don’t see that in the States. Oh, we have so much to learn!

One afternoon, I ordered what I thought was a glass of the house wine. A bottle arrived at the table; When I protested, I was told to drink what I wanted and I would be charged accordingly. What a wonderful system, I thought!

Another favorite moment. A visit to Abbadia San Salvatore introduced us to an 8th century Abbey whose write-up spoke about it being newly renovated. Those recent restorations? They took place in the 15th century. Time warp moment #354.

Riding home, I realized that when I first mentioned “adventure” to Vic in that long-ago phone call, this was the day I imagined -- I just didn’t know it at the time.

We owe these experiences to a company called UNTOUR, a wonderful well-kept secret that may have changed my concept of travel forever. Idyll, Ltd.'s UNTOUR program offers tourists a unique opportunity to not be tourists. It flies participants to one or more cities in about a dozen European countries, inundates them with information and puts them up in apartments for two-to-four weeks to live like the locals. It's a way to get to know a destination in a manner that would never happen on a conventional tour. You would love it!

The narrow streets, winding steps and back alleys that initially seemed daunting to navigate soon became negotiable. We’ve mastered shortcuts to the center of town; gotten to know local vendors, and have begun to feel secure enough to risk getting lost on purpose. The sense of pride I felt when giving some harried American tourists directions was bordering on smug. I can see you laughing knowingly…

They’ll have to drag me home kicking and screaming…

Until my next destination –

Fyllis