We ventured a scenic route through the Great Glen and continue to admire the landscape. The glistening lochs and enchanting moorlands are amazing. We visited the magnificent ruins of Urquhart Castle and looked for Nessie who sadly was not to be found. We are in Inverness now, the Capital of the Highlands where, Claire’s adventures unfold while on her honeymoon.
Today we ventured out to discover the rolling green hills of the Chianti region, famous for 
its wines and castles and we enjoyed both as we visited the Castle of Volpaia for a wine tasting and a tour of the cellars and olive mill. 
The village of Volpaia is dedicated to the arts and to winemaking and many original architectural features have been lovingly restored. The Volpaia winery started production in 1966 and is known for Chianti Classico. The winery operates within the walls of the Castello di Volpaia, a fortified village of medieval origin dating back to the 1200’s. http://volpaia.com/
Volpaia also produces extra virgin Olive Oil and we learned about the process of making it. The process of extracting oil from olives is generally divided into three distinct operations: crushing, extracting and separating. It is the method used for extracting the oil which defines the various system.. Crushing: In order to achieve the best possible results, we installed a traditional olive crusher with three granite mullers.
After our wine tour we participated in a wine tasting consisting of 1 white and 3 reds as well as bread with tomato sauce and sheep’s cheese. Our guide Marco did an excellent job of presenting the wines along with their tasting notes.
After we completed our visit at Volpaia we moved on to another winery in the region named Panzanello Winery. http://www.panzanello.it/default.asp?iId=GFGIJI
We toured the winery and then had a 3 course lunch with each course paired with wine. The food was delicious and everyone agreed the Lasagna was the highlight of the meal.
Overnight: NH Hotel, Siena
We visited the Glenfinnan Monument set amidst superb Highland scenery, the monument is a tribute to the Jacobite clansmen who fought alongside Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745. We witnessed the train from Harry Potter going by while at Glenfinnan. Then by ferry from Mallaig to Armadale and on to the beautiful Isle of Skye. You can just feel romance here and not sure if Jamie and Claire visited but sure feels like it. We then saw where 3 great sea lochs meet where Eilean Donan Castle is situated on the island. The scenery is breathtaking. This castle is one of the most visited and an important attraction in Scottish Highlands and it’s obvious why!
The landscape is so rugged and BEAUTIFUL! We stopped at Stirling Castle, one of Scotland’s grandest castle with very impressive architecture. Then another amazing castle, Doune Castle, otherwise known as the fictional Castle Leoch in the Outlander Series. Doune is a magnificent late 14th century courtyard castle. The 100ft high gatehouse was magnificent. Then we toured Rob Roy’s country, travelling through the Trossachs National Park then on to the magnificent landscapes of Rannoch Moor and Glencoe.
We arrived safely and had a wonderful Welcome Dinner at the Red Onion last night. Today we toured the city and visited St. Mungo’s Cathedral in the heart of the city. Saw some of the places where Season Two of Outlander was filmed such as 
Pollok Country Park. In the afternoon we visited Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Housing one of Europe’s great art collections. The parks and scenary have been amazing!
We were met on arrival at the Florence Airport by Demetra our tour guide for our week in Tuscany, and set off with our bus driver Marco for Siena, which was about an hours drive. After taking some time to unpack and freshen up, we headed off to our welcome dinner at Ristorante Alla Speranza in Piazza del Campo. http://www.allasperanza.it. The food was awesome and the wine was great – as expected! We walked back to the hotel pleasantly full and a little tired from our travels, but looking forward to a full day tomorrow in Arezzo and Cortona.
Overnight: NH Hotel, Siena
Today we had a full day with an excursion to Arezzo and Cortona. The morning took us to Arezzo. 
We saw fabulous views of the area and also visited Santario Di Santa Margherita Church.
This afternoon we visited Cortona, made famous from the book “Under the Tuscan Sun”. It’s a charming town enclosed by stone walls dating from Roman times.
Cortona offers many places to shop and eat. Many of us enjoyed gelato from Dolce Vita – one of the best places to get gelato in Cortona.
A beautiful butterfly decided to perch itself on two of our members hands as they were taking pictures – how cool is that!
Finally we finished off the day with a wonderful dinner at La Finestra Restaurant – thinking we all may all come home a few pounds heavier! haha
Dinner at La Finestra Restaurant
Overnight: NH
Hotel, Siena