kyleb

If you are traveling in Tuscany and get a chance to visit Pienza, I would highly recommend Il Rossellino, a restaurant in Piazza di Spagna. The couple who own this restaurant are friendly and attentive, and the wife is a very talented cook. We visited in December during truffle season, and she made it a point to bring out a jar filled with truffles before we ordered just so we could enjoy the aroma. The menu is seasonal and included some incredible dishes with truffles, of course, plus some tried and true Tuscan favorites. Everything was fantastic! Kyle Ball

There is a Banco di Toscana ATM machine directly across from the street from the Farmacia on the SS 222 in Greve. That's at the stop light that leads you into the piazza. If that one isn't working, there is another one about a block down the SS 222 heading towards Panzano on the same side of the street. It's just inside the front door of the bank (whose name I can't recall.) In Panzano, the Banca di Toscana machine is on the piazza on the same side of the square as the Enoteca (which is a decent place for lunch and a glass of vino rosso) and the art store called "Artemesia." It's been my experience that it's fairly easy to find ATMs throughout Italy. kyleb

A friend and I took a one-day class from Gina Stipo last month. She gives the classes in a beautiful villa overlooking the hills outside of Siena. Gina is American, trained in the U.S. and worked at several excellent Italian restaurants in NYC before moving to Italy 4 years ago. The class was E. 135 each, and we really enjoyed it. She is a master at pasta making. Her website address is www.eccolacucina.com or email ginastipo@yahoo.com. I have also taken a class from Judy at Divina Cucina in Florence which was excellent! kyleb