Ahhh the romantic country of Italy.  No one country is more constantly linked with romance, food, wine, and all-around sexiness.  Sprawling sun-drenched countryside, groves of olive trees, quaint charming villages, and gelato are all reasons you should visit Italy.

You'll find yourself rambling around on a Vespa, a la our girl Audrey in "Roman Holiday", or sipping limoncello at an outdoor cafe, or indulging in a 10pm dinner of outrageous fettuccine, or all of the above, possibly even in that order. 

Still not tempted?  Try renting "A Room With a View", or "Stealing Beauty", and THEN tell us you have no interest in the delightful locale that is Italia.

Tuscany & Umbria are calling.  Answer them.  There is no better place in the world to experience wine, food and history.  Or, if you're feeling lazy, just wine and food.  

Just picture it - you and your girls, sipping glasses of wine in the middle of the Tuscan countryside, after a picnic lunch of meats and cheeses and bread.

The "big" towns are still small towns and you can meander from one charming spot to the next, navigating along winding roads, passing by scenic fields and olive groves, and each day can end with some rich gelato.

The Tuscany & Umbria Getaway includes:

• Accommodation
• Transportation in Italy
  
• Walking tour
• Cooking classes
• Private guided tour of choice (antiques, shopping, art history)

(For all other Optional activities on this Girlfriend Getaway, please click the "Activities" tab.  Optional activities may be substituted for "included" activities - prices may vary.)

Holiday Golightly does not "do" air.  Booking flights is an impossible, thankless task, and we are all about being thanked.  We recommend Kayak.com, and you can fly into several different Italian cities.  We recommend Florence - the airport code is FLR.  You're welcome!  

 We would like to officially welcome our clients Sonia & Tamara back from their Tuscany & Umbria Extravaganza!  The remainder of this week's "We're Sharing" section will feature the girls and their Golightly Getaway in Italy.

Which brings us to this week's Top 10 Tuesday list.

Holiday Golightly's Top 10 Most-Useful Italian Phrases:

1)  Ciao! - Hello!

2)  Buongiorno! - Good Morning!

3)  Grazie - Thank you
    
4)  Più pizza per favore - More pizza please

5)  Non desidero portare un casco sul vespa - I don't want to wear a helmet on the Vespa

6)  Il vostro ferrari è molto velocemente - Your Ferrari is very fast

7)  Siamo principesse molto di un piccolo dichiariamo in America - We are princesses of a very small state in America

8)  Dite che il gelato non ha calorie? - You say this gelato has no calories?

9)  Sono questi pattini sulla vendita? - Are these shoes on sale?

10)  Siete di destra, noi non dovreste bere il vino mentre acquistate per i pattini - You're right, we should not drink wine while shopping for shoes.

Shopping in Florence, Italy – Last Stop on the Girlfriend Getaway Train

After another night – and another feast -

at La Locanda,

it was time to head to Tuscany. After a stop at the market in Arezzo, where we failed to find antiques but bought very cheap curtains for way too much money, we found our way to Florence.

After asking for directions thirteen times, we managed to drop our rental car without ending any lives and found our lovely bed and breakfast - located in the heart of the city.

The trip ended with some shopping in Florence, Tamara had her picture taken with a postcard of the Pope,

and we got ultra touristy. I finally found a handbag – lime green with purple inside – that was fun enough and flat enough to carry home.  As all good girlfriend getaways must come to an end, Tamara dropped me at the train station to catch my flight back to Rome (which, of course, I missed). But we’re planning another one soon. Tonight! Can you say “Spa Day?!”

(Ed note:  OR Spa Getaway)

Look out, Orlando, Florida. Here we come.

Many thanks to Sonia and Tam for sharing with us, and we hope we can plan another trip for you soon! 

For those of you who are fans of "America's Next Top Model", and gasped in disbelief when you saw Tyra superimpose her own visage onto a photo of the Mona Lisa, we give you Tamara: