Mosaic Monday

Hello! I hope you had a nice weekend! I had a wonderful few days myself. My husband and I had a wedding to attend out of town and made a mini-vacation out of it! We stayed at a bed and breakfast, ate great food, danced, drank and shopped to our hearts content all without our children. I love my boys, but it was a much need respite! I hope you get a chance to do something similar. We are in the planning stages for our trip (with the kids) to Tuscany - so today I thought I would make a mosaic of the Tuscan countryside - Enjoy!

"Conditions in Tuscany are perfect."
-Olaf Ludwig




10 Interesting Facts about Italy:

1.) The name Italy comes from the word Italia, meaning “calf land,” perhaps because the bull was a symbol of the Southern Italian tribes.
2.) Italy is approximately 116,400 sq. miles, which is slightly larger than Arizona.
3.) Italy is one of the most crowded nations in Europe. Its population was 58,126,212 in 2009. The population of the USA was 307,212,123 by the same time.
4.) Rome (known as the Eternal City) is the capital & is almost 3,000 years old.
5.) The official name of Italy is the Italian Republic.
6.) Italy is said to have more masterpieces per sq. mile than any other country.
7.) Almost 80% of Italy is either mountainous or hilly
8.) In 2007, a dog found a 3.3 Lb. truffle in Tuscany that sold for $333,000.
9.) The Italian wolf is Italy’s unofficial national animal and plays a large role in the legend of the founding of the Rome
10.) The author of “Pinocchio" (pine nut), Carlo Collodi (1826-1890), was Italian

Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!