The market is a big thing in Italy. No malls, no Costco, and not many people have cars, so the market comes to them. We have our market in Montalcino on Fridays (8 AM to 1PM), Buonconvento on Saturdays and Siena on Wednesdays. Vendors pull up in trucks, open the side panels and display their wares so all the locals can come to do their shopping.
Montalcino has about 3 food vendors (fresh fruit and vegtables and at least one large pig) and about 12 clothing vendors (purple is the “in” color this year). Siena on the other hand probably had 75-100 clothing vendors.
No real “deals” but a fun way to spend a part of the day. (Steve hopes to catch a deal on a leather jacket at the Florence market place)
We celebrated Jeff and Carolyn Serfass arriving from Washington D.C. They have joined us in the celebration of Mothers Day and Steve’s Birthday.
Somedays it all starts to look the same. But if you quiet your spirit and look closer, each of the hilltowns we have visited thus far, have their own distinct flavor. Each of them was an important oasis for traveling either to 
to be around 15,000). All sorts of services rose up to fill the needs of sojourners, and they were also surrounded by farms, orchards, and herds to sustain the populace.