Vinci is a quaint little hill town that is devoted to its most famous resident, Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo was born in 1452 in a small farmhouse just outside town that people can still visit today. Our local guide, Alessia, took us through the Museo Leonardiano, which houses many of his inventions and notebooks. Leonardo may be best known for the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, but he was also a prolific inventor who studied the laws of science and nature, which influenced his work as a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, military engineer, and draftsman. There's another Leonardo da Vinci museum in Florence if you can't make it to Vinci.

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Just outside Vinci is the Montalbano olive oil cooperative, where we stopped for a tour and olive oil tasting. Our guide from the cooperative, Elena, guided us through the building and described the process. Since this was not harvest season, we weren't able to see any of the olive oil production in person. It was interesting to learn that the farmers are a big part of the whole process, not just the growing and harvesting. Another nice discovery was that their olive oil is sold at Costco here in the States! Look for the Kirkland brand of Extra Virgin Olive Oil with a logo saying "Toscano" and a multiple digit number either on the neck of the bottle or the back label. This production lot number makes it possible to trace every step of the production and guarantees the authenticity of the oil. I know where I'm buying my olive oil from now on!