Morning planes took the Shapiros and Bishops back home while I began the last day of my month-long stay in Florence. One more museum was on the schedule, so it was off to San Marco church and monastery to see the wonderful frescos in the monks' cells and other masterpieces from the 14th and 15th centuries. Back at the apartment I began the packing and organizing for my trip home. In late afternoon I took my last walk around the city, saying "arrividerci"! What a great experience this has been and I look forward to being here again next year. La Contessina has been a wonderful "home away from home" and I promised the Pellagottis' that I would return with more friends! And so, here I am at the end of my daily reviews and photographs (actually I have hundreds more if you're interested!). This has been such a successful way to share with so many of you the pleasures of "my Italy - 2008"! Thanks for coming along on your computers - maybe next time you can really be here! Arrividerci!
Una Girono de Pioggia - One Day of Rain
Tuesday - October 28 - twenty eight days in Italy and it rains for one! How wonderful is that - perfect weather for the month of October. While Bob, Al and Margaret tackled the job of dismantling their bikes for packing, Nancy and I toured the Horne Museum. We saw nice furnishings and artwork left to the city of Florence by an Englishman. Bob joined us for lunch at Mario's where the locals and tourists wait for seats and good food - open for lunch only. The rain continued through the afternoon and so did the packing. Our last dinner together was at "Ernie & Pete's" next door to La Contessina and it was enjoyed to the last bite of ice cream! Early morning departures for the Bishops and Shapiros tomorrow and one last day for me! More later!
Lunedi in Venizia - Monday in Venice
If you're this close to Venice, you really must try to see it - so we did! Our 8:30 Eurotrain got us there about 11:15 and we immediately boarded the vaporetto (waterbus)for our "cruise" down the grand canal. Great photo opportunities as you will see in the slideshow. We had a nice two-course "turisto" lunch then it was on foot to see as much of Venice in six hours as we could - and we did a pretty good job! The weather was much cooler today - a real nip in the air - but we enjoyed our strolling and browsing in the many, many, many shops of Venice! Around every corner there's something to "write home about"! Hope you enjoy today's photos! More later!
Cioccolata Domenica - Chocolate Sunday!
This was huge - this tops July 4th in Southport - this was EuroChocolate! While my friends persued their own interests in Florence, I decided to once again ride the rails through the hills - this time to Perugia. Several people had told us about the big chocolate festival so I went to check it out. I slid right out of Tuscany and into the region of Umbria (Italy has 20 regions - like our states) after making a transfer in Arezzo (where I witnessed the winning football/soccer team arrive). When I got to Perugia, I just followed the crowds onto waiting buses and up to the old medieval part of the city and became part of the throng! Thousands of revelers made their way among the chocolate tents and vendors, tasting and buying all sorts of Europe's best chocolates. It was quite an adventure to add to my long list of life experiences! Perhaps I'll go back to Perugia someday to see what its like on a normal day. Tomorrow it's Venice again! More later!
Un Tour Guidato de Tuscano - A Guided Tour of Tuscany
Today we had arranged for a 12-hour bus tour of Tuscany to include Siena, San Gimignano, the Chianti countryside and Pisa. What a great day we had! The sun came out beautifully by the time we reached Siena for our tour of that unique city. Later we enjoyed a video on the bus of the Palio horserace held there twice each year. We saw some truly Tuscan countryside as we continued on to our lunch venue, a winery farmhouse where they also produce olive oil and honey. Our typical Tuscan lunch was quite good and we tasted their wine specialities too. A short ride took us to "San Jimmy" and it was truly a photographer's paradise - you'll see when you look at the photos! Late afternoon found us in Pisa where we took in the classic Leaning Tower of Pisa in the "Field of Miracles". We were there until the sun went down behind the walls then it was back to Florence - arriving about 8:30 p.m. This was a highlight day of our Tuscan sojourn - enjoyed by all with memories to last a lifetime! More later!
Facile Oggi a Firenze - Easy Day in Florence
Friday was another restful day to explore more of Florence and discover its charms around every corner. Walking, window shopping and a museum visit sufficently filled the day. The Bishops and Shapiros took in the wonders of art at the Uffizi Museum where every wall is filled with masterpieces. Meanwhile "back at the ranch" I was cooking up a big pot of Tuscan minestra zuppa (soup) ala Patrizia! We sat around our usual table in the La Contessina courtyard and enjoyed the end of a fine day with the soup and some excellent cheese! Tomorrow we are off on an all day motorcoach tour of Pisa, Siena, San "Jimmy-an-no" (Gimignano) and a "Key-an-tee" (Chianti) wine tour and lunch. Stay tuned for the review! More later!
Sotto il Sole Tuscana - "Under the Tuscan Sun"
Frances Mayes brought new-found fame to Cortona with her book and movie, "Under the Tuscan Sun". Actually the town is one of the oldest in Tuscany, settled by those old Etruscans of ancient times. Thursday's sojourn took me there to scout it out and give you a report. The Tuscan sun was not so much in evidence today, but there was no rain, just cloudy. Perched high on a hilltop, this walled city is very charming, even though I didn't see Ms. Mayes' "Bramasole" villa (not in the guidebook and no directional signs). You'll see in the photos the steep side streets - many with steps - and some of the medieval houses. This town definitly goes on the day trip list along with it near-neighbor, Arezzo. Maybe you will be with me when I go again! The Shapiros and Bishops did their own thing again today with shopping again a high priority. More later!
Amici e Palazzo Vecchio - Friends and the Old Palace
On Wednesday morning I met Bonnie & Craig Thomas from Southport and their friends the Burg's from New Jersey at the train station. They came up from Rome for the day. We had a nice lunch (Craig ate stewed rabbit!) and then it was off to the museums. While they were in the Uffizi, I took the Palazzo Vecchio tour to see where the rich Medici's lived before "buying-up" into a better neighborhood across the river (the Pitti Palace) back in the 1500's. Meanwhile, the Bishops and Shapiros ventured out on their own to do some shopping - coming back with Italian shoes,purses,etc. (looks like some nice gifts going back to the US!). After getting our "Romans" back to the train station, I cooked up a pasta & chicken dish for our dinner in the courtyard. Another busy day! More later!
Treno a Cinque Terra - Train to "Five Lands"
Tuesday turned out to be a long day with a 9 a.m. train to Cinque Terra and a return to La Contessina at midnight. We changed trains in Pisa, then after what seemed a long morning, we arrived at the first of the five beautiful hillside villages. The walk along the coastline between Riomaggoire and Manarola was great and the weather was perfect. We explored the villages and had a delicious dinner in Monterossa. It was a pleasure to show the Bishops and Shapiros this enchanting part of Italy. After barely catching the last trains back to Florence, we were happy to fall into our beds! More later!
Classe de Cucina e Cina - Cooking Class and Dinner
Monday - today's highlight was tonight's dinner preceded by our cooking class! What a fun time we had as we joined twenty other folks at a Florence cooking school for a four course meal and hands-on participation! We made tiramisu, meat-filled zucchini, gnocchi with tomato sauce and delicious chicken with peppers. You'll see by the photos what a great time we had! Earlier today we visited the Bargello Museum. It was filled with sculptural masterpieces and many other treasures. The Bargello was once the city's jail and place of executions, but is a much happier place now! Al and Margaret were delighted to finally see one of their bike cases packed with clothing and other much needed items show up from Switzerland today. Hopefully the second one will arrive tomorrow! More later!
Davido e Due Nuovo Citti - David and Two New Towns
The Sunday bells were ringing as we began our day with another walk. This time to the Piazza Annunziata and then on to the Accademia for a look at Michelangelo's famous "David". After lunch, Bob, Al and Margaret jumped on their bikes and braved the Florence traffic for a tour up to Piazza Michelangelo and along the Arno river. Nancy did some laundry and I decided to check out a couple of new towns I had not seen before by train - Pistoia and Prato (not Prado, as in the designer). Both were interesting - as I find all of "Italia" - but not exceptional. It was a big market day in Pistoia with lots of people in the streets and plazas all through the old town. I cooked a pizza back at La Contessina and we all enjoyed some ice cream in the courtyard before bedtime. More later!
A Lucca Ancora - To Lucca Again
Saturday's 11:38 a.m. train took us to lovely Lucca. Even though I was there just a couple of weeks ago, I still find it fascinating and managed to take another hundred pictures - digital is wonderful! Nancy, Margaret, Al and I climbed to the top of the Guinigi tower and were rewarded with a splendid view of the whole city. The monthly "third weekend" antiques fair was going on and we browsed around a bit. One of the highlights of Lucca is the charming "Piazza Anfiteatro" - on the same spot as the ancient Roman amphitheatre. A great place for an afternoon coffee and people watching - a lot of children in the piazza today since it was "Sabato" (Saturday). Back at "home", Nancy cooked a wonderful pork and pasta dinner for us and a good time was had by all! More later!
Il Duomo e Vaggio a Fiesole - The Cathedral and a Trip to Fiesole
Friday morning finds us in line with many other tourists to see the magnificent Duomo of Florence. After a look around and under (ruins from an earlier church) the cathedral, we go around back to take in the Duomo Museum - a collection of treasures from the church, statuary and drawings and models for the building of the Duomo. On the streets again, we settled in for some good pizza - each one had one! After a short break at La Contessina, we hopped a bus for a 20 minute ride to the village of Fiesole which sits above Florence. The main reason to go is to climb to the viewing point to look at the city down below and then to continue the uphill trek to St. Francis Church, so that's what we did. Fiesole has been around longer than Florence (a Roman outpost at first). Etruscans had lived in Fiesole since way back in the BC times, but when Rome decided it wanted the city, it got it - there are still Roman ruins in town. Our day was capped off by a bit of vino in the courtyard before retiring for the evening. More later!
Ah, Arezzo - Molto Bello! Ah, Arezzo - Very Beautiful!
Thursday - Today started out with a first-time breakfast for our newcomers followed by a walk through the market and around town a bit. Then it was time for catching up on rest from jet-lag and "bike-lag" as well as getting some laundry done. I had been reading about the old, old, town of Arezzo and made a spur of the moment decision to take the train over to check it out. Well . . . move over Siena and Lucca! This may be my next favorite (to Florence) Italian city . . . so far! It was wonderful as you will see in the photos (I took 108, but I've spared you and have posted only a few!). After almost five hours of walking around Arezzo, I boarded the 8 p.m. train for the 45 minute trip back to Florence. A great day! More later!
Ciao e Ciao! Hi and Bye or Bye and Hi!
"Ciao"(chow) is an interchangable word for both hello and goodbye. We used it for goodbye first thing this morning at as Bobbie, Terry, Louise and Carol took off for the "areoporta" for their flights back to Southport and Boston. What a great time we had together! Then it was "ciao" again - this time hello to Bob Shapiro and Al and Margaret Bishop as they wheeled their way into Florence after weeks on their bicycles - Bob rode from Amsterdam and the Bishop's from Basel. I forgot to get a photo of them on the bikes, but we'll do that later. Bob's wife, Nancy, flew in later from the US and everyone was reunited. We are disappointed that our friends Dan and Karen couldn't come because of Karen's recent health concerns - they will be missed! After a little rest for the weary travelers, we took a stroll down to the river and back stopping for a nice supper and some good ole' gelato! Grateful for a good transition day with everyone traveling safely. More later!
Martedi a Firenze - Tuesday in Florence
This is the last day for Carol, Louise, Bobbie and Terry in Florence. We decided to have an easy day and just amble around Florence starting with a walk through the tunnel under the streets where you can even shop! Back up in daylight, we walked to Ognissanti (Church of All Saints) and were awed at how beautiful it was. On the way we wandered into a building that indicated that Amerigo Vespucci was born in the neighborhood and perhaps we were even on the site where he lived (everything was written in Italian). Back at the church we also went into the convent to see the wonderful 1480 fresco (painted directly on a wall) of the Last Supper by Ghirlandaio. We enjoyed the walk back home where packing was going on in the afternoon. Our "last supper" together was in the next door "ristorante" Enzo & Pietro's which we have nicknamed "Ernie & Pete's"! More later!
Bella Boboli Giardini - Beautiful Boboli Gardens
Monday morning was liesurely after our opera adventure! I made a large pot of Tuscan "zuppa (soup)" for lunch which we enjoyed around the table in the courtyard. Then we hopped a bus across the Arno river to visit the Boboli Gardens. They are just behind the Pitti Palace where the Medici family hung their coat of arms for a couple of hundred years. The photos will show you all around - someday I'd like to see it in full bloom. That funny name - Boboli - meant "wooded area" back in the 1500's and I guess it just stuck - it is fun to say - bob-o-lee! Back at LaContessina, we had another great dinner with Carol and Louise (kind of jazzed-up leftovers from last night) - delicious again! Three meals "in" today - yay! saving euros! Tomorrow is the last day for this group then the bicyclers arrive from the north. More later!
La Opera su Notte Domenica - The Opera on Sunday Night
What could be more "Italiano" than going to an opera in Italy! The four "donne" dressed up and arrived at the theatre for Puccini's "La Boheme" on Sunday evening after a delicious dinner prepared by Carol and Louise. There was not a word of English spoken, sung or written at the opera, but we loved the experience! It was just "too, too"! Our ride back to LaContessina by taxi could have been taken from a movie! Sitting in the traffic jam watching the meter tick away the euros, our driver became more and more impatient, jumping out of the taxi to see what the hold up was and coming back to explain in Italian with a few gestures. When we finally cleared the traffic it was a wild, mad dash through the midnight streets! We were clutching, screeching and praying as we were hurled back home - safe, but not too sound! Ah, Italy! More later!
Treno a Venezia! Train to Venice
Saturday Morning - Off we go to the train station again (just a block away) to catch the 8:38 to Venice. Carol and Louise opted out, so Terry, Bobbie and I zoomed away on the Euro-Star. Two and a half hours later, we are on the grand canal, crowded onto the "waterbus" and headed for St. Mark's Square. It's a glorious, sunny day and we have joined thousands of other pilgrims in the "floating city". Even as I take it in for the fifth time, it's still just as charming as ever! I took 188 photos today, but you will be happy to know I've edited them down quite a bit for this entry. I'll just let the pictures do the talking for this wonderful day! Tomorrow we are going to do something really "Italian" - stay tuned! More later!
CHIESA SANTA CROCE - CHURCH OF SAINT OF THE CROSS
Another day of discovering the sites of Florence. In the afternoon we took a long walk over to the Santa Croce (pronounced cro-chay) church - stopping for some gelato along the way. We toured the church, museum and leather school. Santa Croce has hundreds of people buried inside the church including Michelangelo and Galileo (who lived under house arrest for defying the Church by stating that the earth was round). We saw a portion of St. Francis' robe and many wonderful works of art. The leather school was interesting - situated in what was once the living quarters for the Franciscan monks. It was creaed by the monks after World War II to give war orphans a trade. Tomorrow Bobbie, Terry and I are off to Venice. More Later!
Bella Cinque Terra! Beautiful Five Villages
On Thursday we took a two and a half hour train trip to the coast along the Ligurian Sea to visit Cinque Terra. There are five charming villages "hanging" from the cliffs and going down to the sea that are connected by a trail and a train. Our first village was Riomaggiore. After wandering through the village, we began our walk on the trail to Manarola. This part of the trail is called Via Amore (Lover's Way) and led us right along the rocky coastline on a nicely paved and flat walkway. This is the easiest part of the trail and designed for folks like us! We were in the next village in about 30 minutes. What a glorious day God gave us for this excursion - it was sunny and warm - just perfect! After Manrola, we traveled by train to Vernazza skipping a stop in village number three - Corniglia. Vernazza was wonderful and we had an early dinner (4 p.m.) at a seaside cafe. Our last stop was in late afternoon at Monterosso - the last of the five villages of Cinque Terra. There were lots of "oh's and ah's" today! The train took us back to La Spezia where we boarded a 7:30 train to Florence, arriving back "home" at 10 p.m. A full and wonderful day - see the photos! Many photos are worth thousands of words for this day! More later!
Guidata della Citta! Walking Tour of the City
It was farewell to Bill and Barbara Loyd this morning as they left for the "areoporta" for their flight back home. One week of my month in Florence has flown by. We started out about 10 a.m. for some extensive walking around the city passing first by beautiful Santa Maria Novella Church. There is a 600 year old pharmacy turned perfumery connected to the church that we visited - quite lovely and smelled good too! Wandering on, we stopped for a look around the Ferragamo Shoe Museum. Loved all the wonderful shoes that the movie stars of the 40's and 50's wore designed by Salvaore himself - quite a posh place! We took our tired feet over the Santa Trinita bridge and strolled in "oltrarno" (over the Arno). Reaching the Ponte Vecchio, we gazed at all the gold shops and made our way through the mass of tourists! After a little afternoon rest, we took a bus back up to Michelangelo Plaza to see the sun set over Florence. Another beautiful Italian day! More later!
Oggi Vistare Duomo! Today We Visit the Duomo
This was a "stay-in-Florence" day and we spent part of it visiting the Duomo complex. That includes the Cathedral which will hold 20,000 people (standing), the Baptistry, Giotto's bell tower and the Duomo Museum. Barbara was the only one to climb the 414 steps to the top of the tower - she said the view was wonderful - we took her word for it! (By the way, she also walked 414 steps down - there is no elevator!) In the Duomo Museum we saw many of the orginal works of the Duomo that had been moved there for preservation and replaced with replicas. Built in the 13th century, the church stands over an earlier 7th century church, Santa Reparata. The Baptistry is actually the oldest part of the complex dating from the 6th century. There sure is a lot of "oldness" here! Some of us saw Dante's house and head (see photos!)as we ambled around after the museum visit. Everyone was out doing their own thing this afternoon and evening. Another great day with good weather too! More later!
Su Collina a Fiesole! Up the Hill to Fiesole
Monday morning found most of us "dragging" so we took a rest from sightseeing, but headed out in the afternoon up into the surrounding hills to the old town of Fiesole. Settled by the Etruscans about 400 years before Florence was started as a Roman colony it sits above the valley that is now filled with "our" city of 420,000.
Ruins of a Roman amphitheater and baths can still be seen there. It's very peaceful and tranquil up the hill and the view of Florence and the surrounding Tuscan countryside is incredible. Some of our group even climbed the steep street up to San Francesco Church - that was quite a feat for our age group! Back at LaContessina, we had supper together in the courtyard - I had prepared a pasta casserole and salad before we went off on our afternoon adventure. More later!
Ruins of a Roman amphitheater and baths can still be seen there. It's very peaceful and tranquil up the hill and the view of Florence and the surrounding Tuscan countryside is incredible. Some of our group even climbed the steep street up to San Francesco Church - that was quite a feat for our age group! Back at LaContessina, we had supper together in the courtyard - I had prepared a pasta casserole and salad before we went off on our afternoon adventure. More later!
Domenica in Pisa e Lucca! Sunday in Pisa and Lucca.
We were off to Pisa on the 9:37 a.m. train, arriving at 10:30. We strolled through part of the city, crossed the Arno river and found ourselves right there in front of the leaning tower! We decided on a meeting time and scattered to eat, take photos and shop . . . and there were hundreds of folks doing the same thing! After a short bus ride we were in the charming city of Lucca. The old city is completely surrounded by a fortified earthen wall built in the 1500's that's 2.5 miles around, ten feet wide with a walking and biking path. We loved the plazas, churches and cafes too! After several hours there, we boarded the train again for our journey back to Florence. It was a beautiful sunshine filled day and a good time was had by all. More later!
Si, Siena! - Yes! It's Off to Siena
We boarded a 10 am bus for our day trip to Siena - home of the famous Palio horseraces and St. Catherine (parts of her are still there!). It was a little cooler today even though we went south for about an hour and a half. Our first stop in Siena was San Domenica Church were we saw Catherine's mummified thumb and head! There were swarms of people in the beautiful Piazza Campo and we joined right in. The catheral (aka The Duomo) was glowing in the Italian sunshine with it's new face lift (it was under scaffleling when I was here in February). Inside the "zebra-striped" marble columns and the inlaid marble floors telling stories of the Bible were amazing. Tried some ribollita for lunch (a thick bean and bread soup) and it was just right! A winding walk through the steep streets took us back to the bus station for our ride back to Florence. The bus filled up quickly and some folks were left standing on the sidewalk - but we made it! Celebrated Bobbie Acker's birthday today! More later!
Giro de Uffizi Museo! Tour of the Uffizi Museum
Today began with me meeting Joe and Marty Loughlin, their daugher Katie and friend Martha at the train station for their one-dayvisit to Florence. They are seeing "all of Italy" and are staying in a countryside villa nearby this week. Walking them around on a short tour was fun and then it was time to meet my group for a tour of some fine art. A little background info here - the Medici family were the richest folks around here for about 300 years and they collected a lot of high dollar art! Michelangelo was practically adopted into the family and he did a lot of painting for them as did many other most famous artists. Anyway, most of this great art is now on display at the Uffizi Museum and we saw it today! By the way - Uffizi means "office" in Italian and this huge building was the "Medici office building" during their lifetimes and later converted to the museum. After downing a strong cup of expresso to keep on going, we caught a bus and headed up to Piazza Michelangelo to see the view from above and yet another "David"! This one was bronze - turned green - from long years out in the open, but just as giant as the original in the Accademia we saw yesterday. Then it was back home and out to a "caffeteria" for supper. Another interesting day in Italy! More later!
Mercado Centrale e Accademia! Central Market and The Academy Today
After a liesurely morning around the cappuccino cups in the dining room, we walked (we walk everywhere so far!) to the huge market. All the fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, flowers, etc. are incredible along with pasta, olive oil, wines and many shoppers! Then we went to a regular grocery store to pick up other provisions. In the afternoon it was off to visit the Academy gallery to see the famous "David" by Michelangelo. He was impressive as usual - still in excellent shape after hanging around Florence since 1504! The orginal is now in the museum after being outside for 300 years. There's a replica in Plaza Vecchio where he once stood and another one at the Plaza Michelangelo - actually he's everywhere, especially in souvenir shops! Everyone holding up well! More later!
Un Giorno all' Aeroporto! A Day at the Airport
Not so much "another day at the office" as a long day at the airport. My traveling friends arrived at three different times today, so I started out alone on the shuttle bus to the airport and then brought each couple back to La Contessina by taxi. That was eaiser than dragging suitcases three blocks from the bus station! So then it was back on the bus (only 5 euros) and another trip back by taxi (25 euros!). Anyway everyone is "safe in the house" tonight. We strolled down to the Arno river late this afternoon, but everyone was too jet-lagged to do much more. We did enjoy some gelato (the famous Italian ice cream) on the way. Tomorrow we start our serious sightseeing. Keep tuned in - you can come along with us! More later!
Arriva! Arrived in Florence Today
Good flights over the Atlantic to Italy and perfect arrival day in Florence! Got out and about a bit - unpacked my bags (no sign of Andy!), shopped for some groceries and even cooked some pasta for supper! Lots of tourists here as October is a busy month for travelers. Found my way around just as I thought I would - huge market going on today near San Lorenzo. Tomorrow I go again to the airport to pick up Bobbie & Terry Acker(from Southport), Carol Howley and her sister, Louise Hudson (from Boston - friends of the Ackers) and Bill and Barbara Loyd (from Caswell Beach) - it will be a busy day as they all come in at different times, so it will be back and forth as we get everyone settled in. Had an e-mail from "Bob on the Bike", Margaret and Al made it to Switzerland to meet Bob, so they are all bicycling down this way. All is well - more later!
Andiamo! - "Let's Go"
The long-awaited day has arrived and I'm off to Florence for the month of October! Today's flights will take me from Wilmington to Philadelphia, then an overnighter to Frankfurt, Germany, then a short hop to Florence arriving at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow - I'll be six hours ahead of those of you on the east coast. My first six travelers arrive on Wednesday. After they leave, six more will arrive on October 15. We are doing a twist on the "Tusan villa" vacation and are staying in the heart of Florence - each couple has a complete apartment - and we will be taking day trips out into Tuscany. You can take a look at our accommodations by clicking over there in the left side bar. As you can see from the photo below, someone else thought he would go along as I was packing yesterday! I hope to keep this journal going at least every couple of days or so, if I can remember all the instructions Carol gave me! More Later - Pat
