Early morning found us saying goodbye to the Alleborn's, Blackburn's, Johnson's, Nancy, Sue, Ginny and Dian as they took a taxi to the airport. Mary Lou and Dana left even earlier at 5 a.m.! Wishing them safe travel back to the US! I decided to travel like a tourist today and ride the "hop-on-hop-off" (HoHo) bus. It was an interesting experience and one I would recommend to anyone coming to Florence for the first time. I especially enjoyed the ride up to Fiesole again. Looking at everything from the open top deck gives a whole new perspective of the sights. It has been a great month in Florence and I am sad to leave, but know I'll be back again next year! I'll miss my Italian "family" - the Pelagotti's - they have been just great. But it's time to go home again and appreciate even more the privilege of being an American!
I HAVE SET UP A NEW PHOTOBLOG SITE FOR THE 2014 TOURS. YOU CAN STILL SEE PHOTOS FROM 2008 TO 2013 HERE. TO VIEW THE LATEST TOURS GO TO: WWW.INTUSCANYWITHPATRIZIA.BLOGSPOT.COM
Winding Down Day!
So here we are, just a day away from going back home for most of our group. This morning the guys headed for the American Military Cemetery, the gals did last-day shopping and three of us did some more sightseeing at Santa Maria Novella and Ognissanti Church. We had a final walk over the Arno River and said our goodbyes to dear Florence. The couples dined out tonight while we girls ate in. Suitcases are all packed and there will be taxis waiting at 5:45 a.m. to get tomorrow's travelers to the airport for flights to the USA. Libet and I will go home on Friday. Arrividerci, Firenze!
Visiting Venice!
A two and a half hour train ride took us to the floating city of Venice today. It was a perfect day for seeing the amazing sights on the Grand Canal, San Marco Square and the neighborhoods along the back streets. They say the best thing to do in Venice is "get lost" - and that's easy to do! We wandered in different directions all afternoon and everyone managed to lose his/her way somewhere in the maze of hundreds of little streets winding around the canals, palaces, markets, bridges and churches. We were all relieved to see each other again at the train station for our ride back to Florence. No matter how many times you visit Venice, there's always something new to see. A truly unique and charming Italian treasure!
When in Rome . . .
Our three couples left very early this morning for their day in Rome - 6 a.m.! Sue and I left at a more leisurely hour - 10:30 and couldn't talk any of the other ladies into going with us - so they stayed in Florence today. We arrived about noon and spent our time riding through the crazy Rome traffic on the HoHo bus! We made stops at the Pantheon, St. Peter's Square and Trevi Fountain. By chance, we saw our fellow travelers at St. Peter's where they had spent several hours visiting the Vatican museums. Who would think in the thousands of people in Rome we would happen to see them - what a surprise! Home again by 8 p.m. everyone is resting up for a day in Venice tomorrow - stay tuned!
Over to Orvieto!
Sunday was a "free" day so our folks went off in different directions. The Blackburns, Johnsons and Alleborns took in an Italian football (soccer) game while our ladies toured the Medici's Pitti Palace and the Uffizi art gallery. I decided to check out another Italian hill town and this time it was Orvieto. Located between Florence and Rome in the Umbrian hills, this town goes way back to at least the 6th century. A cable car (funicular) took me from the train station up to the top of the town and what an interesting place it was. The cathedral (14th century) has the most beautiful facade I have ever seen and the views out over the Paglia valley were outstanding! Most of today's photos are from Orvieto - another delightful Italian treat for the eyes!
Sunshine in Cinque Terra!
What a glorious day we had for our trip to Cinque Terra (Five Villages). After a couple of rainy days it was great to see the sun again and it was perfect for walking through these picturesque towns. Jim, Al and Gary decided to walk the trail that connects all the villages - a six to seven hour adventure. We girls took the easy way with only one stroll between Riomaggorie and Manarola and the local train to the others. Being by the Ligurian Sea was wonderful and we all enjoyed the day very much. Just sorry that Sue and Nancy weren't up to the challenge. After a two-hour train ride from La Spezia to Florence, we all were grateful for nice comfortable beds! Enjoy the photos from the beautiful west coast of Italy.
Under No Tuscan Sun!
Cortona was our destination today - where Under the Tuscan Sun was written and filmed, but there was a definite lack of the sun today! However, the drizzle did not deter us from enjoying this delightful Tuscan hilltop town. There were great photo opportunities since there were no crowds of tourists like last time. Jacki, Diane and Vickie even to took the long walk to see Frances Mayes' house - Bramasole! The surrounding scenery from the town is breathtaking - even on a cloudy day. Everyone enjoyed a good lunch, shopping, museums, exploring the back steets, hot chocolate and of course the best gelato yet!
The Market, The Palace and The Church!
Our Florence adventures today took us on a tour of the San Lorenzo Mercado Centrale (Central Market), the Medici-Riccardi Palace and the Santa Croce Church. The market is a feast for the eyes with all the interesting foods available there. We saw how the rich and famous of the 15th century lived as we toured their old palace built in 1444. Then after lunch, we walked through Dante's neighborhood, had some fun with a mime and then toured Santa Croce (Holy Heart) Church. The church is under restoration in some parts and it was interesting to see the restorers at work as well as look at the facinating artwork throughout the church. We also checked out the Leather School located in the old monastery connected with the church. There is always something new and interesting to see in Florence!
A Rainy Day in Italy!
Rainy days make us appreciate the sunny ones even more! However, we were not scheduled for a day trip today, so being in Florence made it a good day for visiting the museums and staying indoors. Actually it did not rain all day, so we were okay. Several folks went to the famous Ufizzi (oo-feet-zee) art museum that houses hundreds of masterpieces collected by the Medici (med-e-chee)family from the 14th to the 17th centuries. It's always fun just to walk around the city window shopping and watching tourists!
Tuscany, Chianti & American Cemetery!
Bright and early this morning the group boarded a motorcoach for the "Best of Tuscany Tour" to Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa and lunch at the wine estate. This was the same trip the earlier group took on October 6(to see photos). I decided to forego that trip this time and take off on a new discovery adventure. Leaving Florence by bus, I made a stop at the American Military Cemetery about 10 miles south. What an inspiring and awesome experince - to see over four thousand graves of US WWII soldiers who died here in Italy. The grounds are absolutely immaculate, such good care is given this final resting place for those who gave all in the service of our country. I spent the late afternoon in the charming town of Greve-in-Chianti (Gree-ev in key-an-tee)( This will definitely become a favorite place to take my travelers! Our folks returned to Florence about 8 o'clock and a good time was had by all!
Duomo & Museum Visit!
This morning we toured the Florence cathedral. It's proper name is Santa Maria del Fiore (Saint Mary of the Flower) but everyone calls it the Duomo which is Italian for "biggest church in town"! And that it is - this vast building will hold 10,000 people and is hundreds of years old. Along with the Baptistery and the Belltower, the Duomo is the icon of Florence and commands a lot of space in the center of the city. After the cathedral, we visited the Duomo Museum which houses many of the original artwork and sculpture and has models of the dome and its engineering explanations. The mosaics in the ceiling of the Baptistery, our next place to visit, are fascinating and it was interesting to be in Florence's oldest place of worship (early 6th century). This evening we enjoyed supper together at LaContessina and look forward to tomorrow's "Best of Tuscany Tour". Stay tuned!
Sunday at Fiesole!
After a relaxing Sunday morning, we boarded a city bus in the afternoon to Fiesole (Fee-o-so-lay) in the hills just above the city of Florence. This town was the early settlement of the Etruscans from about 500 BC - long before the Romans arrived around 60 BC to establish Florence. Today it is the "escape place" from the hustle and bustle of busy Florence and THE place for excellent views of the Tuscan hills and the city. Some of our group even made it all the way to the top to the San Francesco Church. Some of us opted for coffee and hot chocolate in the cafe at the sqaure! The weather is cool and sunny - a perfect day for our trip to Fiesole!
Another Day in Lucca!
Going to Lucca has become a weekly event! Today's trip was somewhat different as the monthly weekend antiques market was going on and there were a lot of people out and about. We enjoyed a little lunch in the Anfiteatro Piazza then everyone wandered around lovely Lucca. After a walk through the botanical garden, I achieved a personal goal of walking the complete 2.8 miles on the city walls. It was a very nice experience and I made it in just over two hours with a couple of brief "sit-downs". The photos will show the interesting scenes along the way and what was on either side of the wall. Others shopped, climbed the Guingini Tower, visited exhibits and checked out the prices in the antique market - no one purchased a real treasure however. After a relaxing train ride, we were back in Florence by 8 p.m. A lovely fall day in Italy!
David and the Cooking Class!
Today was the beginning of the new group's getting to know Florence so we started out with a visit to the most popular guy in town - David! After leaving him we continued our orientation by walking for a while and ending up at the Ponte(Bridge)Vechicco (Old) - built in 1345. This was the only bridge the Nazis did not bomb when leaving Florence toward the end of WWII. We stopped in at the Ferragamo shoe museum on our way to the cooking class at "In Tavola". A good time was had by all as we spent a couple of hours preparing our four-course meal and then enjoying the results down in the wine cellar.
The Going and Coming Day!
It's eight o'clock in the evening here and everyone is recuperating from those long overnight flights. Those who left early this morning are just about to land in the USA (two o'clock on the east coast). Libet and I miss you! So it's been a long day for everyone! No problems with the new arrivals - all flights on time and no bags left behind! We dashed down to Nerone's for a late lunch, walked up to the Duomo square through the market and came back to LaContessina to "crash"! Looking forward to a great time in Florence and beyond!!!
Santa Croce & Packing!
Our first group of travelers finish up their two weeks in Florence today. On the agenda for Wednesday was a tour of one of the city's finest churches, Santa Croce. The tombs of Micheleangelo, Galileo and many other "stars" of the Renaissance are found here along with outstanding artwork and sculptures. Of course we did a little shopping along the way - especially when we found that special silver shop! We took a look inside the Baptistery next to the Duomo. It is thought to be the oldest building in Florence from around 900 AD. The mosaic ceiling of the dome is fantastic. A farewell dinner and last minute packing filled the evening hours. There will be a 5 a.m. wake-up call for Judi, Tom, Monica, Anne, Gloria and Lindsey as they head for home and the good old USA tomorrow! Arivederci amici!
One Last Train Trip!
Off we went today to visit Cortona and Arezzo in the far reaches of Tuscany, just a mile or so from the Umbrian region. Cortona is a beautiful example of Italy's fascinating hill towns. We arrived in Camucia and then took a bus up to Cortona. The views were breathtaking as we looked out across the countryside with Lake Trasimeno in the distance. We enjoyed lunch, the shops and just wandering around this delightful place. The movie, "Under the Tuscan Sun" was filmed here. Back down to the train station, we had a 20 minute ride to Arezzo. The Grande Piazza was lovely and we climbed all the way up to the Cathedral park. A slow stroll took us back to the station and after waiting for delayed trains we made it back to Florence about 8:30. Another fine Italian experience!
Hanging Around Florence!
This was an "at home" day - taking care of laundry, marketing, making lunch and looking for one more perfect gift to take home! A mid-day rain shower send us hurrying back to LaContessina for lunch and a little nap before the sun came out again. Today's photographs are a collection of whimsical and typical scenes in the city as I strolled around late this afternoon. What a great place this is - something interesting at every turn. Tomorrow we're back on the train again - stay tuned!
A Serene Sunday!
Passing through the San Lorenzo market we made our way to the Medici-Riccadi Palazzo for a tour this morning. It was interesting to see how the 15th century wealthy lived and we saw an interesting Chinese modern art exhibit. We took the one o'clock train to Lucca, arrving about 2:30. Everyone enjoyed our Sunday afternoon in that beautiful city and were delighted to see a Renaissance parade and flag performance. The lovely Anfiteatro Piazza was a real highlight as we shopped and snapped pictures. We arrived in Florence about eight o'clock and enjoyed pizza and pasta at Nerone's restaurant just down the street from La Contessina. Another beautiful day in Italy!
Florence Strolling Today !
After breakfast we began a three-hour stroll along some unexplored streets of Florence. We stopped at the old Santa Maria Novella Perfumery which started centuries ago as the monks' herb garden. We enjoyed window shopping and some actual shopping when we happened onto a delightful little leather goods shop. The Ferragamo Shoe Museum was interesting where we saw hundreds of shoes on display made by the "shoemaker to the stars" - Marilyn Monroe's, Audrey Hepburn's, Nicole Kidman's, etc. Lindsey and Libet wandered off to another Italian cooking class - this time to learn the art of making pasta! The rest of us crossed the picture perfect Arno River and walked up to the Pitti Palace for a look at the Medici family's really ugly (on the outside) homestead from the 15th century. We ate another homecooked meal in the courtyard at LaContessina this evening followed by another stroll to see Florence by night.
Taking A Day Off!
About 5:30 this morning a taxi picked up Jane, Phyllis, Maxine and Carolyn for thier trip to the airport and onward through Paris and Amsterdam to the USA. Their smiling faces will be missed! The rest of us spent a lazy day sleeping, shopping and catching up on "homework". We toured the mercardo centrale where the locals and tourists alike fill their shopping bags with all sorts of delicious things to eat. More shopping in the afternoon produced Christmas ornaments, luggage, ceramics and tiles, jewelry and other treasures to take back home. All in all a relaxing day after our week of intense touring.
Bellisimo Venice!
Off we went again today - this time to the floating city of Venice. The train trip was two and a half hours and then we were on a vaporetto (water bus) cruising down the grand canal. San Marco Square was filled with more tourists like us and we took a look at the beautiful cathedral and the other sights around the square. After another Italian lunch we took off in different directions shopping for all the treasures Venice offers. We met again for our 6:30 train back to Florence, all found their way back and we arrived safely home around 9:30. We ate McDonalds hamburgers in the courtyard and said "goodbye" to Phyllis, Maxine, Carolyn and Jane who will be leaving us early in the morning.
Hello & Arrividerci Roma!
Off to the "Eternal City" - Rome today. Ten of us (Libet and Lindsey opted out)took a morning Eurostar train, arriving in Rome in only one and a half hours. We immediately jumped on the "hop-on-hop-off (HoHo) bus for a narrated tour of the city's highlights. We had a nice lunch, threw coins in the Trevi Fountain, shopped a little and five of us went to the Vatican to visit St. Peter's Cathedral. There were thousands of tourists in Rome today! It was wild and crazy, so we were glad to have our HoHo bus for transportation. We all arrived back safely in Florence and are resting up for Venice tomorrow!
The Best of Tuscany Tour!
Today's adventure was a guided bus tour called "The Best of Tuscany Tour" - and it was! Our morning started with a stroll around beautiful Siena then on to the Chianti countryside where we saw all the classic Tuscan scenery. A stop at Poggio Alloro wine and organic food farm was great and included a tasty lunch and an opportunity to taste several of the farm's own wines. Afterwards, we headed for San Gimignano with it's tower houses from centuries ago (it's been dubbed "the Manhatten of the Middle Ages). We left there and continued on to Pisa to see if the tower really leans! Twelve hours later we were back in Florence. We bought our train tickets for Rome tomorrow! Come back then!
Cinque Terra Today!
We were on an early train to La Spezia this morning where we boarded the local train that would take us to the five villages of the Cinque Terra. Riomaggorie was first, then we walked to Manarola along the Via Amore. Skipping a visit to Corniglia (we saw it from a distance), we took the train to Vernazza and finally to Monterossa. What fabulous views and what a great time we had on our day by the Ligurian sea! Worn out from our adventure, we "dined" at McDonald's at La Spezia before our two-hour return trip to Florence, arriving home about 10 o'clock. Off to bed so we can start all over again tomorrow!
Lovely Lucca Sunday!
Today the "Goodbye Girls" and Patrizia left their fellow travelers behind in Florence and took the train to Lucca. They are called the "Goodbye Girls" because they will be leaving after a week (boo-hoo). So today's journal is mostly about our day in the lovely town of Lucca - an hour and a half train ride away. A beautiful sunny day turned into a showery one, but gave us an opportunity to buy new umbrellas, since the ones we were so careful to bring to Italy were left behind! We had a great time and the rest of the folks will go to Lucca next week. Our friends had prepared a nice supper for us when we returned in the evening. Stay tuned!
The Duomo & Another David!
Saturday started off a little slower for most of us - a lot of "sleeping-in" this morning. Maxie and Jane visited the Ufizzi Art Gallery while others roamed the streets in search of Italian bargains! In the afternoon we toured the huge Duomo (Cathedral) and admired all the treasures in the Duomo Museo. Then we hopped a bus looking for the "other David". We'd seen two, but heard there was a "green" one around. Right there at Piazza Micheleangelo, high above the city, we found him! Took some great shots from that viewpoint and then back on the bus and home for a "patdidit" catered supper of baked pasta and salad. Another great day in Florence!
Cooking Class Highlight!
Our day started and ended on high notes - first all the delayed luggage arrived! Then we saw the beautiful David staute by Micheleangelo and at the end of the evening we had not only cooked, but enjoyed eating a delicious meal at our Tuscan cooking class. You will see that we now have the photos going (yesterday's are there too)and the computer glitch is fixed. Everyone's doing great and you can see that we're having lots of fun!
We`re All Here!
We all arrived in good order with only a few bags delayed! Ah, the joy of travel! We did a little walk-around this afternoon and have already made significant leather purchases! I am having bit of a computer glitch with the local wi-fi and cannot upload photographs yet - but we`re working on it!
Arriving today were Libet, Monica, Gloria, Anne, Lindsey, Jane, Maxine, Carolyn, Judi and Tom!
More later!
Arriving today were Libet, Monica, Gloria, Anne, Lindsey, Jane, Maxine, Carolyn, Judi and Tom!
More later!
It's Fly-Away Day!
My bags are packed and I'm ready to go - finally! It's Tuesday and I fly from Wilmington to Charlotte to Munich and then to Florence, arriving on Wednesday morning at about 10:30 - Italy time - seven hours ahead of North Carolina time. My California friend, Phyllis Watkins, will arrive on Wednesday also - our other friends will be there on Thursday. Tune in for all the excitement of the arrivals!