This year's six-week adventure in Tuscany has certainly been a "good thing" and now it has "come to an end". Packing was the big activity of the day for us as well as some last minute shopping and sightseeing. A late afternoon bus ride up to Piazza San Michelangleo and San Miniato Church was a great way to say goodbye to Florence along with the good supper we all enjoyed at our next door restaurant. A final trip to the corner for one more gelato was a treat not to be missed. We leave tomorrow morning before dawn for the airport and our flights back to the USA. Thanks to all who have made the 2010 Tuscany tour a great success. We hope all our friends and family back home have enjoyed being with us via the blog. Stay tuned for next year, or better yet come with us! Arrivederci and Ciao!
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
A Day in Roma! - Oct 28
Our last train excursion took us to Rome - the "Eternal City" today. We took the Hop-On Hop-Off bus all around the city to take in the sights that everyone wants to see in Rome. We made a stop for a great lunch near the Trevi Fountain and then took a fast tour through St. Peter's Church at the Vatican. Running short on time to get to the train station for our trip back to Florence, we had a head-spinning taxi ride through the twilight streets of crazy traffic! We had only a minute to jump aboard the train, but we made it!
Hilltop Experiences - Oct 27
Today's adventure took us to two of Italy's hilltop towns - Cortona in Tuscany and Orvieto in Umbria. What a beautiful day full of sun but still on the chilly side way up high. We enjoyed charming Cortona with its interesting shops and side streets. Another train ride took us to Orvieto then we traveled by funicular (tram) and shuttle bus to get to the upper city. Seven of us took the underground tour to see caves and passages that have been there for centuries. We have lots of photos to share with you today - enjoy!
Slow Day in Florence - Oct 26
The sun was shining brightly and the sky was blue today for our walk around in Florence. We strolled through Dante's neighborhood and then on to the Santa Croce area. We took a look at the workers in the leather school and some of the beautiful leather goods for sale - but no major purchases today!
The afternoon was dedicated to shopping, napping and individual sightseeing. We all gathered in the courtyard for a "cool" supper of "Tuscan Soup de Patrizia" and some interesting conversation.
The afternoon was dedicated to shopping, napping and individual sightseeing. We all gathered in the courtyard for a "cool" supper of "Tuscan Soup de Patrizia" and some interesting conversation.
Rain, Rain Go Away - Oct 25
It was a wet day in Florence today, but it didn't keep us from taking a walk to the Medici-Riccardi Palace built in the 1400's. A highlight of the tour was the beautiful fresco paintings in the Chapel of the Magi. In the afternoon we traveled to the American Military Cemetery and onward to Greve in Chianti. It turned out to be a most enjoyable day followed by a great dinner at our next door restaurant - "Ernie & Pete's"!
Michelangelo and Lucca - Oct 24
We had an appointment with DAVID this morning as we marveled at Michelangelo's marble masterpiece. Then there was our afternoon in Lucca. The train got us there at 2:30 and we enjoyed a late lunch and the refreshing fall scenery around the beautiful walled city. The rain held off for us until we boarded our evening train arriving back in Florence at 8 o'clock. The days seem to be flying by as we are in the last week of our Italian adventure.
Home Day and Venice - Oct 22-23
On Friday we had a completely free day in Florence to do whatever suited our moods, appetites and credit cards! Saturday morning we were off on our trip to Venice. Don and Arlene stayed in Florence while the rest of us took in the watery sights of Italy's floating city. The weather was cloudy but thankfully there was no rain. Our vaporetta trip down the Grand Canal brought us in close contact with every kind of boat in Venice! Everyone managed to wander back to the station in time for our evening train to Florence.
Cinque Terre Adventure - Oct 21
What a beautiful day we were blessed with to visit the Ligurian coast and the five villages of the Cinque Terre! Up and out in the early morning, we took the train North to La Spezia. One by one, we visited each little town and enjoyed a walk along the cliffs on the Via d'Amore. The local train and shuttle bus got us to each destination and after an unforgettable day we arrived back in Florence around ten o'clock. We hope you will enjoy seeng some of sights we saw today.
Raindrops Falling on Our Heads - Oct 20
As we started out this morning on another walk around Florence we raised our umbrellas toward the rainy sky. We visited the Santa Maria Novella neighborhood including the Perfumery, the Strozzi Palace and the Davanzati House Museum. The sun was shining again as we crossed the Arno in the late afternoon for our cooking class and meal where a good time was had by all!
The Best of Tuscany Tour - Oct 19
Lots of photos to share with you from our bus trip into Tuscany today. We traveled first to Siena where a local guide walked us around this lovely town. We learned all about the famous Palio horse race and how important it still is to the history of Siena. Our lunch at the wine farm was delicious and fun and then we were in San Gimignano to see what is left of the tall tower houses there. Riding through the countryside was beautiful on a bright sunny day. We arrived in Pisa as the sun was setting in time to see that the tower is indeed still leaning! A great day in Tuscany!
Florence Walkabout - Oct 18
Today's mission was to get to the river and back so we could be out on our own with confidence! We toured the magnificient Duomo (catherdral) then down to Piazza Vecchio where the 1st Century Roman amphitheatre once stood. All the gold on Ponte Vecchio dazzeled our eyes and called out for our Euros! We stopped to rub the nose of the boar at Mercarto Nuovo for good luck and made it back to the Duomo. Everyone was on their own for the afternoon and we met for dinner together at Trattoria Guelfa.
Top of the Bus Touring - Oct 17
Group three started it's two-week adventure today with a double decker bus tour around Florence and up into the hills to Fiesole. A breezy cloudy morning turned into a breezy sunny day as we took in the sights. We also wished Marisa a Happy Birthday! Stay tuned as we get this group's tour underway in "Bella Tuscana"!
Bye and Hi Days - Oct 15-16
On Friday it was "Ciao" (goodbye) to those who had not already left for the USA. From early (4:30) to mid-morning there were bags being wheeled out to taxis and to the train station as group two's Florence stay came to an end - and a good time was had by all! On Saturday it was "Benvenuto" (welcome) to group three as they began their two weeks of Tuscan adventure. Everyone arrived on time and in good spirits. We took a short orientation walk late in the afternoon, then it was dinner and an early bedtime for the weary travelers. Please excuse the fuzzy photos today. My camera may be on it's last trip since it is not working quite right anymore - hope it holds out another couple of weeks!
An Adventure in Civita - Oct 15
While everyone was traveling to and from the USA today I took off on an adventure to see a place I had read about but not seen yet. Civita di Bagnoregio is perched on a pinnacle in a grand canyon and it was astonishing to see! Because the "saddle" of land that once connected ancient Civita to the newer city of Bagnoregio eroded away and the orginal bridge was bombed in WWII, the old deserted town is now connected by a long and somewhat steep footbridge. There are a few restaurants and a couple of shops to cater to the tourists. Since there was an hour wait for the next shuttle to the footbridge when I arrived, I walked the one mile through the new town (everyone must have been home for lunch since it was practically deserted!) to the bridge going over to Civita. What a surprising scene faced me when I rounded that last curve! It truly looks like something you would see in a fairy tale movie. Inside the walls it was quiet and lovely with only a few tourists around. What a perfect photo shoot! I hope you enjoy seeing Civita and will someday see it in reality. From Florence it was a two hour train trip to Orvieto and then a one hour bus ride to Bagnoregio, but truly worth it! It may become an optional day trip in the future.
Hanging Around Town - Oct 14
It's the last day for this group to see Florence sights and pack up for the trip back to the USA. Some of us toured Ognissanti Church and Ferragamo's this morning and two of our couples said goodbye today. I've also included a photo tour of our street - Via Faenza from the Medici Chapel to Fort Basso at the other end. You will see that just about everything is available to us at our great Florence location!
David, Crosses and Greve - Oct 13
This morning we saw Michelangelo's fascinating sculpture of David. It is truly one of those masterpieces that you have to see in person to really appreciate. In the afternoon we took a ride out to the American Cemetery and then on to Greve in Chianti. Tasting Tuscan wines and perusing the shops was a nice way to spend a rainy afternoon. We were back in Florence in time for another delicious Italian dinner!
Sunny Venice - Oct 12
The sun was shining again today as God blessed us with another beautiful day! Nine of us took the train to Venice while the rest stayed behind to continue exploring Florence. Hope you will enjoy your photo tour of Italy's most unique city - it hasn't sunk yet - even with thousands of tourist today!
Off to Orvieto and Cortona - Oct 11
It's Monday morning and we're off on the train to visit Cortona (last town in Tuscany) and then to Orvieto in Umbria. It was rainy and blustery in Cortona, but we managed to enjoy our time there before boarding the train again for another hour's ride to Orvieto. No rain there, just cloudy but again an enjoyable time - lots of shops here! Many photographic opportunities today - enjoy our trip!
10/10/10 in Florence - Oct 10
Our Sunday morning walk-about took us on a vistit to the bellisimo Medici/Riccardi Palace then over to Piazza S'Annunziata. Afterwards everyone was off again to their own agendas. I took an afternoon train trip up to Borgo San Lorenzo to see what it was like - it was asleep! Nothing going on there on Sunday!
Florence Walk - Oct 9
Saturday was a "stay-at-home-day" with another walk around the Florence neighborhoods. Today we saw a special commemoration going on in Duomo Piazza, wandered over to Dante's place, then on to Santa Croce and the Leather School. Everyone had the rest of the day to shop and visit museums, some even took time to rest!
What's Cooking? - Oct 8
After a totally leisurely day, we walked over to the other side of te Arno river to our evening cooking class. What fun we had learning to cook Italian style! Our efforts produced a meat stuffed zucchini with tomato sauce, potato gnocchi, chicken with peppers and tomatoes and the finishing touch was a delicious tiramisu. After a couple of hours of cooking we went down to the wine cellar to enjoy the meal we had cooked. We walked back to LaContessina - all happy and full of good food. Enjoy our photos!
Wonderful Day in Cinque Terre - Oct 7
Get ready for lots of photos again today because we were back in the Cinque Terre where every sight is worth a shot! Our early morning (7:30) train got us there in a couple of hours and we were off for the day of walking along the coast, taking the train from village to village and Toni and Cynthia even hiked part of the trail! It was a long day, but one we wouldn't have missed - a real highlight of our time here in Italy. Settle in for the slideshow!
The Best of Tuscany Tour - Oct 6
Today's adventure was a 12-hour bus trip into the heart of Tuscany. Visits included Siena, the Chianti countryside with a winetasting lunch at a wine estate, San Gimignano and a look at the Field of Miracles in Pisa. Pat stayed behind to welcome Phyllis from California to the group and to prepare a Tuscan soup supper. Thanks to Mary Lou for today's photographs!
Lucca and Florence - Oct 4 and 5
On Monday we had a lovely visit to Lucca by train. There was a little rain when we first arrived, but it turned out to be just fine and we enjoyed this treasure of a city in Tuscany. After walking together to the beautiful Anfiteatro Piazza we scattered for lunch, shopping and sightseeing. We sang a rousing Happy Birthday to Pete in the piazza! It was Kathy's birthday too, but she and Stephanie were back in Florence. Our train home fizzled out, so there was some "track hopping" going on to grab another one headed for Santa Maria Novella - whew! - we all made it back to LaContessina! Tuesday was a "free" day in Florence so everyone pursued their own pursuits so there are no photos for today.
Hopping Around - Oct 3
We spent our Sunday on the HO-HO (Hop-on-Hop-off bus)which included not only a great ride around the city but a drive up to Fiesole as well. We were surprised when we arrived there to see a "festa" going on with antiques, "fleas", and food for sale in the piazza. It was a great day for taking in all the sights. Come along with us from the top of the bus and on foot via the slideshow!
Day One for Group Two - Oct 2
After arrival day on Friday, everyone was ready for our orientation day on Saturday. We started off through the market and found our way to the river and back. The afternoon and evening was free to get acquainted with our neighborhood and find a place for a good Italian meal. It was a nice sunny day to recover from jet lag!
They're "In the House"! - Oct 1
Just to let you know that all of our travelers have arrived safely today and are eager to get into their Italian lifestyle! There will be a few airport stories for you when they get home, but that's par for the course in today's "flying world". No photos today, but we'll make up for it later!