We began our last day with a visit just across the street from La Contessina to see the 15th century Fulgino fresco of the last supper on the wall of former convent. No photos were allowed inside, but I found one on the internet to include. Since we had not been into the Duomo yet, we made a stop there and continued on to Oltrarno (that's the name for the other side of the river). Our walk around that area took us to the San Spirito piazza and after that we were free for the afternoon. A final gathering in the courtyard was fun as we recounted our adventures these last two weeks and talked about the upcoming early morning air flights on Friday. Bob and Joy from Greensboro were back in Florence and joined us. Dinner was once again "delizioso" at Nerone's and them some of us ended the evening at Gilli's and a nice evening walk back home. Wake up calls were set and the 4:30 a.m. taxis were booked for Friday morning as we all said our goodbyes and "arrividerci Firenze"! That's it for this group, but others arrvive on Saturday! More later . . .Ciao!
"Vino in Collini di Chianti" Wine in the Hills of Chianti - Sept. 28
There are many photos today as we visited two wonderful places - the World War II American Cemetery and the Verrazzano wine estate. Over 4000 American soldiers are buried in a lovely setting along the Greve River just eight miles outside Florence. The peaceful surroundings and many white crosses made this stop on our afternoon journey a heartfelt one. After a quick snack of a local cake with fresh grapes we continued to the Castello Verrazzano winery. This is the ancestrial home of Giovanni Verrazzao who is the same Italian explorer who first sailed into the mouth of the Cape Fear River at Southport in 1524. His discoveries along the East coast also included what is now known as Hudson Bay in New York and a major bridge in NYC has his name. It was interesting to have this connections since we have Carolinians and New Yorkers in this group. It was a beautiful setting and we had a great time tasting some of the wines produced there. From the winery we traveled on a few miles to the little town of Greve which is considered the heart of the Chianti area. You will see from the pictures what a good time was had by all on our Wednesday adventure. Enjoy! More later . . .Ciao!
"Sotto il Sole della Toscana" Under the Tuscan Sun - Sept. 27
I returned to La Contessina from my Venetian odyssey at 9:45 and at 11:15 we were on another train for our day in the hilltop town of Cortona. Of course, we Americans know it from the book and movie, Under the Tuscan Sun but for Italians it is one of their oldest Etruscan towns dating from 400 b.c. After the hour and a half train ride we caught the bus from Camucia up to Cortona winding around and around until we reached Piazza Garibaldi. The views of the valley below and Lake Trasimeno (think Hannibal -250 b.c.) were fantastic. A leisurely lunch and amble through the streets and shops afterwards made for a very pleasant afternoon in this delightful place. A visit to the Etruscan museum was enjoyed by some of us. Everyone always enjoys visiting Cortona and we can certainly see why Frances Mayes choose this place and Bramasole as her Italian home. More later . . .Ciao!
"Citta Flotante - Venezia" Floating City -Venice - Sept. 26
Seven of us took the 2-hour train ride to Venice today. Bill and Gloria shopped in Florence as they had already visited the "watery city". Don was made "train captian" to test his ability to get a group to and from Venice, and it was a good thing as you will see in part two of today's blog! Our vaporetta ride was a feast for the eyes as we took in the waterfront palaces from centuries gone by and the 21st century boat traffic. After a quick tour around St. Mark's Square we struck out on our own until time to meet at the Ferrovia (train station) again at 7 o'clock - well, "sorta kinda"! The "rest of the story" is in another posting. More later . . .Ciao!
"Ho Persa il Treno!" I Missed the Train - Sept. 26 Part 2
Well, the title gave it away! So here's the story . . . after our orientation to Venice I decided to try some island hopping by vaporetta knowing it might be a close call to get there and back in the time frame we had. But I gave it a try and enjoyed visiting Murano, Torcello and Burano. Murano is where all the famouns Venitian glass is manufactured, Burano is a quaint little village I have been to a couple of times before and Torcello was a new sight for me. Things were going well and I even got back to St. Mark's by 6:15 thinking I would have no problem getting to the train station in an hour. However, that was not to be. That boat went all over the lagoon and canal stopping at almost every dock, even down to where the cruise ships were docked before getting to the staion at 7:33! The train left at 7:27 - on the dot! Don had the ticket for the group, so of course they did the right thing and left for Florence. The next train for Florence did not leave until 3:00 a.m. so I was stuck in Venice for the night. I got a nearby hotel room, bought another ticket for the next morning's 7:11 train, called La Contessina to let them know I wouldn't be there until tomorrow. So making the best of the situation, I strolled around for awhile and had a nice outside cafe dinner by a canal. Well, that was a "first" for me and I'm so glad I had given the ticket to Cpt. Don and that my savvy travelers made it home alone! Everything worked out fine - God is good! And here are the photos from Patrizia's great Venetian adventure. . .
"Questo e Quella" This and That - Sept. 23,24,25
We took a couple of days to stay around Florence and do a little of this and that. Visting the Medici Palace first built in 1444 and remodled in the 1600's was very nice on Friday. Julie and Larry were here for the evening along with their villa friends just before going back to the USA on Saturday morning. The Langeraks and Sticklands made a train trip to Rome on Saturday and had a great time. Otherwise catching up on laundry, shopping and individual sightseeing kept everyone busy over the weekend. The group visited the Accademia on Sunday to see "David", but no photos were allowed. We also took a walk around the Duomo area along with thousands of other tourists. The weather is still suprisingly warm. All in all we just enjoyed being in our favorite Italian city. Venice and Cortona coming up on Monday and Tuesday so stay tuned! More later . . .Ciao!
"Una Molto Bella Giornata" A Very Beautiful Day - Sept. 22
Get ready! There are over 100 photos today because we enjoyed one of the many highlights of the tour when we spend the enitre day by the Ligurian Sea. We visited the Cinque (Five) Terre (Lands/villages). An early morning (7:30am) train took us to one of Italy's most popular spots along with thousands of other tourists! Our intention was to visit all five villages as we hopped the local train from one to the other, but we ran out of time and missed going on to Monterossa - oh well, another time. We arrived back in Florence about 10 pm. You will see from the photos what a beautiful day we had - not as many captions today - so just use your imagination and come along with us! Truly spectacular! More later . . .Ciao!
"Firenze Camminare" Florence Walk - Sept. 21
Our walkabout in Florence today started with a tour the Palazza Davanzati - a museum house built in the 1300's. Sorry we were not permitted to take photos there. We walked through Dante's neighborhood visiting the small church where he was married to Gemma and where his muse, Beatrice is buried. Then it was on to Piazza Santa Croce and a look at the leather school. The afternoon was free time and Patrizia cooked up a Tuscan zuppa (soup) and insalata (salad) supper for us to enjoy in the courtyard. A big day coming tomorrow as we journey to Cinque Terre. More later . . .Ciao!
Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa in a Day! Sept. 20
We enjoyed The Best of Tuscany bus tour today that took us on a 12-hour adventure. We began with a drive to Siena then a walking tour around the city. Next came our very interesting visit to the organic farm and vineyard where we had a lunch that was 95% grown on the property - grain for the pasta and bread, beef for the ragu sauce, tomatoes and other vegetables and the four wines served with our meal. The scenery from the wine farm was fantastic as we looked over toward the "tower town" of San Gimignano, our next stop. It was fun to shop, explore the streets and have world famous gelato (ice cream) there. Our final destination of the day was Pisa where of course we visited the leaning tower in the Field of Miracles. The church, baptistery and bell tower were beautiful in the setting sun. We had fun on the "choo choo" that took us to and from our motorcoach. It was a long, but rewarding day and there are lots of photos in today's journal - enjoy! More later . . .Ciao!
"Bellissimo Lucca" Lovely Lucca - Sept. 19
The trains were back in full service today so off to Lucca we sped this afternoon. The one and a half hour ride was smooth and relaxing. We walked through the famous walls of Lucca passing by the Guinici tower (which some of our folks later climbed to the rooftop garden) on our way to Piazza Anfiteatro. This grand plaza was built around the ancient Roman amphitheater walls during the middle ages. It is a wonderful place for people watching as you will see in the photos. The rain forced us into gelato and coffee shops for more indulgences - ha! But the skies cleared as we headed back to the train station for our trip back home. It was nice to be in lovely Lucca today! More later . . .Ciao!
"Cambio di Programma" Change of Plans - Sept. 18
Our original plan for today was a train trip to Lucca. However due to a 24-hour strike of railway workers, we will be going tomorrow instead. After a leisurely morning we took a walk-about in Florence beginning at Santa Maria Novella piazza. We visited the centuries-old pharmacy turned perfumery began by the monks of SMN selling their elixers, salves and other remedies. We passed through the Strozzi Palazo and on to Piazza Republica ending up at Leonardo's cafeteria for some lunch. The rest of the day was free for our own pursuits. Just a few photos today but there will be lots more later . . .Ciao!
"A Fiesole e in Citta" To Fiesole and Around the City - Sept 17
Today was our "Hop-On, Hop-Off" day as we took the double decker bus up into the hills of Fiesole and back to the city. Patrizia's friends Julie & Larry Taulbert from South Carolina stopped in for the day from the villa where they are staying in the countryside. We enjoyed the outdoor market in Fiesole and our walk up to the church on the hilltop. On the other side of Florence we hopped off at Pizzale Michelangelo for the wonderful views and a nice lunch on the terrace. Back into the city center we hopped on and off to see the sights and eat gelato! Everyone was exhausted by nightfall but it was a great day. More later . . .Ciao!
"In La Cucina" In the Kitchen - Sept. 16
Continuation of our orientation to Florence took us on a walk down to the Arno River at Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) also know as the "Gold Bridge". It is filled with gold and jewelry shops along its sides but we didn't boost the economy there - yet! Later in the afternoon we walked back - this time over the Santa Trinita bridge to our cooking class on the other side of the Arno. The photographs will show you what a good time we had with Silvio our chef for the class and the good food we both cooked and enjoyed at In Tavola Cooking School. A walk back home through the warm and beautiful night was very nice. More later...Ciao!
"Tutti Sono Qui" - All Are Here! - Sept. 15
Everyone arrived right on time in Florence today along with ALL their luggage! Our drivers delivered us to the La Contessina door by 2 p.m. After a little resting time we met in the courtyard for a short orientation before taking off for a short walk through the market and on to the Duomo. We opted for our first dinner at Nerone's and we feasted on all sorts of Italian specialties (you'll see from the photos!). After dinner it was gelato and bed! Everyone was ready to sleep off the jet lag! More later . . . . .Ciao!
"Andiamo!" . . . Let's Go!
Preparation and packing are well underway as our Tuscany travelers for 2011 look forward to departure day! Eight sojourners will be with me for the first two weeks (September 15-30) and thirteen will follow for the second two weeks (October 1-15). A few other friends will be dropping by now and then for a short visit while they are in Florence too. Look for our photo postings to begin about September 16 as we begin our journey. Hopefully we won't have any computer glitches to deal with as we "get connected" in Florence. Have fun following the blog and why not plan to be here yourself next year!
< Duomo Piazza - Florence
< Duomo Piazza - Florence