On Friday morning we took our last group walk through the city and over the Arno to see a few remaining sights. A highlight was lovely Santo Spirito Church with it's incredible wooden cruifix attributed to Michelangelo. Scholars believe this was the "thank you" gift the 17-year old carved and gave to the monks there for allowing him to study the corpses in their morgue to understand the human body which he so wonderfully sculpted throughout his lifetime of 80 plus years. In the photos today you'll see our "goodbye dinner" in the courtyard and some interesting night shots of this beautiful city. On Saturday morning at 4:30 a.m. we said "Ciao" to nine travelers and two more at 7:45 as they taxied off to the airport and flights back home. Two more left in the afternoon and Patrizia leaves on Sunday. What a wonderful month it has been in "my city" - Florence! I'll be back for sure and perhaps you will come along! No more for now . . . 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
"Un Chianti Pomeriggo" A Chianti Afternoon - Oct. 13
We had our own mini-bus and driver to take us on an afternoon jaunt through the Chianti countryside. Our first stop was at the WWII American Cemetery where we paid respects to the over 4,000 soldiers buried there. The setting is beautiful with the typical Tuscan landscape and the well-maintained cemetery. Following that visit we stopped in the little town of Greve - the "capital of Chianti" - to have lunch and browse in the shops. Back aboard our bus, we climbed the hills to Castello Verrazzano which is perfectly set among vineyards, olive groves and winding roads lined with the lovely "flame cyprus" and "umbrella pine" trees. Our guide, Marcello, showed us around the grounds of the estate and into the wine cellars. They also produce olive oil and balsamic vinegar here. This is the birthplace of Giovanni Verrazzano who first discovered the mouth of the Cape Fear River (at Southport) in 1524 so many of us felt a real connection! The wine tasting was fun on the lovely terrace with perfect weather. The weather has been great for the entire month - unusally warm with only one or two rain showers. You will see how lovely the Chianti area is in our photos today. More later . . . Ciao!
"Villaggi in Riva al Mare" Villages by the Sea - Oct. 12
Nine of us traveled by train the Cinque Terre today and five stayed behind in Florence. We enjoyed a beautiful day along the Ligurian Sea's coastline as we visited the villages clinging to the cliffs. Words and even photographs do not convey the special feeling of actually being in the Cinque Terre! Seeing the everyday life of the people who live there as they deal with the thousands of tourists who now want to see their special corner of the world is a unique experience. Due to time constraints and delayed trains we were only able to visit three of the famed five villages but it was a real treat nevertheless. We had about an hour to kill at the train station in La Spezia before our trip home so some of us took a little walk around the city. The only discomfort was the loud and bumpy ride back to Florence in the evening on a train that needs to go to its last station! Enjoy our photos and think about seeing this place for yourself someday! More later . . . Ciao!
"Una Giornata di Riposo" A Day for Rest - Oct. 11
Everyone is taking a deep breath today with some time to rest and go out and about on our own. So there's little to tell about individual activities, except for mine. I have been wanting to go to Montecatini Terme to scout out the possiblity of taking others there while we are in Tuscany, so today was the day. I reached the town after an hour's train ride south toward Lucca. In the early 20th century this was the place for "taking the waters" in Europe. The thermal baths and spas were very popular and grand hotels were built to accommodate the visitors. There are still a few in operation but most have seen their better days. However the town is very beautiful with nice trees, parks and cafes. The old Middle Ages town of Montecatini Alto is reached by a funicular (cable car) that climbs to the hilltop (thank goodness!). The old town is very quiet and serene with beautiful views of the newer town below. Take a look at Montecatini - maybe you could try a spa there someday. More later . . . Ciao!
"La Nostra Giornata Cortona" Our Day in Cortona - Oct. 10
What an absolutely lovely day we had in beautiful Cortona. We were truly "Under the Tuscan Sun" with a nice breeze and no crowd! Everyone always enjoys this day trip by train to the place made famous by Frances Mayes' book and the movie. We had a delightful lunch, did some sightseeing and shopping and ended the visit with gelato - what more could you want! Enjoy our photos of this perfect Tuscan day. More later . . . Ciao!
"Domenica a Firenza" Sunday in Florence - Oct. 9
A leisurely Sunday morning was followed by an afternoon visit to the Accademia to see Micheleangelo's masterpiece - The David. Regretfully, photos were not allowed but he was truly magnificient for a 500-year old fellow! (I added a photo from the internet). Afterwards we ambled around the center of Florence and were surprised to encounter a religious parade of priests and followers carrying an icon through the streets and burning incense with chanting and a small band of musical instruments. It was very interesting, but we did not understand the significance - just part of our sensory experience in Italy! We were also happily surprised to find a nice wine tasting event going on in Piazza Republica - buy a wine glass for 5 eruos and you could taste the various Chianti wines from growers in that region. Just being out and about in Florence is a wonderful experience any day of the week! More later . . . Ciao!
"Bellissimo Venicia" Beautiful Venice - Oct. 8
Venice certainly hits you with the "wow" punch - especially if it's your first time there as was the case with most of our group. A smooth 2-hour train ride got us there in time for lunch then we spend the entire afternoon wandering through the maze of streets and alleys making our way on foot back to the train station.
Our initial vaporetto ride on the "water bus" down the grand canal made a stop at each floating dock so we had plenty of time to take photos and take in the awesome palaces and churches on both sides. Enjoy our day in the island city as you look at some of the scenery we took in on Saturday. More later . . . Ciao!
Our initial vaporetto ride on the "water bus" down the grand canal made a stop at each floating dock so we had plenty of time to take photos and take in the awesome palaces and churches on both sides. Enjoy our day in the island city as you look at some of the scenery we took in on Saturday. More later . . . Ciao!
"Il Profumo e il Palazzo" The Perfumery and the Palace - Oct. 7
Half of our group took a day off to recover from the long Tuscany tour yesterday and to rest up for Venice tomorrow. The rest of us weathered the rain shower to go to the Santa Maria Novella Perfumery which started as an herbal labratory with the Dominican monks of the church in the 1200's. The products from their pharmacy become so well known that by the 1600's they were selling them to the public. The pharmacy/perfumery is still operating today and we had a nice visit there to see both the old chapel and the products sold now by a private company. Afterwards we enjoyed a visit to the Medici-Ricardi Palace built in 1444 and lived in by the Medici family for over 100 years. It is now owned by the city and used for offices as well as a museum. The highlight of the visit is the private chapel with its amazing fresco painting of the Procession of the Magi. Even though we could not take photos in the chapel, I have included one found on the internet. We got to know Florence a little better today as visited these lovely buildings. More later . . .Ciao!
"Il Meglio della Toscana" The Best of Tuscany - Oct. 6
Get ready for lots of photos today as we take you with us on our Best of Tuscany tour. We boarded the motorcoach at 8:30 this morning and returned at 8:30 in the evening. It was a memorable 12 hours as we took in the beautiful Tuscan countryside, Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa. We especially enjoyed the lunch at the wine estate and organic farm. We tasted four of the wines produced there along with some bruschetta, pasta, salad, salami, cheese and cantuccini cookies. The weather was beautiful and we had a great guide, Barbara. Each stop was a highlight as we got a good taste of life in Tuscany from several different perspectives. Settle in and enjoy the trip with us. More later . . . Ciao!
"Casa Visitari" Home Visits - October 5
We started and ended our walks around Florence today by visiting the homes of the Middle Ages Palazzo Davanzati and the apartment of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The Davanzati house was built in the 1300's and is a wonderful museum of the lifestyle of a noble family from that period. The furnishings and wall decorations were very lovely - sorry we couldn't take photos inside, but there is one "borrowed" from the internet. We walked through Dante's neighborhood, heard nuns and monks sing at the Badia and visited the Santa Croce Leather School. Later in the afternoon some of us crossed over the river to visit the former residence of the Brownings - Casa Guidi - which can actually be rented for a stay - three bedrooms with baths, kitchen, living room and dining room. They lived in Florence for 14 years and Elizabeth died here in 1861. Another interesting day in Firenze! More later . . .Ciao!
"Il Treno a Lucca" The Train to Lucca - Oct. 4
Our Tuscan adventure took us away by train this afternoon to lovely Lucca. After an hour and a half we stepped inside the fortified walls of the city and into a place quite different from Florence. Wandering from sight to sight we all enjoyed our free time here. Lucca has a beautiful walking and bicycling trail along the tree-lined upper part of the walls. Some of us took time to stroll there while other checked out shops and sidewalk cafes. A couple of folks were spotted eating gelato too! This city has a quiet sophistication that makes it seem a world apart from Florence and other places full of tourists (us!) this time of the year. Napoleon took a liking to this Italian jewel and gave it to his sister as a gift! The train ride was our initiation into the nuiances of Tuscan train travel. It was a good beginning to several more train rides coming up in the next week or so. We were happy to hear "Firenze - Santa Maria Novella" as we pulled back into our home station after a very pleasant day. More later . . . Ciao!
"In La Cucina" In the Kitchen - Oct. 3 - Part 2
A great evening of cooking and eating was started with a walk from the residence over the Arno to the In Tavola Cooking School. We prepared four courses for our "eat-your-own-cooking" meal. The menu consisted of an eggplant appetiser, gnocchi with fresh tomato and basil sauce, "farmer's chicken" with onions and red peppers and topped off with tiramisu - the "dolce fini" (sweet finish). You will see from the photos what a great time we all had and the cooking expertise has now reached a new level! Enjoy - sorry you didn't get to taste - maybe next year, huh? More later . . .Ciao!
"Firenze e Fiesole" Florence and Fiesole - Oct. 3 - Part 1
Today was packed full of sightseeing and our cooking class so the posting will be in two parts to accommodate all the photographs. We started our morning with a tour of Mercarto Centrale, the central food market of Florence just two blocks from the residence. We marveled at all the fresh meats, fish, cheese and produce offered there. After that orientation we boarded the HO-HO (hop-on/ho-off) bus again for another tour around Florence and up to beautiful Fiesole in the hills above the city. Fiesole goes way back to the B.C. times and was an Etruscan village. Conquered by the Romans (who wasn't?) who had just established their colony of Florintino on the Arno River (59b.c.), and destoyed several times, it became the place of choice for Florentines to have "country homes" and was especially popular with the British and other Europeans in the 1800's. Enjoy your tour with us and stay tuned for today's part 2! More later . . .Ciao!
"La Vista de Firenza" The View of Florence - Oct. 2
Our morning orientation walk retraced our path to the Duomo and then we moved ahead to the Arno River. At Piazza Vecchio we saw a large group of band members and dignitaries at a ceremony - don't know what the celebration was about - it was all "Italian" to us! We went onto the old bridge and then made our way back toward our home street - Faenza. Had a bite to eat at Leonardo's cafeteria and a brief resting time before we hopped onto the HO-HO bus. Some of us enjoyed the views from the top deck and some stayed below. We stayed on board for the entire narrated 1-hour tour and then everyone was on their own for the rest of the evening to enjoy more riding, Tuscan dining and resting up for tomorrow's adventures. See you then! More later . . .Ciao!
"Benvenuti Gruppo Due"! Welcome Group Two! - Oct. 1
Very happy to report the safe arrival of all 13 travelers in this group who arrived today! Every piece of luggage also arrived with them too! After getting settled into the apartments and a little resting time, we took our first short orientation walk and ended up at Nerone's for a good Italian dinner. Of course, we had to amble across the street to Tullio's gelato shop for dessert. Then it was time to call it a day after all those long flights from the USA. Denny and Lois were our last arrivals around midnight and it was good to have everyone "in the house". Stay tuned for more of our adventures on this two-week tour! More later . . .Ciao!
"Viaggio a Bologna" Trip to Bologna - Sept. 30
There were early morning departures for the group today as they made their ways back to the USA - and a good time was had by all! For the last couple of years I have been wanting to go check out Bologna, so today was the day. Just a half hour away by train and I was there. What an interesting and different city. It seems that all of the downtown historic center is one big shopping and eating center! There a colonades along all the wide marble sidewalks which makes for great window shopping as there are no cycles or cars to dodge. Very fashionalble shops as well as the weekend flea market and craft show make it a great place to shed a few euros! The main square was vast with lots of outdoor cafes and many unusual people roaming around. It was a great experience and now I know what Bologna's all about. I was at the station in plenty of time for my train back to Florence at 8 o'clock. Tomorrow is another exciting day as all my new travelers will be arriving! More later . . .Ciao!