Sunday morning found some of our group at mass in the cathedral, then in the afternoon we headed for the station for our first train trip of the tour. It was cloudy and a little rainy when we left Florence, but it cleared up and we had a dry afternoon in Lucca. There was a big Spring flower market and other festivities going on today so lots of people were in the piazzas and streets. Lucca is one of Tuscany's lovliest cities and we enjoyed our visit there today. More later . . .
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
Riding the Ho-Ho and Fiesole - April 28
How do you ride a Ho-Ho you may be asking. Well, it's a double decker tour bus that you can hop onto (ho) and hop off (ho) whenever it gets to a place on the route that you want to visit. The ticket is good for 24 hours and you can ride all day if you like. We plugged in our ear phones to hear the guide's commentary on what we were seeing as we toured around the city and up to the hilltop town of Fiesole. It was a glorious day which turned quite hot by mid-afternoon. The photos will show you what we saw and you can pretend you're riding along with us - it's fun! More later . . .
Looking Around Florence - April 27
This morning we spent a couple of hours becoming more familiar with the city and making our way to the river and back home. Took in quite a few sights along with thongs of other tourists and we were glad to sit down for lunch at Leonado's. Everyone was on their own for the rest of the day and some of us took in the International Craft Fair at the old fort near our apartments. It was quite an event and there were many, many interesting things to see and buy! Everyone already seems confident in getting around the area from our convenient location and the weather is great! More later . . .
Arrival Day - April 26
I am happy to report that everyone has arrived with all their bags accounted for and happy to be in sunny Italy! We began our orientation with a late afternoon walk through the San Lorenzo market and a visit to Duomo Piazza. The bells were chimming as we passed San Lorenzo church at 5:30 and it really made us feel like we were truly in Italy! We stopped for a glass of wine at Tullio's on the corner and then enjoyed a delicious meal at Nerone's just across the street. Everyone turned in early to recover from jet lag and get ready for more "getting to know Florence" tomorrow. More later . . . .
POSTINGS FOR THE APRIL/MAY TOUR WILL BE COMING SOON! IN THE MEANTIME YOU ARE WELCOME TO BROWSE THROUGH LAST YEAR'S PAGES!
This is our first year to be in Tuscany in the Spring - La Primavera! Come back to the website after April 26 to see what we're up to as we begin our new adventures!