We had a leisurely morning after our long day yesterday then we met on the steps of the San Lorenzo church for our tour of the Medici Palace built in 1444. The most beautiful room was the chapel with the fresco paintings but we couldn't take photos there. From the palace we moved on to the Academia Gallery to see Michelangelo's statue of the biblical hero, David. Again photos were not allowed but I found a postcard outside and snapped a picture of that! The rest of the afternoon was free time for more shopping! We all ate dinner together at the Guelfa Trattoria. More later - 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
Touring Tuscany - September 20
Today was a highlight day - The Best of Tuscany Tour! Our motorcoach pulled away from Florence at 8:30 am and we were on our way to Siena. There we met a local guide, Elena, who proudly showed us all around her Midevial city. Learning about the two annual horseraces - the Pallio - was very interesting as we heard all about the rivalry between the 17 neighborhoods within the city. Our lunch on the organic farm was terrific and the view unsurpassed as we looked over the valley to our next destination - San Gimignano - the city of towers. Gelato was the goal for most of us there with a little shopping here and there. At Pisa, our last stop, Stefano who was our all-day guide from Walkabout Tours showed us how to get the correct angle for taking photos of holding up or pushing over the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Friends from Southport, Dan and Karen Knighton joined our group for a few days as they are stopping over in Florence on their way to a villa stay near Cortona for a couple of weeks. There's a lot to see today since the day was full of great photo opportunities! More later - Ciao!