"All good things must come to an end." Sadly that's what's happening tomorrow so today was spent packing and last minute shopping and sightseeing. Our morning walk took us across town to visit the beautiful Santa Croce Church. Built over 85 years in the 1300's, this large church is also the final resting place for many notable Florentines. Beautiful sculptures adorn the ornate tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machivelli and others. There's even a tomb for Dante but it's empty - his 700 year old body and bones were buried in Ravenna. We also visited the leather school where the finest of Italian leather goods are hand made. The school is housed in the former monastery at Santa Croce. We enjoyed another delicious dinner at Nerone's and said "goodbye" to Tulio and Silvia at the gelato shop on our corner. And a good time was had by all . . . arrividerci, Firenze and Tuscany!
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
Chianti Countryside - May 6
Patrizia rented a car today - a snappy blue Nissan - and we were out of the city and into the countryside. Just out of Florence, we stopped for a short visit at the American Cemetery. Over 4,000 World War II soldiers are buried there and it's a very peaceful and beautiful place. After about a half hour of driving we arrived at Castel Verrazzano in the heart of Chianti. We toured the castle grounds and the centuries-old wine cellars. New World explorer Giovanni Verrazzano was born here, became a sailor, and discovered much of America's East coast including North Carolina's Cape Fear area, New York Bay and Nova Scotia in 1524. His life sadly ended in the Bahamas where he and others in his party were captured and eaten by island cannibals - 1528. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch and wine tasting then stopped in the small town of Greve before returning ourselves and the car back to Florence It was a lovely day in a lovely place!
Sunday Strolling - May 5
After a leisurely Sunday morning and waiting out a brief afternoon rain shower we did some more strolling around Florence. Passing by Duomo Piazza again we saw the statues of the architects and admired the bronze doors on the Baptistery. We followed a narrow street to the medieval home - now a museum - of 13th century poet, Dante Aligheri. We joined the other tourists in Santa Croce (Holy Cross) piazza. The church was closed so we will try again later to go inside. We had an "American" dinner at The Diner - a little break from the Italian dishes we been consuming (you've seen all those pics!). Afterwards Dianne and Jan headed for home and Patrizia took in a movie, "Night Train to Lisbon", at the historic Odeon theater.
Assisi and Cortona - May 4
The 8 a.m. train took us to the hometown of St. Francis. We enjoyed a nice stroll through the town and toured the church named for Italy's most famous saint. Francis was born there in 1181 and died in 1226 at age 45. He started the Franciscan Order and one of his faithful followers, St.Clare began the Poor Clares Order of nuns. The town was all decorated for the May Day week of festivities and there were many tourists having a good time - including us. At 3 p.m we boarded the train again for the charming hilltop town of Cortona. What a surprise to be met by a Renaissance parade coming down the main street in brilliant costumes! "Under the Tuscan Sun" was written and filmed in Cortona and we certainly had a fun and sun-filled day! Lots of pics today - enjoy!
Shopping, David, and Opera - May 3
Happy Birthday to Jan today! The morning was free for shopping and a visit to see Michelangelo's beautiful sculpture, David at the Accademia Gallery. We had a late lunch at MammaMia's and then visited the apartment British poets, Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning lived in for 14 years. It is open for visitors a few times a week. We topped off the day by attending a performance of opera music at St. Mark's Anglican Church. Another successful and non-stressful day in Florence!
Throughout Tuscany - May 2
We parted ways today as Dianne and Jan boarded the motor coach for the "Best of Tuscany Tour" with Walkabout Tours and Patrizia ventured off to Ravenna. The forecast for rain held up in Siena, but it cleared later and the day turned out fine. Photos are from a previous trip but will show you the highlights of the places visited since Patrizia was not there to actually catch today on camera. This tour is always a favorite and today was no exception - Dianne and Jan were happy travelers with great guides.
May Day in Cinque Terre - May 1
Thousands of people joined us on our adventure to see the five villages as it was a national holiday! The first day of May is like our Labor Day in the USA. The trains were very crowded - sometimes standing room only. We traveled from Florence to La Spezia on the 7:45 morning train and arrived at 10. The villages "hang" off the cliffs along the Ligurian Sea coast also known as the Italian Riveria. Each town has its own uniqueness as you will see in the photos. It's difficult to keep the camera in your pocket when there are so many great photo opportunities - over a hundred for you to see today - sit back and enjoy the Cinque (Five) Terre (Lands) - without the crowds!