On Wednesday morning I met Bonnie & Craig Thomas from Southport and their friends the Burg's from New Jersey at the train station. They came up from Rome for the day. We had a nice lunch (Craig ate stewed rabbit!) and then it was off to the museums. While they were in the Uffizi, I took the Palazzo Vecchio tour to see where the rich Medici's lived before "buying-up" into a better neighborhood across the river (the Pitti Palace) back in the 1500's. Meanwhile, the Bishops and Shapiros ventured out on their own to do some shopping - coming back with Italian shoes,purses,etc. (looks like some nice gifts going back to the US!). After getting our "Romans" back to the train station, I cooked up a pasta & chicken dish for our dinner in the courtyard. Another busy day! 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
Treno a Cinque Terra - Train to "Five Lands"
Tuesday turned out to be a long day with a 9 a.m. train to Cinque Terra and a return to La Contessina at midnight. We changed trains in Pisa, then after what seemed a long morning, we arrived at the first of the five beautiful hillside villages. The walk along the coastline between Riomaggoire and Manarola was great and the weather was perfect. We explored the villages and had a delicious dinner in Monterossa. It was a pleasure to show the Bishops and Shapiros this enchanting part of Italy. After barely catching the last trains back to Florence, we were happy to fall into our beds! More later!