Our first group of travelers finish up their two weeks in Florence today. On the agenda for Wednesday was a tour of one of the city's finest churches, Santa Croce. The tombs of Micheleangelo, Galileo and many other "stars" of the Renaissance are found here along with outstanding artwork and sculptures. Of course we did a little shopping along the way - especially when we found that special silver shop! We took a look inside the Baptistery next to the Duomo. It is thought to be the oldest building in Florence from around 900 AD. The mosaic ceiling of the dome is fantastic. A farewell dinner and last minute packing filled the evening hours. There will be a 5 a.m. wake-up call for Judi, Tom, Monica, Anne, Gloria and Lindsey as they head for home and the good old USA tomorrow! Arivederci amici!
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
One Last Train Trip!
Off we went today to visit Cortona and Arezzo in the far reaches of Tuscany, just a mile or so from the Umbrian region. Cortona is a beautiful example of Italy's fascinating hill towns. We arrived in Camucia and then took a bus up to Cortona. The views were breathtaking as we looked out across the countryside with Lake Trasimeno in the distance. We enjoyed lunch, the shops and just wandering around this delightful place. The movie, "Under the Tuscan Sun" was filmed here. Back down to the train station, we had a 20 minute ride to Arezzo. The Grande Piazza was lovely and we climbed all the way up to the Cathedral park. A slow stroll took us back to the station and after waiting for delayed trains we made it back to Florence about 8:30. Another fine Italian experience!