Bright and early this morning the group boarded a motorcoach for the "Best of Tuscany Tour" to Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa and lunch at the wine estate. This was the same trip the earlier group took on October 6(to see photos). I decided to forego that trip this time and take off on a new discovery adventure. Leaving Florence by bus, I made a stop at the American Military Cemetery about 10 miles south. What an inspiring and awesome experince - to see over four thousand graves of US WWII soldiers who died here in Italy. The grounds are absolutely immaculate, such good care is given this final resting place for those who gave all in the service of our country. I spent the late afternoon in the charming town of Greve-in-Chianti (Gree-ev in key-an-tee)( This will definitely become a favorite place to take my travelers! Our folks returned to Florence about 8 o'clock and a good time was had by all!
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
Duomo & Museum Visit!
This morning we toured the Florence cathedral. It's proper name is Santa Maria del Fiore (Saint Mary of the Flower) but everyone calls it the Duomo which is Italian for "biggest church in town"! And that it is - this vast building will hold 10,000 people and is hundreds of years old. Along with the Baptistery and the Belltower, the Duomo is the icon of Florence and commands a lot of space in the center of the city. After the cathedral, we visited the Duomo Museum which houses many of the original artwork and sculpture and has models of the dome and its engineering explanations. The mosaics in the ceiling of the Baptistery, our next place to visit, are fascinating and it was interesting to be in Florence's oldest place of worship (early 6th century). This evening we enjoyed supper together at LaContessina and look forward to tomorrow's "Best of Tuscany Tour". Stay tuned!