Monday morning was liesurely after our opera adventure! I made a large pot of Tuscan "zuppa (soup)" for lunch which we enjoyed around the table in the courtyard. Then we hopped a bus across the Arno river to visit the Boboli Gardens. They are just behind the Pitti Palace where the Medici family hung their coat of arms for a couple of hundred years. The photos will show you all around - someday I'd like to see it in full bloom. That funny name - Boboli - meant "wooded area" back in the 1500's and I guess it just stuck - it is fun to say - bob-o-lee! Back at LaContessina, we had another great dinner with Carol and Louise (kind of jazzed-up leftovers from last night) - delicious again! Three meals "in" today - yay! saving euros! Tomorrow is the last day for this group then the bicyclers arrive from the north. 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
La Opera su Notte Domenica - The Opera on Sunday Night
What could be more "Italiano" than going to an opera in Italy! The four "donne" dressed up and arrived at the theatre for Puccini's "La Boheme" on Sunday evening after a delicious dinner prepared by Carol and Louise. There was not a word of English spoken, sung or written at the opera, but we loved the experience! It was just "too, too"! Our ride back to LaContessina by taxi could have been taken from a movie! Sitting in the traffic jam watching the meter tick away the euros, our driver became more and more impatient, jumping out of the taxi to see what the hold up was and coming back to explain in Italian with a few gestures. When we finally cleared the traffic it was a wild, mad dash through the midnight streets! We were clutching, screeching and praying as we were hurled back home - safe, but not too sound! Ah, Italy! More later!