We drove and arrived early in Florence to start our much-anticipated hiking day trip to Cinque Terre. This tour was one of the anticipated highlights of our Tuscany trip. It was a two-hour coach ride and along the way our tour guides told stories about Lucca, their funny personal experiences, and Michelangelo and his marble mountains of Carrara. The marble mountains of Carrara and Carrara marble blocks - pictured below Our first peek of Cinque Terre. Here's a few facts we ... View the Post
Our Visit to Florence
Oh, the beautiful city of Renaissance! We enjoyed our visit in Florence so much we ended up visiting 2 more times during our stay in Tuscany! Joe and I marveled at the highly adorned architecture of the Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo) and its beautiful interior, admired Giorgio Vasari's Last Judgment fresco on the interior of the cathedral's dome, and enjoyed the spectacular views of Florence after climbing up Brunelleschi's Dome. We visited one of the most famous museums in Europe - the ... View the Post
Dinner in Chianti
We stayed in Montespertoli today to rest, relax, and enjoy our surroundings. We drove to Chianti later in the afternoon to have dinner and celebrate our anniversary. Although it was an overcast day, the drive was scenic and the views - oh so beautiful! We had to stop a "few" times to snap some photos. We were a bit lost, hubby had to consult his portable GPS to find Greve in Chianti :) Just ... View the Post
Lucca – A Walled City in Tuscany
Lucca is a Medieval walled city located in Northern Tuscany. It is over fifty miles west of Florence. Hubby and I drove from Montespertoli and it took us about an hour to get here. So worth the drive! This city is surrounded entirely by 16th century walls. In the 19th century, trees and grass were planted on top of these well preserved ramparts turning it into a huge park. One can walk or cycle around this 3 mile oval park. Hubby on top of the wall looking at the enclosed city of ... View the Post
The Iconic Structures of Pisa
We planned to arrive early in Pisa, to beat the crowd and be the first ones to climb up the Leaning Tower. And our plan worked! We had plenty of time to enjoy the iconic structures of Pisa before the busloads of tourists came. On our way up the tower - 296 steps to go... The views from the top of the Leaning Tower Pisa's Baptistery Inside the Baptistery of Pisa The view of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta from the ... View the Post
Italian Anniversary Trip
We are grateful and blessed to celebrate another wonderful year of our marriage. This year, our destination is Italy - Tuscany and Rome to be exact. Our home for the week. The views from the castle on an overcast day We can hardly wait to explore Tuscany in the next seven days! Emms ... View the Post