April 28 Here and There or Anywhere

Today was a "free day" on our schedule so everyone got to choose where to go and what to do.  Keith, Sharon, Dave, Gay, Chipper and Peggy all decided on a day trip to Rome by train.  Off they went at six in the morning and returned safely about nine at night.  They visited the Vatican, saw the Sistine Chapel and took a hop-on-hop-off bus tour around the city.  Others of us who stayed in Florence visited an international artisans' fair and exhibits and saw some interesting things.  So it was a "do-it-yourself" sort of day.  Photos today are some strange faces I saw at the fair.  We have a couple of busy days coming up so it may take a few days to get another blog post - don't give up.  We'll be back . . .

 

April 27 Walking Around Florence

 

This is one of our Florence days and we were off to visit the medieval Davanzati house museum and the Santa Maria Novella Perfumery.  Of course, when you walk with Patrizia there are many other sights to see and hear about since the city is full of surprises.  Built in the late 1200's, the Davanzati house gives us a look back to the past and how a noble family of that era might have lived.  Next we walked over to the perfumery which is housed in the original rooms that the monks in the church monastery began the business of making and selling medicinal salves, lotions and potions.  Their products became very popular with the Florentines especially after they started to add wonderful scents from flowers and herbs.  Over the next couple of hundred years, the monks quit the business and it was bought by a private company and continues to be one of the most popular perfume producers in Europe with many branches.  It was a good day to be "at home" - a little rain shower here and there, but nothing to keep us "off the streets"! 

 

 

 

 

 

April 26 The Tuscany Tour

We boarded a motorcoach this morning for our Best of Tuscany Tour with Walkabout Tours and it really was the "best".  First stop was the medieval town of Siena.  We had a local guide to show us around on a damp Sunday morning and it was quite calm and serene . . .at least until all the other tourists arrived!  The streets are still very quaint and mysterious.  After our departure from Siena we drove through the Tuscan hills to the organic farm and winery, Poggio Alloro, for a delicious lunch, tasting their wines and beautiful scenery.  We ate on the patio and had a delightful time.  The next stop was only a few minutes away in the lovely town of San Gimignano also known as the "Medieval Manhatten" because of the many stone tower houses there were in centuries past.  The walled city is full of winding streets and many places to shop.  Nearly everyone stops by the world famous gelato shop for one of Italy's best treats!  After our visit, an hour and a half on the bus gave us enough time for a nap as we headed for the city of Pisa.  Most of our time was spent trying to get just the right photo shot of the leaning tower.  Chipper turned out to be the best at snapping the "cheesy" pictures for us.  After a short tour around on the "Choo Choo" we were back on the coach and ready for an hour's ride back to Florence.  At the end of the day we did feel like we had seen the Best of Tuscany!  Hope you enjoy the tour via the photos today - lots of them!