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"!