23 DEC 2017 SATURDAY

Our Lufthansa flight out of LAX was delayed that would’ve missed our connector in Munich so they rebooked us on Air France through Paris.

No customs in Florence, assuming because we went through customs in Paris and IT is part of EU.

Surprised that IT drives on right side of road but rental car controls need some learning. Had to ask how to manual shift into reverse and kept stalling the car. Car had NAV but controls in IT so we used Garmin GPS that worked great.

Hilton Borgo Alle Vigne is exactly at described. Pretty, small living room, great staff, in the very rural town of Selvatelle.

Had a great dinner at Da Carlo’s.

 

24 DEC 2017 SUNDAY

Dropped off Ryan and Allyse at Pontedera Stazione for their trip to Rome. Garmin battery died so had to figure out the car NAV to get home.

Daily bread truck had great apple pastry. Explored the small towns of Peccioli, Terricciola, Morrona, and La Rosa around the resort. We’re in the Chianti wine region so lots of vineyards everywhere. Towns are very old, quaint, with narrow streets.

Ryan and Allyse had a memorable day in Rome on Christmas Eve. Lights, festive activities, the Vatican, Colisseum, Trevi fountain and everything in between. The train system was a little problematic. Got off at the wrong station in Florence and bought a return trip on Monday by mistake, missed the last train out so they had to spend the night in Rome.

 

25 DEC 2017 CHRISTMAS DAY

Buon Natale! Of course the kids missed the train back to Florence as we waited at Pontedera and imagined them kidnapped in Italy. They arrived 30 minutes later to our relief.

We were fortunate that the Hilton staff got us reservations for Christmas lunch at La Sorgente. It was an interesting meal that took over 3 hours to serve 6 traditional holiday dishes. The antipasto and two pasta dishes were good, the two meat dishes, one of wild boar was not as good. Dessert was the best. The maître d’ explained that the chicken tortellini soup was made from chickens with no sex organs….?

 

26 DEC 2017 MONDAY

Woke up too early to head out to Cinque (Chink Quay) Terre, a National Park that encompasses 5 villages on the western central coast. The villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso are built on steep hillsides reminiscent of Positano on the Amalfi Coast. Drove 115 km to the city of La Spieza and took the train to the villages. We got to Riomaggiore and Manarola before the rain and did most of the exploring there. All of the trails were closed for the Santo Stefano national holiday but we had plenty to do walking the narrow city streets up the hillsides. It rained the entire time at Vernazza but we were able to walk down one street to the ocean. Monterosso did not appear to be as foot friendly and we ended up skipping Corniglia all together.

Speeding, tailgating, honking, and cutting off others seems to be the driving norm in Italy.

 

27 DEC 2017 TUESDAY

The Christmas cooking class was at Fattoria Fibbiano, a vineyard and winery. Arianna herself was the host chef. Little less hands on and more watching than I expected but we did make tortellini, chicken liver pate, and biscotti from scratch. Arianna’s chef treated us to some Panforte cake that she made.

Met Johan and Merete from Norway who own a place in Peccioli and visit Tuscany many times a year. They invited us to join them to view the wine cellar and winery where we met Nicola Fibbiani, the wine maker. We saw the impressive new tanks, many 5000 liter barrels, and the bottling operation.

 

28 DEC 2017 WEDNESDAY

It was a long day visiting Florence. Left at 0830 to catch a train at Pontedera station and a 47 minute ride to Firenze Santa Maria Nouvella Station. We found Laura easily and walked to the town center. The Il Duomo Di Firenze was the main attraction Karen wanted to see so we waited 2 hours in line to enter the cathedral. The line wrapped around the Baptistry of St John and it’s famous Gates of Paradise. The inside of the Duomo was a little disappointing as it was not as decorated as many other cathedrals that we have visited but it was still exciting to go inside such a beautiful building.

 Next was the Galleria Dell Accademia where we saw Laura’s boyfriend, Michelangelo’s Statue Of David. The Accademia is the only museum in the world that houses five of Michelangelo’s statues. Learned that Michelangelo only painted a single canvas art and mainly painted frescos (on stone) and sculptures.

We walked through the Piazza Della Signoria, the original home of David which now displays a replica. The Palazzo Vecchio building and the Loggia dei Lanzi which displays many famous statues including The Rape of the Sabine Women are in the Piazza.

From the Piazza Della Signoria, we walked through the Piazzale Degli Uffizi to the Arno River and a view of the Ponte Vecchio Bridge. Laura said goodbye at Tocco di Bacco Restaurant.

We ended the day at the Piazza and Basilica Santa Croce where Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Rossini are interned.

We learned that The Divine Comedy:Inferno by Dante Alighieri is considered the most significant piece of literature in Italian history and it was the language that it was written in that was chosen as the official language of the Unified Italy in 1871.

 

29 DEC 2017 THURSDAY

Vincenzo was our guide at the Piazza dei Miracoli, where the Pisa Duomo, the Baptistry, and the leaning tower are located. Ryan and Allyse climbed the Tower while we entered the Duomo. There are a large hospital and cemetery buildings that make up the Piazza.

We learned that the entire city is built on marsh land and is susceptible to settling and we saw evidence of this throughout.

Vincenzo took us on an extensive tour through the city that included the Piazza Dei Cavalieri and the Chiesa (church) di Santo Stefano. Spent time shopping the stores along Corso Italia.

 

30 DEC 2017 FRIDAY

The roads to Siena were long and winding in many areas but through beautiful hillsides covered in vineyards and olive trees. 90 minutes to the Basilica San Domenico where we met Marguerite, our guide for the day. Marguerite was enthusiastic and educated us on the history of the city, the battles with the hated Florentines, and Saint Catherine of Siena. The Basilica, that contains the thumb and the head of St Catherine, was beautiful but did not compare to the Siena Cathedral that was the highlight of the day.

The Cathedral was envisioned by the founders to be the biggest in the world but could not be completed due to the Black Death plague of 1348. They then decided to make it the most beautiful. The lavish facades and domes and the artwork on the floor make this a most beautiful Cathedral. It also houses the arm of St John the Baptist, which was given by Pope Pius II, one of two popes from Siena.

We had lunch at the Piazzo del Campo center of town where they hold the Palio di Siena horse race twice a year. The various districts (contrades) of the town are named after animals, have their own flags, and compete with each other in the Palio.

Siena, with its fortress walls, closely knit buildings, and hilltop location is a fascinating medieval city. Many buildings are painted in the tan color that bears the city’s name.

 

31 DEC 2017 SATURDAY

Volterra is another medieval city perched 500 meters high on the top of a mountain peak offering spectacular vista views of the landscape below. The Porta all’ Arco, the main arch entrance to the town is an example of the mixed Etruscan, Roman, and Medieval architectures of the area. It was saved from destruction in WWII when the city residents barricaded it instead of letting the Germans destroy it to prevent the Americans from entering the city. Volterra also claims Pope Linus as one of its own, the second Pope ever after Pope Peter.

It too is a walled city to protect against invaders with very similar architecture to Siena. The Volterra Cathedral and Baptistry are located a few streets from the Piazza dei Priori, the central square of the town. Both pale in comparison to those of Siena. The town boasts the ruins of a Roman theater unearthed a mere 60 years ago. Volterra is also known for its alabaster artwork made from the translucent mineral.

Pereina was another very informative and pleasant guide. We learned that the Medici family were successful merchants that gained their influence and power by lending money to clients such as the Vatican and the city of Rome  Thankfully the weather cooperated with clear skies and much warmer temps than the almost icy conditions of yesterday.

We were treated to some Norwegian appetizers and Aquavit liqueur late afternoon as we visited Johan and Merete at their apartment in Peccioli. Another hillside town, we had to climb 30 steps from the street level just to reach the first floor of the home and another 30 steps inside to the third floor and their rooftop terrace. The view from the terrace was pretty, overlooking other rooftops, some vineyards below, and the city’s bell tower. They are very hospitable and entertaining people.

 

1 JAN 2018 SUNDAY

Translating a Florence shuttle station destination to an Italian NAV System didn’t work out so well this morning but everything fell in place when we found the rental car drop-off and saw that the airport shuttle was operating. The Trenitalia train was delayed and then encountered an “inconvenience” that delayed our arrival to Venice Mestre by two hours.

The Hilton Garden Inn is on the mainland but only a 10 min bus ride to the canals. Rain and cold in Venice made me rethink going in but the weather cleared quickly. You need a day pass for unlimited bus and water taxi use around the city. The Rialto Bridge is the first iconic stop entering the canals. From there we walked the beautiful streets and bridges toward Piazza San Marco (St Marks Square). After a few detours and much longer than Google map’s 20 minutes we found Basilica San Marco. Unfortunately it closed for tours 5 people from the entrance while we waited in line. We were serenaded by the clock tower as we walked between Doges Palace and the Biblioteca Library towards the Grand Canal and the gondolas. The entrance of the Piazza is guarded by two large columns representing the Lions of Venice and St Theodore, the original patron of Venice. Got a few pictures of the pink sunset before finding a restaurant for dinner.

We made an unplanned stop at Giudecca Island by misreading the water taxi schedule but made a quick reversal back to the bus stop. Google maps was not our friend again as we tried to find the right bus stop from the water taxi station.

 

2 JAN 2018 MONDAY

Renaldo promptly picked us up at 9 for a long drive to the Dolomites. The Auranzo Lake was frozen over but pretty nonetheless as we walked a path to a bridge crossing the lake. Adjacent to mountains and looking across to a lakeside village, it was serene.

Misurina Lake was another 900 meters higher and much larger covered in snow. Many people were walking on the lake so we frolicked with them. The sun was glaring from behind the children’s hospital that created the famous picturesque view with Dolomites. Grandma even joined in a snowball fight.

Cortina was the stage of the 1956 Winter Olympics and the Faloria refuge cable car. The cable car creaked high up to a 2110 meter elevation where swirling winds and snow welcomed us. View was spectacular but we stayed for only a short period before heading down. A late lunch was a short distance away in an upscale shopping area. Started chilling as the sun set and we decided to head back to Venice. The return trip was over 3 hours due to crazy traffic coming down the mountain, bladders a bursting.

Despite arriving at the Hilton late, grandma was game to see Venice that she had heard so much about. This time we took all the right buses and water taxis at the right stops but it still took over 2 and a half hours for the round trip. 12 stops to San Marco and 15 stops back to Piazzale Roma completed the journey. A few hundred people were still at the Plaza but it felt deserted. I will remember a young Argentine girl that was sooo polite and offered to help grandma and I with directions at Piazza San Marco.

Factoid: Pizza is prevalent everywhere in Italy but it was introduced by American soldiers during the war that brought it up from Napoli when they marched across the country.