Gallivanting through Florence

Our day started early with breakfast at 6:45 AM and departure by bus at 7:30, but the entire group was up and ready to go right on schedule.   Our driver took us to the Florence Airport so that we could make the transfer into center city by using the tram.  I'm still a bit confused as to why this was the mode of transport for a group of 38, but it was refreshing to see that the airport is Pristine with easily accessible bathrooms, as well as a couple of coffee shops, since it will be our departure airport on May 30.

We were the first group on the tram this morning, but plenty of people hopped on as we passed through several stations on the way into Florence.  Luckily, it never got as packed as our metro car in Rome.

Our first stop was the beautiful Santa Maria Novella. This was the first basilica in Florence and it is associated with the Dominican order. 

We had stopped just for a quick peak then we made our way back to the square to meet our tour guide, Paula.  She was far more reserved than Anna, who had thoroughly entertained us yesterday.  Paula had a wealth of knowledge to share, but no quirky stories or laughs.  But she was certain to point out items of interest and offer detailed explanations pertaining to the many structures that we managed to see. 

We walked along toward the Duomo, stopping to admire the baptistry and tower.

The doors on the baptistry are recreations, but show the brilliance of the gold used to construct the originals as well as the duplicates. 

Each of the panels represent a particular scene from the Old Testament.  Paula explained that people back in the time when this was built, could not read, and so the visual depiction of Bible events aided them in understanding. 

This church is huge, as you can see, and it is virtually impossible to get a photo that shows it in its entirety.

After spending some time fighting the crowds, we began our walking tour through the streets of Florence. Here you see the only remaining round tower in Florence.  It stems from the 8th century. 

Paula said that she liked to feature this section, as it gives an idea of Medieval life in Florence. 

The protrusions in the photo below are structures used to hold scaffolding while the building was being constructed. One can easily see that they are positioned for such a purpose. 

Each of these Renaissance buildings are certainly unique, with three dimensional figures enhancing the exterior walls.  

Paula led us along the route of the Via dei Georgofili to show us the location of a terrorist attack that occurred in May of 1993.  It was carried out by the Sicilian Mafia,  and the bombing resulted in quite a bit of damage to several buildings, in addition to killing five civilians.  The building below was repaired in such a way to stand as a memorial to the tragic events.  She said that it was the first time such an event, focused on the art of Florence, had ever occurred and it had taken the city by surprise. 

Not far from here is the Ponte Vecchio Bridge which we could easily view from a location near the Uffizi.  This is  the only original bridge that was not bombed during World War II.  Bribes were paid to keep it in existence so that people could continue to travel from one side of the river to the other. 

As you probably know, Florence is known for its preservation of art, and there were dozens upon dozens of statues preserved in piazzas along the walk.  I 'm going to feature just two, as I'm writing this super late,  and there are way too many to elaborate:  Galileo

and Macchiavelli

just to name two. 

Our tour today included admission into the Academy, and we were told that we had 45 minutes to enjoy the surrounds.  The purpose was to see the original, giant statue of David by Michelangelo, but it was difficult not to get drawn into the fine art displayed inside.  Here are just a few of the paintings that caught my eye. 

The Annunciation painted in the 1400s

St. James the Great, St. Stephen & St. Peter painted in 1493.  I loved the gold highlights and brilliant colors. 

The resurrection painted in the 1500's

Adoration of the child with  Two Angels and St. Joseph, 1490

Six Angels in prayer: 1505-1508

Madonna of the Girdle and Saint Catherine of Alexandria & Francis

And this unusual Tree of Life from the early 1300s. 

Marty and I agreed that we would have loved to have had more time just to check out the fine art collections in the building, but it wasn't in the schedule, so we headed out on time and made our way to join the group to begin the walk to the Santa Croce Plaza.  A beautiful church stands at the one end, but it was hidden by scaffolding that has been erected for some type of outdoor event in a few weeks. 

By this time, we were tuckered out and hungry.  We stopped for lunch to take the load off our feet and enjoy some delicious refreshment. 

Our return to the hotel was by bus, and our tour guide had us stop at this extremely scenic viewpoint to admire the city of Florence in the distance. 

We certainly were lucky that the weather was so accommodating. 

Once back in Montecatini Terme, we joined our Rome companions and headed down the block for dinner, where we enjoyed delicious food and excellent company.  But, it's late, and it's been a super long day, so I'm going to close.  Hope you enjoyed following along. 

Until next time....

Another Fabulous Day in Tuscany

As you can see from my morning view, we awoke to brilliant skies today as we began our second day in Tuscany. 

After some breakfast, we loaded up into the tour bus, and we were escorted to the village of Lucca.

There we met our energetic and enthusiastic guide, Anna,  who was truly a delight!  She had an uncanny way of explaining the hundreds of years of history in such an entertaining way that certainly kept me captivated! 

We entered through the Porta Santa Maria

where we found ourselves inside the walls that overlook the village. 

The perimeter is about 2 and a 1/2 miles long, and there is a path completely along the edge if one chooses to take the time to bike or walk along it.  We did not.

Overlooking the village, one can see rooftops

and a peek at some gardens.

and a nearby beautiful bell tower which Anna felt necessary to point out is standing straight and tall. 

(Unlike one in a nearby village that leans.)  She was, of course, referring to Pisa, and I sensed some local competition between Lucca and Pisa as she referenced comparisons on several occasions, with Lucca being the obvious favorite in her eyes.  This was all done in jest, of course, and certainly added to the entertainment of the tour. 

Once we entered into the village, I immediately recognized the church that my friend, Morena, and I had sought out in 2007 when we were on the RSYO tour with Amy.  St. Zita, a named "incorruptible",  lies behind glass under the altar.  I recall being quite shocked when Morena and I finally found her.  We had both naively expected to find a body in a much better state than what we discovered. I smiled at the memory but didn't feel the need to pay the 3 € required for entrance to see if her condition had changed. 

But, Marty and I did take a photo for the memory!

Our group then moved into the central square

and ambled along many of the side streets running through the village while Anna highlighted places of interest. We stopped in the plaza of St. Michael to take a quick look inside the Cathedral that bears the same name.  

The interior holds a 12th century cross hanging above the altar.  Anna pointed out particular features, but they really aren't visible in my photo. 

Another thing not visible (because I deliberately cropped it),  is the glass case beneath the altar that holds the "incorruptible" remains of St. Divino Armeno.  

I had never heard of this saint, and was actually quite surprised to learn that there was a second incorruptible body in the same village. Wait until Morena finds out that we missed this one!

Moving on, we came to the statue of the composer Puccini who hailed Lucca as his home.  The town has a strong connection to the arts because of his influence. 

By now, our tour was complete, and we were given two hours to just walk around and enjoy the many little alleyways of the city.  There were so many architectural structures to admire. 

The size of this door seemed quite amazing.

One of our touring partners, who is traveling solo, decided to join us for our walk.  He certainly is quite a source of entertainment, and I can honestly say that he has added quite a level of fun to our Italian adventure!  He posed with me for a photo.

Then, he took Marty and my photo with the interesting tower behind us. 

That tower, also featured below, was built in the 15th century by a wealthy Lucca family.  One can climb 210 steps to the top to admire a view over the countryside, but I certainly wasn't going to tempt fate by trying that!

We stopped at a cafe and tried some of the local Focaccia for lunch.  It was fabulous! And, then we just sat and relaxed for a few minutes before heading over to St. Michael Piazza to meet up with the group. 

It was time to reboard the bus,  where we traveled a short distance to Borgo a Mozzano to admire the Magdalene Bridge. 

Anna referred to it as the Devil Bridge due to a local legend.   It was believed that St. Julian was responsible for building the bridge, but when it appeared that he would not finish, he asked the Devil to help him.  In exchange, he would offer the soul of the first living being to cross over. 

The devil assisted, but upon completion, St. Julian threw a piece of bread over the bridge, attracting a dog, who was technically the first being over the bridge.   So, the Devil was duped.  

And, it seems to me, that there is no connection between the bridge and the name, but you certainly have to appreciate a good folk lore story! 

We were able to walk to the top and get a photo.

It was very steep going back down, but I took my time to ensure my footing.  I should mention here that there were several bridges constructed this way along the river, but this is the only one that survived bombing by the Germans during World War II. 

From here, we traveled to the Remembrance Museum, named appropriately as it holds quite a number of items salvaged from World War II in the nearby area. The local council is determined to keep the memory of the tragedies alive for future generations.  I have chosen not to share any photos of the holdings, as they are typical of what one would find in a museum devoted to the subject.  But rest assured that the stories told are worth hearing (and reading), so that one can appreciate what the citizens of this small town endured during the German occupation. 

From here, we were able to walk into the bunker, which is built into stone, but actually quite large inside. 

A map outside outlined the Gothic Line that was held by the Germans.

25 men could easily fit inside the bunker, and the Germans manned it for several years.  

Anna told stories about her own grandmother and the difficulties that she faced trying to keep her five children fed.  But, she did endure, as did many of the people of the village.  The locals are intent on keeping the memory alive, so that those who did not survive, will be remembered for their sacrifice. 

I certainly appreciated learning a lot of the details as it helped me to understand some of the dynamics behind certain World War II American units who had liberated this area.

Once out of the bunker, we headed by bus to a local winery and olive farm where we were in for a real treat.

We were given several samples of wine to taste while being introduced to various charcuterie items.  One thing of interest was that they served us brown bread that was made from chestnuts.  Something new for me, and it was quite tasty, particularly dipped in the olive oil. 

Our adventure now over, we headed back to Montecatini Terme where, after a brief break, we met up with two of our original tour couples for dinner in a nearby restaurant.  It was apparently known for its Sushi, but none of us chose that option.  After all, we are in Italy!

Once again, we finished our day, enjoying each other's company while feasting on the local specialties. 

 

Perfect!

Until next time....

Arrivederci Roma

This morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast in the hotel, then packed our bags and loaded up into the bus, bidding farewell to Rome. 

Our travels took about four hours, while we enjoyed the spectacular views along the highway to the village of Montecatini Terme. The scenery is far different from the congestion of Rome!

I was enthralled with the fields of red poppies that we passed, randomly growing in the countryside, as we made our way northwest.  

While I was admiring the picturesque views, I could hear comical commentary coming from my fellow tour group members who were seated in the back of the bus.  That's when I realized that Marty had shared his Yinzerfishing YouTube channel with them, and they were being entertained in the bus by watching an episode.  

We arrived in our Tuscan hotel just around 3:30 PM, where we were greeted by our tour guide, Joanne.  Our original guide had some sort of emergency, and the agency was forced to find a replacement....quick.  Well, we are very fortunate that Joanne speaks perfect English, and was actually born and raised, right here in Tuscany. She is extremely familiar with all of the destinations featured on our tour and her enthusiasm is bound to make for an entertaining week. I don't think we could ask for better!

Montecatini Terme is a lovely spa town, and I had the good fortune of visiting here with my friend, Morena, when we joined Amy on the RSYO tour in the summer of 2007.  In fact, I think we might be staying in the very same hotel, as many of the features look quite familiar. 

Marty and I quickly settled our items into our room, then decided to head to the Funicolare which is a cable car that climbs up a very long, steep hill, to a medieval city of Montecatini Alto.  Two of our newfound friends, Kim and Alan, joined us. 

We reached the station just as it was time for the car to ascend to the top.

Once up there, we admired the stunning views.

The weather was just perfect!

We ventured up the narrow alleyways into the central square, which, as you can see,  is just charming.

We just had about 45 minutes before we needed to head back down the hill,  because we were due for a welcome meeting in the hotel at 6:30, and the station was about a 20 minute walk to the hotel.  So, we enjoyed a relaxing drink together, made our way down the hill and to the hotel with only a minute or two to spare. 

But, I must say, it certainly was worth the visit, even if it was brief!

After our meeting, we all congregated in the dining area, where our Rome comrades had settled at a table, kindly reserving a spot for Marty and myself. We have a young couple who has joined, who live near Philadelphia, and we all had a grand time enjoying our scrumptious dinner. 

Our tour group increased by 28, with many of the participants older than Marty and me. So, the dynamics have certainly changed! 

But our Rome group of eight continue to be an entertaining bunch who feel quite comfortable in each other's company, and it appears that our new couple fits the mold as well.  

So, let the adventure continue!

Until next time....