Day 14 - Carpineto Winery, Greve, and Florence with Rainbows!

Today we were up early to be ready for our second winery tour, this time at Capineto winery in Greve in Chianti. Originally Lisie and Fabrizio were not going to be able to join us but in the end Lisie had time to come along and good thing too because there were no busses that even came close to the winery! So Ian drove Lisie’s Mini Cooper and Lisie and Sarah were along for the ride. The winery was absolutely amazing and we got a tour followed by a tasting which was wonderful, and then Pia (our guide) gave us six complimentary bottles of wineand one bottle of oil! We were extremely appreciative and left very satisfied, and even Fabrizio liked the wine we brought home, and he’s quite picky being raised in Italy.

Casks in the Carpineto winery cellar

Carpineto, wonderful wines

Some of Carpineto's Vines

Next we drove down into the center of Greve in Chianti to walk around and take some photos. We went into some of the shops and the meat shop was incredible. It is one of the best know meat shops in the world (Elton John buys his steaks there!) The wind started to pick up so we bought some post cards and some bread then headed out. On the way back to Florence a beautiful Rainbow showed up, but we kept driving and it didn’t go away. Finally we got back to Florence and it was still towering over the city so we drove to the top of Piazza Michelangelo and could see all of Florence with the beautiful rainbow above it!

Greve in Chianti

(Double) Rainbow over Florence, Italy

We went back to Lisie’s after a short photo op and ate the bread and meat from Greve for lunch along with some leftover cheese from San Miniato yesterday. After this we set out to truly explore Florence in the daylight for the first time. We went to the top of the Cupola on the Duomo (Brunelleschi’s Dome) and then went inside the Duomo to wonder at its awe-inspiring grandeur. After that we went took photos of the Strozzi Palace for Deb and Amy (the subject of Amy’s thesis), then decided to go back and climb the Campanile (bell tower of the Duomo) to watch the sunset and this is where things got crazy.

View from Brunelleschi's Dome

A Florentine bell tower at sunset

Not realizing there were two more floors, Ian went down from the second floor to look for Sarah while she went up towards the top. When he couldn’t find her at the bottom, he re-checked the first two floors looking for her (while she was on the top floor) then, after not finding her, looked for about an hour around the bottom. At this point, he got really worried, talked to the Carabinieri (police), and made the 15 minute trek back to Lisie’s house to see if she went there, where he regrouped before going back to look for her at the Campanile. She, meanwhile, was looking for him on the top two floors (which he never got to) then went down to the bottom to look for him (5 minutes after he had left) and proceeded to wait in the gift shop for almost another hour. Ian finally returned and was relieved to find her waiting there, and surprised to find out there were two more floors. All told, Ian lost Sarah for almost 2 hours, and she lost him for closer to an hour and a half (all Ian’s fault, of course).

Sunset over Florence as from the Campanile of the Duomo

Anyway, at this point we proceeded with the plan to find Sarah a nice, fashionable, hooded wool coat. After succeeding, we returned to Lisie and Fabrizio’s for another well-prepared meal by Fabrizio, accompanied by wonderful wine and good company. We will be sad to leave here tomorrow as this has by far been the highlight of our trip! Our biggest thanks to Lisie and Fabrizio for hosting us and showing us the best of Tuscany’s cuisine and scenery. Sorry this is so long, but every bit of today had to be told. Off to bed now since it is after midnight, goodnight!

Day 13 ~ Tuscany in the rain and Uffizi Gallery

Today we slept in a bit and then left relatively quickly to head out into the countryside again. We headed for the small town of San Miniato where they host a truffle festival every year to celebrate (and sell) the white truffles that the area is famous for. The festival happens every weekend for three weeks, and this was the first weekend. We had all kinds of different foods with truffles in them including cheeses, pastas, breads, meats, and oils; and it was all incredibly delicious. As we drove out into the countryside the rain increased in intensity but came and went all day long. The festival was prepared for this though, and most everything was in tents and under cover so we still had a wonderful time.

Pecorino al Tartufo cheese at San Miniato Truffle festival

Bread ready to sell at the San Miniato Truffle festival

Meat in the market at San Miniato Truffle festival

Tower in San Miniato through the rain-streaked tent

Rain-soaked stone steps

Tower in San Miniato flying the Italian colors

We returned to Florence in the afternoon to visit the Uffizi gallery museum. When we started walking over it was raining slightly, but that quickly increased to a downpour and by the time we arrived we were drenched. We got the museum’s audio guide so we would have more information about what we were looking at and we enjoyed seeing the museum and the art very much. The rain had stopped by the time we left and we returned to Lisie and Fabrizio’s. We tried to go to a wine tasting near their home but it closed early so we went back and enjoyed the fish Fabrizio cooked and some of the cheese, bread, and biscotti we had bought at the festival earlier. Heading to bed now as we have to get up early for another winery tour tomorrow, goodnight!

Sunset view from the Ponte Vecchio, Florence

Day 12 - Tuscan Countryside and Florence at Night

Today we went out to the Tuscan countryside with Lisie and Fabrizio. By the time we had finished breakfast and showered it was beginning to rain and as we began our drive into the country the drizzle turned to a downpour. But, luck would have it that it stopped raining just as we arrived at our first stop: the beautiful Tuscan hill town of San Gimignano. As we walked around this amazing town the weather continued to improve and the sun even came out. We had beautiful views of the Tuscan countryside and stopped at a wine bar to taste several different types of Vernacchia, a style of wine particular to the San Gimignano area.

Epic clouds over San Gimignano

Towers of San Gimignano

A burst of sun in a Tuscan garden

Buildings catching the sun in San Gimignano

Next we hopped back in the car and headed to lunch at a restaurant owned by an old friend of Lisie. Unfortunately, her restaurant is closed for lunch on Saturdays but she was there and recommended another place in the town of Certaldo (pronounced chair-TALL-doe) called La Saletta. The food was absolutely amazing and our waiter was the owner of the restaurant and he told us that all of the dishes are old family recipes. We had a variety of rabbit, wild boar, and steak; and each was incredibly delicious in its own particular way. After the meal we headed back into Florence and Lisie had to work for a bit so we walked into the old part of the city. We walked across the Ponte Vecchio, past lots of street vendors and fashion shops, past the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, and the Uffizzi and then returned to Lisie and Fabrizzio’s for another wonderful dinner cooked by Fabrizzio. Off to bed now so we can explore more tomorrow, goodnight!

Cypress trees and vineyards in the Tuscan countryside

Florence's Ponte Vecchio over the Arno river lit up at night

Night view of Palazzo Vecchio, Florence

Day 11 - Rome and Florence

Today we said goodbye to Rome, but had one last good walk around before we headed out. We walked past the Castle of Saint Angelo again with the intention of going in but by the time we got over there we did not have enough time to make it worth the money. We bought some more old map prints for Ian from a street vendor and returned to the same café near the Spanish steps where we had dinner last night to try the pizza for lunch.

Jogger out for a run along the Tiber

We headed over to Termini station to catch our train to Florence around 1pm and all went as planned. We met up with Deb’s (Ian’s mom) cousin Lisie outside of the train station and walked to their home across the Arno and through much of the old part of Florence. We chatted with her for a while and then Fabrizio prepared a delicious four-course dinner of local seasonal dishes for us to enjoy and we had a very relaxing evening. Not too many photos today, so here are a few good ones from previous days. Goodnight!

Tower of Santa Maria Novella, Florence

Sign for a hat shop in Perugia

Perugia stairs

Amphorae in Pompeii

Day 10 ~ Rome and The Vatican

Today was a fun-filled day spent trekking across Rome to see all of the sights and by the end we were ready for some well-earned rest and relaxation. We started by going to the train station this morning to buy our train ticket to Florence tomorrow. From there we headed on to the Colosseum via Santa Maria Magiorre, the third largest church in Rome. When we arrived at the Colosseum we decided to join a guided tour that included both the Colosseum and the Forum and it was more than worth the extra cost.

Prep areas below the floor of the Colosseum

Arches in the Colosseum

Temple of Antoninus and Faustina

Overgrown ruins in the old Roman Forum

After finishing with the Forum tour we explored the Forum a bit more on our own then took off for the Vatican and St Peter's Basilica. We went to the top of the dome first and the views of Rome were spectacular. We also got lucky enough to catch it just before sunset, which only enhanced the views. After coming down from the dome we exited into the interior of the Basilica and, even having seen it before, I was struck by the sheer massiveness and beautiful ornamentation of the interior. After looking around inside for a bit we emerged into the dusk of St. Peter's square.

Looking down onto St. Peter's Square

Looking west from atop Saint Peter's Basilica

The lights of St. Peter's Basilica loom over the Tiber

We then walked past the Castle of St. Angelo, along the Tiber river, and further on to the Spanish Steps. After a quick walk up and down the steps we found a great little cafe a few blocks to the south and enjoyed some delicious pasta dishes and deserts before finishing our walk back to the hotel. After a long day with probably 8 to 10 miles of walking we are both exhausted and heading to bed, goodnight!

Day 9 ~ Rome

This morning we left Sorrento for Rome by around 10 am after sleeping in a bit and having some breakfast from our stash of food in the room. I decided to see how fast the cars zooming by us on the Autostrada were going occasionally so when I saw one coming up from behind us I would speed up as they passed and try to keep up for a short bit. One turned out to be doing 180 km/hr (112.5 mph), I was impressed with our little Lancia Delta rental car for making that one! Thanks to my beautiful navigator (who I listened to most of the time...even though she was always right) we found our way to the hotel in Rome, gassed and returned the rental car, thankfully (and maybe surprisingly) without even a scratch! I must say that driving around here was a very interesting experience from bumper to bumper traffic in Sorrento, to passing three cars wide on two lane roads, to topping 112 mph on the Autostrada.

Beautiful Rome! We left the hotel around 4pm to go exploring. We headed toward the pantheon first and stopped at several notable fountains, piazzas, and churches on the way. As we left the Pantheon the sun was just setting and there were thousands of little birds flying around in giant flocks over the city that were quite impressive to see. We headed over to Campo de' Fiori, a square where they used to execute criminals, and got a nice dinner at one of the little cafes nearby. Our waiter spoke English, French, and Italian (and who knows how many other languages). After dinner we walked to nearby Piazza Navona to check out its three fountains, take some photos, and grab some gelato. On our way back to the hotel we stopped at the Trevi fountain, which is beautiful at night, and walked by the Vittorio Emmanuel II Monument. That's it for tonight off to bed before a long day tomorrow!

Dome of the Pantheon

Roman ruins at night

Bernini's fountain, Piazza Navona

Vittorio Emmanuel II Monument with traffic crisscrossing Piazza Venezia

Pompeii "crosswalks"

Sarah using an ancient "crosswalk" at Pompeii made so people didn't have to step on the streets.