Tuscany
Renting a car for two days was expensive, but I'm glad we did it. We discovered so many things we just wouldn't have been able to see. Today's journey from Siena to Montepulciano was slow and winding, but that was exactly how we wanted it. (note: these are all of Mary's photos.) Views like this were common. We actually went searching for this, the Chapel Vitaleta Val d'Orcia. It's pretty idyllic. Less idyllic was the photo safari next to us. We moved on and found another interesting vantage of the chapel and the home next door. So Tuscany is beautiful (who'd Read more…
One night in Siena … wish it could have been two.
Last night in Siena was the first time we had a hotel with a view. And what a view! This was stitched together from my iPhone. We spent a lot of time there at Piazza del Campo, the central hub of Siena. And we had a great dinner there. Again, stitched together from my iPhone. We were able to catch a few of the sights again this morning. And the Duomo from the same vantage point. And the beautiful interior. A really wonderful morning! Next time we'll take Rick Steve's suggestion and stay in Siena with a day trip to Read more…
Twilight Tourism: Volterra and Montepulciano
Yes, Twilight fans, Mary and I visited Volterra, home of the Vulturi (For the non-Twilight readers, the Italian hill-town of Volterra is the setting for part of the second Twilight book where vampire royalty live) and Montepulciano, where Twilight New Moon was filmed (the city was a stand in for Volterra). Rick Steves has recommended both towns long before Stephanie Meyer re-invented Volterra as a vampire home, so it's not like we went just to see vampires. But I have to say, seeing the cult of Edward and Bella that has developed was one of the highlights. Take for example Read more…
Trying again with bigger pics.
Florence and Fiesole. See the full gallery on Posterous
A couple shots from Florence and neighboring Fiesole
The river Arno, the Palazzo Vecchio, the locks of lovers on a chain near the Arno, the view of Florence from the nearby town of Fiesole, and the church of Santa Maria Novella. We’re on our way into the hill towns! Renting a car for two days to explore Tuscany. Ciao! See the full gallery on Posterous
Billboard mania in Venice.
‘We ask you to imagine the disappointment that the 17.5 million visitors to Venice this year will feel. They come to this iconic city with an image of it in their mind’s eye and instead they see its famous views grotesquely defaced.’ The Bridge of Sighs is barely visible underneath the advertising billboards In a blunt retort to the critics, mayor Giorgio Orsoni said: ‘If people want to see the building they should go home and look at a picture of it in a book.’ via dailymail.co.uk Found this link while researching the billboards around Piazza San Marco in Venice. Read more…
The gelato alone is worth the trip …
In addition to the regular necessities of travel, we’ve also budgeted for regular gelato expenses. So far we’ve tried: cherrypistachiostrawberry cookies chocolate dark chocolate pineapple cocoanut cantaloupe nutella caramel tiramisu mint lemon caramel And yes, we’ve only been here 4 nights. (A lot of those flavors were paired together and the servings are pretty small. And it’s not like we both ate all of these–some were mine and some were Mary’s. But still … that’s a lot of gelato.) Favorites include pistachio, dark chocolate, and cantaloupe. Favorite pairings include cantaloupe & cocoanut for Mary and lemon & strawberry for me.
Some last photos from Venice …
We bought a USB cable that allowed us to connect Mary's camera to the computer (we forgot ours at home). This was primarily for safekeeping of the photos, but it also allows me to add some last photos of Venice that Mary took (all these below are hers). Captions included this time. This guy was much more chivalrous than I was. As you can see, Acqua Alta forced people to get creative. But this couple eventually made it through by combining forces. Delivery of goods in Venice takes a group effort. Up and down, up and down, over the canals. Read more…