PICNIC IN THE PARK

Woke up to a sunny sky this morning. It is so quiet here in Lucca, not many vehicles within the walls, so makes for quite a peaceful place. Our B&B is near the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro...the ghost of a Roman Amphitheater. It is filled with restaurants and touristy type shops now, but we visited it last night, and still interesting to see.We took the bikes from our B&B this morning, and cycled around the city along the renaissance wall, still completely intact. We picnicked on top, people watching and enjoying the view. Heading to Cinque Terre tomorrow by train....stay tuned.

LOVING LUCCA

Tom and I took the bus to Lucca today, just over an hour trip heading north from Florence. Had mixed feelings about leaving Florence, as we didn't get to see as much as we wanted. On the other hand, we definitely experienced the worst side of the locals. Did not get any warm fuzzies at all . Except from our hostess Giovana at our b&b, she was awesome.
About an hour after we arrived in Lucca, we had an incredible thunder and lightening storm, along with a heavy rain. We had the same thing last night in Florence but woke up to sunny skies, so expect the same tomorrow. We went out for a walk anyway, and walked the ramparts, halfway around the city. Beautiful walk. It has already cleared, and we had a walk after dinner, down Via Filungo, a long, meandering cobblestone street filled with all kinds of shops. Beautifully lit at night.
We have heard from Jane and Donna, and they arrived safe and sound in Venice.
Going for a bike ride tomorrow, and more exploring.....stay tuned

FRIENDS IN FIRENZE

Arrived in Firenze....Florence, yesterday. The week long drive thru Tuscany was nothing compared to the drive into the Florence airport.....all I will say is I NEVER want to do that again . After regrouping and debriefing, Jane, Donna, Tom and I checked into our fabulous B&B Residenza Johlea, and headed out to discover Florence. We found the Duomo, fabulous! We continued on thru town, wandering thru the San Lorenzo market, and over the Ponte Vecchio bridge.
This city is amazing and gorgeous at night. We had dinner on the other side of the bridge, at Ringo's bar, a little spot that serves famous burgers.....
And they lived up to their reputation. This morning we did a walking tour, with an English speaking guide. I thought things were going well, but wasn't sure about what she kept referring to as the Matterhorn, I thought maybe it was a museum I hadn't heard about. Then we saw some of the 25,000 Italians that were running today's Marathon, and I realized with her accent, I had misunderstood her.
It got real interesting when, trying to keep up with the tour, I started to cross the road, only to be stopped by a race Marshall, and there I was, surrounded by marathoners, all I could do was laugh and wait for a break in the action. I am sure a few runners are still cursing me. The highlight of the tour was our visit to the Galleria dell'Accademia, to view the statue of David. I am in no way, shape, or form, an art buff, but I was blown away by the beauty of this masterpiece.
We spent the remainder of the day, unfortunately, finding out how to get to our next destination, Lucca. I say unfortunately because the regional trains are planning a one day strike tomorrow, so we have to take the bus. All in the name of adventure, I say.....We say goodbye to Jane and Donna in the morning, as they are heading to Venice.....stay tuned

San Giamangano

IL DOLCE FAR NIENTE

Arrived in Tuscany a couple days ago. Had a fabulous drive from Orvieto, meandering along the country roads. It is such beautiful, peaceful scenery. We stopped in Montalcino and walked around the Fortrezza, the 14th century fortress at the top of the hill. We carried on to our next destination, the little town of Panzano in Chianti. Our B&B is overlooking a valley, filled with vineyards and villas. The four

of us sat on the deck last night taking it all in. We are trying very hard to adopt the Italian way of life ... "Il dolce far niente ...The sweetness of doing nothing"... But there is so much to see that we are having to force ourselves to slow down. It is becoming easier each day.
Yesterday we visited Castellina, a town about 10km away, and lunched in Greve, another short drive. Tom and
I walked down the street to buy some cheese and salami from Dario Cecchini, the famous butcher of Panzano. We had heard he was quite entertaining. When we walked in the door, we were immediately handed a glass of wine. We sure dont have butcher shops like that back home! I asked if we could buy some of his
famous salami, but were told " we are closed, we are just giving stuff away now." He told us to help ourselves to the meat and cheese on the table and enjoy the wine, then off we went. Today we headed off to San Giamangano, a medieval town (3rd century) and arrived just before the rain. We caught the view from one of the 14 remaining towers.... Amazing.
We wandered around, checking out the market and shops, stopping for the best pizza yet. It was raining off and on most of the day, all the more reason to shop, I say! Regardless of the weather, there is still so much to enjoy. Might dampen the ground, but not our spirit.
Tonight Tom and I walked to a little restaurant in town, again passing by the butcher shop/ restaurant we had visited yesterday, and heard Dario the butcher singing to his customers. A great way to cap off a great day.