Our next destination is Florence. We catch a train from Stresa back to Milan then onto Florence. This takes most of our day. A short taxi ride from the train station to our resort 20 minutes outside of the city center. We are staying very close to the Stadio Artemio Franchi that is home to the Florentina soccer team. During games the streets flood with purple and red speeding by on motorbikes and on foot cheering loudly as they go by. Otherwise a fairly quiet suburb. Our favorite spot in the morning for a croissant and cappuccino was just around the corner.
While in Florence we viewed the usual galleries such as the Uffizi with Renaissance artwork and the Academia where the magnificent David stands. I have never experienced such awe over a sculpture before. Michelangelo's work is simply breathtaking and the lighting could not have been more perfect to display his masterpiece. I wish I had neglected the "no photos" signs as the majority of other tourists were doing and captured the David's image.
From Florence we took a couple of day trips into Tuscany and Umbria. We rented a car and drove from hill town to hill town. This was quite the adventure. I was the driver and the roads are extremely narrow and winding with impatient Italians passing you on the curves. There is no slowing down to check the signs, when there were signs. Fortunately I brought a Garmin along. Love the autostrada. Drive as fast as you can, unless your Mom is a back seat driver. We visited Casole Val d'Elsa, Volterra, Pienza, Orvieto and Montepulciano. This is wine country and yes it is delicioso!
We strolled through each town admiring the architecture and enjoying the culture and uniqueness of each one. The olive trees and crystal of Casole Val d' Elsa, the Roman ruins and intricate lanterns in Volterra, the incredible duomo (church) in Orvieto and the vineyards of Montepulciano.
More to come....
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