Celebrating 10 Years in Italy

 Our last day in Florence started early with our photo shoot.  We booked a local photographer using a website recommended by our travel agent.  We met Emma at the Duomo and had 90 minutes to walk around the streets of Florence while she took pictures of us.  The city that early in the morning was peaceful and quiet.  There are so many tourists here so it was a wonderful morning seeing the city without the chaos of the crowds.  Emma was a lot of fun and so easy to work with.  We probably walked about 2 miles during our time with her without even realizing it.  Our last for photos was at a cozy cafe where she left is to enjoy an amazing cappuccino and breakfast.  We’re excited to see the pictures she took and should have them by the time we get home.  We went back to the hotel and rested a bit as the rest of the day was unplanned.  Our hotel was near the Central Market so we wandered over there and found an amazing market that held st...

Today started early to meet up with our tour group. We had a small group of less than 30 people which was nice.  The drive to Cortona was about an hour and half, which afforded us ample time to enjoy the Tuscan landscapes.   Upon arriving in Cortona, a town made famous by the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”, we were told we had a short 5 minute climb to the city center.  Our guide was a nice young man, but boy did he lie about that climb.  It was a steep 45 degree incline that went on for way too long.  By the time we reached the top everyone was winded and let’s just say the climb yesterday to the lookout point was nothing compared to this.  We had an hour to explore on our own so we chose to visit the Cathedral and a nearby church and monastery.  Every road in that town seemed to be a steep climb up so we were okay when it was time to leave.  Although that entry road was almost as challenging going down as it was going up! Our next stop was Lake Tr...

Today started off by us getting picked up right outside the door to our hotel by Simon in a black Mercedes to drive us through the Chianti region of Florence. We stopped at two small towns on our way to the first vineyard. The first was so small we walked around the entire town in 5 minutes. The second was a little bigger and had a secret tunnel that walked you under the town but still had windows showcasing the view of the countryside.  The first vineyard, Poggio Amorelli, was a family owned and run vineyard.  They only sell their wines at their vineyard, along with the olive oil they make there too.  We sat outside on the terrace and sampled their wines, along with breads, cheeses and meat, and had the place to ourselves for most of the time (it was only 10:30am so that might have been why).   The second vineyard was I Selvatici. Upon arrival we were greeted by the winemaker himself, Guiseppe.  We had a private tasting with him as our guide and fresh pasta for...

I started this post last night at 6pm local time and quickly fell asleep.  After 13 hours of sleep I feel like a new person and can finish it. It was a long day but we made it to Florence. The ride to the hotel made me realize that the cab drivers aren’t just crazy in Rome.  This gentleman was very kind but speed limits were mere suggestions and pedestrians did not have the right of way.  In fact he was going so fast down the single lane roads that he missed our hotel and had to circle around the one way streets for 10 minutes to get us back there.   This time we are staying in the heart of Florence.  After wandering just a few blocks we were greeted with the beauty of the Basilica di San Lorenzo and just a few blocks later the grand Cathedral di Santa del Forno (the Duomo).  It was more grand than we remembered and so beautiful.  It is the holiday celebrating their liberation today so the city is packed with tourists.    We had a few hours b...

We made it “across the pond” and landed in Amsterdam (can you say that if you aren’t going to the UK?).  We got a combined 45 minutes of sleep between the two of us, so this should make for an interesting day.  On the way over we lost 7 hours, so while our minds think it midnight it’s actually 7am.  We are re-caffeinating with the tiniest “small” coffees we have since since our honeymoon in Paris, and are hoping to sleep on the final leg of our flight to Florence.