After spending almost a week in Rome, Capri, the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento, we headed for Tuscany. We had two weeks booked at a time share in Lorro Cuiffenna. It was wonderful, straight out of a dream.
We arrived on a Monday morning while the weekly street market was taking place. It had a vast array of produce and a meat vendor there who was selling porchetta sandwiches which are rolled up roasted sides of pork with a crackling skin and a few bits of liver inside of the roll. I was hooked right there and then. We explored the town, or should I say village, the rest of the day.
The next day we visited some Tuscan Chianti wineries. We ended up buying twelve bottles of Chianti plus a few whites and one rose wine. All of the wineries in addition to sampling their wares fed us Italian pu-pus. Half way through the day, we also had lunch in some little walled town. We spent another day sitting around the pool recovering from the previous day's excesses.
The next day we spent exploring the Tuscan countryside with Sam and Ruth a couple from Redondo Beach who had rented a Jeep SUV. We spent another day attending an Italian cooking school learning the proper way to make home-made pasta and made tagliatelle and raviolis.
On Saturday, being Sam and Ruth moved on to Greece, we took a cab to Montevarchi, then a train to Arezzo to rent a car. A cute little Fiat 500. We went to Pisa to see, what else, the Tower and back to Sienna. After Sienna, Jamie had to go to the Prada outlet in Montevarchi. Needless to say she was on cloud nine for a few days afterward.
It's Sunday, it must be walled cities day. We went to Montalcino, Pienza, Montepulciano where parts of Under the Tuscan Sun was filmed and finally Monteriggioni which was the best of the lot. If you think you're seeing Monte as part of the town's names it's because the walled towns are built on hilltops or montes. Damned fine views and good protection from who ever is about to invade you. By the time they get to the top of the hill in full battle gear, thy were too exhausted to put up much of a fight.
It's Sunday, it must be walled cities day. We went to Montalcino, Pienza, Montepulciano where parts of Under the Tuscan Sun was filmed and finally Monteriggioni which was the best of the lot. If you think you're seeing Monte as part of the town's names it's because the walled towns are built on hilltops or montes. Damned fine views and good protection from who ever is about to invade you. By the time they get to the top of the hill in full battle gear, thy were too exhausted to put up much of a fight.
The next day we drove to Cortona and spent most of the day just enjoying Italy. We then took a train to Venice for the day and had a wonderful time and then a train back to Lorro Cuiffenna. Another train ride to Florence to catch the tour of the Cinque Terre.
Cinque Terre is on the Italian Riviera and is so beautiful it is a UNESCO Heritage site. It consists of five charming little towns that sit on the sides of hills overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. They are inaccessible by car and you can only get there by train.
Back to Lorro Cuiffenna for the evening and then back to Florence by train for sightseeing and especially to see Michelangelo's David which is how my son got is name. There are no superlatives that I know that describes that hunk of marble.
Finally, we drove to the Rome airport and turned in the little red Fiat and got a hotel room next door to the Vatican and went sightseeing on our last day.
We flew to Amsterdam on KLM which was a very pleasant experience and got a hotel room on a canal. We had to be back to Schiphol, Amsterdam's airport for our fourteen hour flight to LAX.
I think I'll get out of retirement and go back to work, I need the rest.
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