September 22nd - Florence
I hope we don't go through withdrawals when we get home and don't have these fabulous coffee makers. Breakfast in the hotels of the tour were always full of a variety of foods. We liked to get there early to give ourselves plenty of time to get ready in the morning.
Florence tour
Our guide, Maria Laura, began our tour at the Piazza della Santissima Annunziata. We took a renaissance walking tour of Florence to the Duomo - Florence Cathedral. It was warm and sunny and there were lots of people in the city. She gave us a tour of The Gallery of the Uffizi.
Ponte Vecchio is always a must see in Florence. The bridge shops are filled with gold jewelry. We had an opportunity to watch the guys selling the imitation designer bags. We had been warned before about the scam, so it made it all the more interesting to watch.
We had lunch with John and Lucille at an outdoor restaurant. It was relaxing to sit and have a glass of wine and a little food and talk about all we see. We love to have people from the tour that we can share meals with.
The DAVID
Our last stop in Florence was to Galleria dell 'Accademia to see David. There are no photographs allowed, but I have one from 1976 when you could still take pictures. It is something that can not be missed when visiting Italy.
We returned to Tuscany in the afternoon with time to hang out by the pool before dinner. Several people purchased snacks in town to add to the wine we bought from the bar. This was a perfect place to regenerate before our trip to Rome.
Dinner tonight was Frittatina di campo, bruschettina al pomodoro, penne all'amatriciana, lasagna al forno, artista al forno alla toscana, carpaccio di manzo con sedano e grana, pisellini ala fiorentina, spinaci saltati and cream caramel for dessert. Oh and lots of wine too.
And for our last night in Tuscany there was another surprise. They had a 2 man band perform for us. Everyone got up to dance and sing. They played all the songs we know and love and the conga line weaved in and out. We all really had a great time!
And for our last night in Tuscany there was another surprise. They had a 2 man band perform for us. Everyone got up to dance and sing. They played all the songs we know and love and the conga line weaved in and out. We all really had a great time!