ITALIA #2- TUSCANY #1

We traveled from Rome to Florence on the high speed train, rented our humongous 9-passenger party van in Florence and headed down to Tuscany. We based ourselves at the Castello di Montalto, a 1,000 year old castle most recently owned by Giovanni and Diana Coda Nunziante. Now in the eighties, Giovanni is Italian and met Diana, who is American, at Berkeley while they were both in graduate school. The castle is located in the country, about 6 miles from Sienna

Inside courtyard at Montalto

 La Casa del Guardia (the Guard's House), our 3 bedroom, 2 bath villa on the grounds of the castle

The first day in Tuscany was rainy and cool, so we decided to scout the town of Sienna, where we were planning a full day visit the next day. We drove through, but soon decided to head back to Montalto. Our GPS ("Rosa") decided to get us lost through the back roads, so we stumbled on La Roverella, an olive and grape farm that has been in the same family for generations. We pulled into the open gate but nobody seemed to be around, so we were getting ready to leave when the owner came out and greeted us. He took us into his "office", a mixture of museum, photo gallery and wine cellar. Needless to say, after our visit, we were thankful Rosa got us lost.

 Wood fired brick oven at La Roverella

 The US Army came through La Roverella during WWII. This date carved in cement (June 29, 1944), marks a spot where shrapnel from an exploding bomb is still embedded into a limestone wall

 Back in Montalto, a Tuscany sunset and Leo, Montalto's 14 year old German Shepherd, greets Linda

 Worrall's won the "master suite" during the coin toss, but graciously shared their patio/balcony with the rest of us for our dinners "al fresco"

 After just 2 days, we had significantly added to the wine consumption in this part of Tuscany.

Friends dining "al fresco'. Next up is our visit to Sienna. JIR

ITALIA #1: GETTING THERE AND FIRST 2 DAYS IN ROME

 Lounging at Detroit Metro airport before our flight to Rome. O'Hara's, Worrall's, and Ramirez's

 We have used the American Express Delta Sky Miles credit card as much as we can for many years. We have "purchased" many airplane tickets with our miles, including Business Class seats to Europe every 2-3 years. There is nothing like it!

 Italian Alps appear majestic on our initial approach into Rome

 First evening in Rome-jet lagged but pumped to start our adventure

 We purchase a one-day intense tour of Rome from Eternity Tours. The tour was exclusively for the 6 of us, pricey but worth every penny. Our tour guide, Gregory, is pictured below. He is an architect with a PhD in art history, so you can imagine the quality of our tour. He was exceptional and absolutely loves what he does. First stop was Ancient Rome.

 It felt surreal to walk through these ancient ruins that we have heard so much about and seen so many pictures of.

 The Colosseum. We admired the outside, but walking through the aisles and passageways inside rattled our souls. We could only imagine what took place in this most unique historical site.

 Entering the Vatican Museum, the dome of St Peter's Basilica in the background

 One of the ancient doors of St Peter's Basilica, only opened every 25 years, otherwise sealed in concrete from behind.

 St Peter's Square

 The balcony on the front facade of St Peter's where the Pope addresses the crowds when he speaks from the Basilica.

 Face to face with Michelangelo's La Pieta, priceless

 Swiss guards

 St Peter's Square with the Basilica in the background

 The famous Fontana Trevi. Yes, we threw in or 3 coins with our right hands over our left shoulders. The 3 wishes: to return to Rome, to find true love or have your true love continue, and a specific personal wish.

 The Pantheon

 We often saw Carabineri (Italian State Police) texting on their cell phones

Second of our first 2 nights in Rome. Off to Tuscany next! JIR