Monday, October 12, 2015

Our 2015 Italy Trip - Florence Biking

Today was a busy day. We woke early in Venice to catch the vaporetto to the train station to catch the train to Florence. Once we arrived in Florence we dropped our bags off (really-our room wasn't ready yet and we had places to go) and headed off to meet up with Elena.  We road all around Florence city and up hill to the church above the Boboli Gardens. It was a beautiful ride. Enjoy some of the pics I took along the way.




The medieval Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) was built in 1345 making it more than 650 years old. It's lined with shops on both sides. The Inn where we are staying is about a block away (Florence Old Bridge Inn) and I'm pretty sure it's 650 yrs old too. 



We couldn't even change into decent riding clothes since we dumped our bags and left.








Sunday, October 11, 2015

Our 2015 Italy Trip - Verona/Vicenza

Today we traveled to the towns of Verona and Vicenza. Both extremely beautiful and unique. Many famous actors/actresses have homes here including Brad/Angelina.

Grabbing espressos before our train ride to Verona.


Our guide for the day was Andrea. He was such a character. We instantly became friends. 


Behind us is the famous balcony outside Juliets home from Romeo and Juliet. It's actually a funny story since the balcony didn't really even exist until after the movie came out. It was then added and is now the most visited spot in Verona. 


We came across a couple in a horse drawn carriage who just got married. Beautiful.




These next two pics are an early example of photo shop. The sculpture is of the writer Dante. He was actually short with a large nose and not good looking. Apparently they only wanted beautiful people depicted.




The Arena which held the gruesome gladiator battles was partially torn down by the churches and the material recycled to build new churches. They now use it for concerts both pop and opera. Leonardo Di Caprio has a place right behind where I am standing.






The next couple of pics are from Vincenza.





They actually have a tribute to Thomas Jefferson there. Apparently they thought he was pretty great.













Friday, October 9, 2015

Our 2015 Italy Trip - Venice market

In the morning fresh produce and fish vendors open their booths. Wonderful pastry shops, chocolatiers, gelato and cheeses. 


This adorable box of tools is actually chocolate. How adorable.


These are sweets that look like fruits and veggies.