Tag Archives: Italy

Italy

Exploring Tuscany, Wine and Pisa

grape vines in Tuscany

We went for a day trip into the Tuscany country side. The scenery was amazing and the photos do not give it justice. We took a wine tour at a winery called Casa Emma  in the Chianti Classico Wine Region of Tuscany.

Sangiovese grapes in Tuscany
Shelley in the grape vines at the winery in Tuscany.

We explored  some of the scenic towns in the Tuscany region like Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa.  Our first stop was Siena which is a classic medieval town located in Tuscany.  The town is known for several interesting facts.. It has a large fan-shaped piazza which is the Piazza del Campo,. It is one of the location where the James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace” was filmed.

The Piazza del Campo is also the location where they hold the bareback horse race for the Palio of Siena. It is one of the most popular and well-known  festivals in Italy. 

The Piazza del Campo in Siena.
Torre del Mangia in the piazza del Campo, Siena
The oldest operating bank in the world-The Monte dei Paschi di bank in Siera Italy

Siena is also home to the oldest operating bank in the world. It is called the Monte dei Paschi di and was founded in Siena in 1472.  The top of the bank’s facade was unique it has different heads carved and looking down on the plaza.

After Siena we went to explore the town of San Gimignano, known as the walled  medieval town of Beautiful Towers. The town overlooks the beautiful Tuscany countryside with rolling hills and wineries. San Gimignano is known for the 14 medieval towers that still exist today. 

View of the medieval walled town of San Gimignano

Inside the walled section of the town were shops, bars and restaurants. We walked throughout the area exploring the town. 

We came to an area that overlooks the countryside and valleys below. We stopped to admire the views of Tuscany.

A view of the Tuscany countryside from San Gimignano
San Gimignano with a view of some of the historic towers in the town.

After visiting San Gimignano we went to the city of Pisa, in northern Tuscany. It is known for the famous leaning tower, of Pisa.  We went to the Piazza dei Miracoli which  is a walled 8.87-hectare area located in Pisa. Inside the walls are the Pisa Cathedral, the Baptistry, the Campanile and the leaning tower of Pisa. We are of course had to do the traditional photo for all tourist.

Shelley doing the traditional tourist photo.

The leaning tower was truly spectacular and we were in awe at just how white and beautiful it was. 

Shelley and Ray in front of the tower of Pisa
The Pisa Cathedral with the leaning tower of Pisa in the rear located in Piazza dei Miracoli
The facade of the Pisa Cathedral
A view from the base of the leaning tower of Pisa

This was one of the amazing pinch me moments we experienced during our time in Tuscany.  

“La vita stessa è un privilegio, ma vivere la vita al massimo, beh, questa è una scelta.”

Italy

Florence Italy

We spent a week in Florence exploring this beautiful city.  There were so many things to see and do.  One of the things we enjoyed was a pasta making class where we made different pastas and then ate our creations along with some nice Tuscany wines.  

Shelley making fresh Pasta

We stayed close to the Porta Romana in Florence which was walking distance to the main parts of Florence.

The Porta Romano, southern most gate in the 13th century Roman wall in Florence.

The Porta Romana, once known as the Porta San Pier Gattolino was the southernmost gate in the 13th-century walls of Florence.  In 1861, Tuscany became part of the Kingdom of Italy, which after 4 years in 1865, Florence became the new capital of Italy, replacing Turin. Florence remained the capital of Italy until Rome became the capital in 1870.

The ponte Vecchio, in Florence Italy.

The Ponte Vecchio, which means “Old Bridge”, is an icon of Florence. It was built in 1345. The bridge spans over the River Arno with 3 arches, an innovative design for the time.

The covered passage on the Ponte Vacchio bridge.

Today the bridge is easily recognizable with all the shops that are built on it. We walked the bridge several times exploring the stores and shops. There were many jewelry stores and expensive shops. The bridge has a covered passage above it, which was a private aerial walkway built for the ruling family, the Medici Family.

Ray and Shelley on the Ponte Vacchio bridge in Florence.

We explored the streets of Florence and came across many gelato shops. The delicious frozen dessert was invented in Florence in the 16th century. It was first invented by Cosimo Ruggieri. We of course had to try several gelatos during our time in Florence.

Plastic Gelato cone outside a gelato store in Florence
Some of the selections of gelatos

As we explored Florence it was obvious that the statue of David was a tremendous pride of the city.  The white marble statue was created in Florence, by a Florentine, and is displayed at the Galleria dell’Accademia. Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, known simply as Michelangelo, was born in the Republic of Florence, and created the statue of David in 1504.

There were many copies and variations of the statue of David in stores and for sale throughout Florence. There were several full size copies of the statues of David located in some beautiful locations like the Piazzale Michelangelo. This monument was created in 1869 by Florentine architect Giuseppe Poggi. 

Ray in front of the monument with copy of the statue of David in Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence.

The view from the Piazzale Michelangelo were breathtaking and quite beautiful. 

Shelley admiring the view of Florence from PIazzale Michelangelo.

While exploring the streets of Florence we came to a bronze statue of a wild boar,  located near the main market. 

This bronze  “Little Pig” as  it is referred to by the locals is said to Bring luck when a tourist strokes his nose and puts a coin into his mouth.  So how could we resist this opportunity. 

Ray rubbing the nose of the Little Pig and dropping a coin from it’s mouth for good luck.

Here are just a few pictures and a video of this amazing city.

 

The Baptistery of St. John in Florence
Statue of Benvenuto Cellini, on the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence.

Benvenuto Cellini was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. born in Florence in the 16th century.

One of the many unique fountains in Florence

One of the many interesting statues in Florence

Shelley in front of the Baptistery of St. John In Florence Italy

Florence is an amazing city and we will be coming back to visit again. 

“Vivi ogni giorno al meglio e goditi i momenti”

Italy

The Colosseum in Rome

One of the highlights of Rome is the Colosseum. It is considered and listed as one of the new wonders of the World.  For us this has been on our list of must see for years.  This amazing structure is 52 meters high, which is the equivalent of a 17-storey structure.

 

It is an amazing structure with the arch architectural element. There are  80 arches over four floors that creates the famous elliptical shape of the Colosseum. The history of the colosseum is quite interesting. In fact in ancient Romans times it was called ” Flavian Amphitheater” which came from the name of the imperial family Flavia.

Shelley and Ray in front of the Colosseum in Rome

We were awed by the sheer size of the pillars, arches and overall size of the colosseum.  

The inner section of the entry pillars of the colosseum

The amphitheater was a massive project and was designed to seat over 55,000 people. The amphitheater’s construction was funded with the spoils seized from the Jewish Temple after Roman crushed the Jewish Revolt of 70 AD. Stolen Jewish artifacts not only funded the building of the Colosseum, but Jewish slaves seized during the revolt built the building.

Image of the massive size of the colosseum in Rome.

At the end of the construction, the inauguration was celebrated with extraordinary games and fights that lasted 100 days. 

We were fortunate to have an in depth tour of the colosseum with access to the underground area.  A truly amazing structure and design known as the hypogeum.  It was a network of tunnels and chambers distributed in two levels where gladiators and animals were kept before appearing in the arena above.

Lower rooms and hallways of the colosseum

We walked through the underground areas and could just imagine the chaos and sounds of the gladiators, animals and people.  

We saw a recreation of the elevator type structures used to raise gladiators and animals into the colosseum arena. 

Recreation of Roman elevator system in colosseum
recreation of a cage area of elevator at colosseum

After exploring the lower level of the colosseum we went to the reconstructed section of the arena floor where gladiators would have fought. The view from the arena floor gave us a unique perspective of just what the gladiators would have seen. 

Shelley and Ray on the colosseum arena floor area.

We then explored the upper areas of the colosseum and saw the areas where over 50,000 spectators would watch the battles. Senators and the wealthy had reserved seats engraved in marble. 

View of the colosseum walls under the floor.

It was one of those pinch me moments touring the colosseum and seeing such a unique and awe inspiring historical structure. 

“afferrare la vita e non rimandare a domani cosa puoi fare oggi”

Italy

Rome Italy

Rome for over a millennium was the centre of power and controlled most of the world. It has a complex and deep history, so we decided to take some time and explore this amazing city. We walked through many of the streets that had remnants of  Roman ruins and historic sites.  We were in awe at the richness of the history.  We went to the normal tourist sites like the Trevi Fountain. It is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome. It is very impressive standing 26.3 metres high and 49.15 metres wide. This is the largest Baroque fountain in the city or Rome and one of the most famous fountains in the world.
The Trevi Fountain in Rome
Shelley and Ray in front of the Trevi Fountain
The ornate statues in the Trevi Fountain in Rome
We also went to see the Spanish Steps which climb a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and  by the Trinità dei Monti church, at the top. 
Spanish Steps in Rome

There was a police presence there and they were watching the tourist and keeping them from loitering too much or sitting down on the steps.

We of course had to walk up the 135 steps to the top. The view from the top of the Spanish Steps gave a nice view of Rome.
 
The view from the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome.
At the base of the Spanish Stairs is the  Fontana della Barcaccia .
The fountain of Barcaccia, which is fountain of the boat in Italian.
We walked to different piazzas and almost each one had amazing sites and statues. We  came to the National Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II which is also known as Altare della Patria meaning Altar of the Fatherland in english..
It is an amazing and impressive building located in the center of ancient Rome. 
The front of the National Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II

There are large statues and fountains along the building.

Side view of some of the statues at the National Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II
view of the Alter of the Fatherland statue as sun sets in Rome

All along the ancient centre of Rome are ruins, statues and remnants of the Roman empire.  

Shelley and Ray in front of Roman ruins
Arco di Costatino in Rome
Santa Maria Di Loreto in Rome with the Colonna Trajana in the foreground

We of course went to see the colosseum which was amazing and we will do a separate post on the colosseum. 

The colosseum of Rome
Castel San Angelo in Rome

These were beautiful and awe inspiring sites to see, but what we really enjoyed was the people and food of Rome. 

“L’esperienza è l’insegnante di tutte le cose.” – Julius Caesar