Apparently, we picked the worst time to visit the Vatican, so had to jostle through the galleries and the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's basilica with literally thousands of others. So it goes. I took one picture of a roped off area that seemed quite pleasant. HVW says I should have photographed the crowds. Next [...]
Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene... William Shakespeare , "Romeo & Juliette" OK so the setting is Roma, not Verona, where we've been for a little more than a day. Andrew has come and gone. But yesterday we saw Isabella and met the Noble household. [...]
Today's adventure was navigating the very steep and very narrow, winding roads in and out of Villa Bordoni, which (for some reason) were much busier today. The highlight was coming grill-to-grill with a large truck in a section of road with low stone walls on each side. The truck driver decided that I needed to [...]
Villa Bordoni in the morning is quite lovely. So is Sienna in the afternoon. As is the Tuscan countryside, late in the day. So, I might have gone a bit overboard with the tilt-shift effect. But I like it.
The weather is meh today, but we have repositioned (ever so slightly) from Florence/Firenze to the Tuscan countryside. Before leaving Florence, we paid our dues by lining up for +/- 1 hour to get into the Duomo. Then picked up the rental car and, thanks to Google Maps, made it to Villa Bordoni without incident. [...]
There is no escape from Lady Liberty. There used to be fire-breathing dogs in Florence. Tempus fugit. Also, we toured Galeria degli Uffizi with our guide Paola, who did an amazing job of keeping us away from the hordes. (Not to mention great insights into the artwork.) And later, we climbed up and down (and up [...]
Here we are. Touring churches and palazzos and dodging the shocking October crowds here in Florence. I am surprised at how many new discoveries are on display. In the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, there are 3 frescoes discovered from 2004 to 2011 behind the frames of other paintings. Restoration took several years so they [...]
