Friday, April 19 – Sunday, April 21, 2019 After the Florence frenzy, this long Easter weekend was a blessing. Let’s start with a chuckle… We stopped at Poste Italiane (Italian Post Office) to mail a card. The big room was empty, with three clerks behind their desk. As I move towards one of them, she tells to take a number. A NUMBER!? But there is NOBODY here! Seeing my puzzled look, she… Read More

Tuesday, April 23, 2019 And here we are… in the heart of Tuscany. We are travelling by car again this week, setting off to discover the heart of Tuscany: Siena and the Val d’Orcia region. But first, a little detour to stop at San Gimignano. Gimignano is perched on a hill and boasts 14 medieval towers. Tourists are only allowed parking outside the walls – within three large parking areas – and… Read More

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 What a day! We had dinner at Il Campo, we literally walked till we dropped, and I almost lost my husband! Siena is not a good place to drive, but our hotel location gave us the option to walk (a good half hour) or take the bus. Il Campo is by far the most notorious Italian square, and Il Palio, the most notorious horse race event known to the… Read More

Thursday, April 25, 2019 & Friday, April 26, 2019 Taking a break from culture to embrace the natural beauty of Tuscany. For our stay in the heart of Tuscany, we picked Poggio Olivo, in the countryside near Montepulciano, as our home base. What a change of pace! The self-sufficient apartments are well furnished and the premises are very relaxing! Check http://www.poggioolivo.it to see it for yourself. After exploring Siena, leisurely driving through… Read More

Sunday, April 28 – Tuesday, April 30, 2019 The time has come to say arrivederci Toscana… On our last day in Lucca, we wanted to take a final look at this wonderful city, and what better way than going up the Guinigi Tower? A piece of cake after all the vertical challenges we had previously endured! The view, as expected, was stunning. The smaller towers peeking out of a sea of red… Read More