:O!!! Have fallen behind....again :D [View Full Entry]

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Florence, oh the JOY of it all !!!!! :D A veritable treasure trove of humanity! Birthplace of Renaissance, comparable to Athens & so much to see it would take months to experience it all. Established in 59 BC by Caesar, this city has seen more than its fair share of war & strife. It is with ease one can appreciate what remains & has been inspired here. If not for the cars, it would be a very quiet city indeed. One cannot help but "think" here. Every corner, side road, piazza, holds a surprise no matter how prepared you believe yourself [View Full Entry]

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Val d'Orcia: The inspiration of Renaissance painters. Remote(ish), incredibly fertile, medieval, gothic & relatively undiscovered by the masses. Here Montepulciano is, in dozens of ways, equal to Sienna. It's volcanic horizon, famous worldwide for it's wines Nobile & Rosso, it's Etruscan heritage.... all pave the way to an amazing village. Both for the modern traveler & those who enjoy history. Built on Monte Poliziano predating 500 BC, this town has seen surprising fame. Marcellus II, Poliziano, Cervini, pilgrims... & SOMETHING has to be said about their music! The academy of music was d [View Full Entry]

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Sienna, day or night, rain or shine- a city to spend days in! Friendly, relaxing & so many American tourists, one might just think English is the native language here :) Much to our delight, we missed the Palio dell'Assunta horse race where many thousands gather from all over the world to watch. The sparse Piazza seen here looks considerably different when packed to capacity I'm sure! The small lanes of Sienna are darker than most cities we've had the pleasure to experience. It's so dark as a matter of fact that it is physically & emotionally shocking to step out [View Full Entry]

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Arezzo, without a doubt one of the leading Etruscan cities in it's day. Much of it from 5th & 4 century BC. Home to Guido d'Arezzo, Petrarc, Vasari, Francesca.... even Michelangelo was born nearby. Of particular interest are the stained glass windows in the Catherdral of Arezzo by Guillaume de Marcillat (latter 1400's). This Cathedral just screams Gothic! Dark, I mean REALLY dark, dark reliefs, dark paintings, only natural lighting @ a million candles. It's lovely really just a complete shock when coming in from outside. One thing I've noticed is; no one (official) in the church's. No conci [View Full Entry]

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As every parent knows, children have a variety of screams; The gleeful shriek, the theatrical screech, the angry "I want Mommy's attention" holler,...then there's the cringing scream of fear that sends a parent flying in the child's direction to find.... a SCORPION in the bathing suit :D LoL, the children all standing on chairs like you'd imagine a grandmother hiding from a mouse. They're all making noise but saying nothing :D It was an adorably small looking creature, just under an inch long, but intimidatingly black in color with extremely mobile "claws". The Euscorpius concinnus are common [View Full Entry]

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Words alone cannot express the complete elation I feel here in Rome. I think it must be noisier than what I'm hearing, but I've blocked it all out. Every moment is a dedication to my 5/6 senses & making certain our children learn as much as possible while enjoying themselves. This is easily accomplished when, for example, one recites the story of Remus & Romulus as we explore Palatine. Not to mention it also helps to give them access to "documentaries" such as "Rome" An Engineering Empire (Chris Cassel) Caput Mundi - I've taken over 150 photos here (I'll limit my [View Full Entry]

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Under the Tuscan Sun....... I understand why this book found it's inspiration here. One cannot help but notice how shadowy the lanes of these villages are. To an outsider it is often daunting, odd. But the shadow, while staving off the unbelievable heat, gives an air of mystique. Of course in medieval times, when fortresses & walls were erected to keep the residents safe (here for example- Etruscans against Romans, and later Tuscans against Perugians) the public had no choice to to be packed in. The hilltop is only so big. Here in Castiglione del Lago one is greeted by dozens [View Full Entry]

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Good Lawd I'm in Heaven!!!!! Benvenuto alla terra dei tartufi !!!!!!!!!! Welcome to the land of truffles!!!!! Woooo Black Truffles!!! With my hearts desire I embrace Umbria for all it holds. Have you ever eaten with your eyes closed? It is a Must-Do in Umbria! A comment about the following photos-- I'm not religious, I'm not one for pomp & circumstance. I am however Christian, as I feel I would be a right fool not to leave the door open to possibility. How would one explain @ the end of time "I just couldn't 'go' for it". Ignorance. Ego. Foolhardy. For [View Full Entry]

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All Hail Milan! Wonderful, beautiful city who's origins date back to 400 BC & they have so very much to show for it! Clean, thriving with art & business (not to mention tourism on a HUGE scale) with happy, I mean HAPPY people....despite the heat. It's hot here, I'm talkin' EQUATOR hot. Steaming, sweltering hot :D! It's been around 40 Celsius, I'm withering. One of the things that has surprised me a great deal was the vast unbelievable number of tram lines. You'll notice these in my photos. Bus, metro & tram-public transportation is BIG here. It really isn't any wonder [View Full Entry]

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