Bonjurno Toscana!

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We left Switzerland on the 16th of January and took an all day train to Rome. My mom was coming to visit on the 17th so we headed to Italy to meet up with her. Rich also took me to a nice Italian dinner for my birthday! On Thursday, January 17th we met my mom at our hotel and headed out for the day. After a quick stop at a cafe we walked down to Piazza del Campidoglio, in the pouring rain, where Emperor Marcus Aurelius sits atop his Horse with his back to the Roman Forum! Michelangelo actually designed the Piazza but only the steps were finished before he died. While the rain was letting up we walked around the Roman Forum. The Roman Forum was an amazing place in its day. It was started probably a hundred years before Christ and was the center of ancient Rome both for the nobles and the common people. As we walked down the Via Sacra (main street in ancient times) we passed the Arch of Septimus Severus, House of Vestal Virgins, and the most intact ruins of the area, the Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius. At the end was the impressive Arch of Titus which depicts Romans sacking Jerusalem. The roman columns and architecture were beautiful. Once we passed through the arch we got out first glimpse of the Colosseum. Although alot of it is in ruins, there is still so much of it, even from the outside that is impressive and amazing! After a quick lunch we headed back to the hotel for a little R and R and then to the restaurant that was recommended to us, Cesarina, it was fabulous!
On the 18th, we started the day with a half day tour of Vatican City. First, we went to the Vatican Museums, which on their own are massive! Our tour guide led us through a room with lots of statues collected throughout the centuries, the Tapestry Room, and the Gallery of Maps. In the Tapestry room, the tapestries on the left side of the corridor, depicted scenes from Jesus' life and were quite detailed. The Gallery of Maps, had wall sized paintings of every section of Italy as drawn centuries before. The next section was the Raphael stanzas or Raphael rooms which are a set of rooms decorated for Pope Julius II and Leo X by the painter Raphael. The last part of the tour was the Sistine Chapel. I think we all have wanted to see this for years so it was very exciting. The Sistine Chapel is actually a pretty small chapel, but the works inside are priceless. Michelangelo's Creation and the ceiling definitely did not disappoint. Next, Mom, Rich and I explored the Piazza San Pietro designed by Benini, which is the square in front of St. Peter's Basilica. The Basilica was amazing, the best part of all was the spiraling marble columns that support the grandiose gold and bronze structure over St. Peter's tomb. After Vatican City, we headed over the river to Palazzo Ropolo and Palazzo Medici, and down the hill to the Spanish Steps, the amazing Trevi fountain, and finally the Pantheon. It was a tiring day!
On the 19th, we took a morning train to Florence, rented a car, and headed to the heart of Tuscany! For the next three nights we stayed at a cute B and B, the Hotel Belvedere, in Colle di va Elsa. After dropping our things we set out for San Gimignano. San Gimignano is a walled in city in the heart of Tuscany and at one time was one of many walled in cities that warring communities used to defend against each other. San Gimignano is covered in narrow alleyways and tall towers and even a large garden, it's very picturesque! Inside the city, we climbed the Torre Grossa, one of the city's tallest towers to get a breathtaking view of the Tuscan countryside. We also went inside the tower museum and the large church, the Duomo. We also explored a little through the narrow streets.
On the 20th Sunday, we got back in the car and headed first for the abbey, the Abbezia M. Oliveto Maggiore out in the countryside. It was a beautiful old monastary set up high in the hills, and the monks there even produce wine to sell! Next, we headed to Montalcino which is another walled in city a little farther south of Siena. The highlight of this city was a great little cafe that we had stew and lunch at in the city! We then toured the Fortezza (fortress) at the entrance to the city and then headed to Montepulciano. As we were approaching the city the fog really rolled in and by the time we were looking around the city it was completely enveloped in fog and darkness! Actually, it was cool to walk around the city in the fog, a little eerie too! We did manage to get to the Piazza Centrale, which is the huge town square with the city hall and the church, the Duomo.
On Monday the 21st, we went to explore Siena. As we explored the small cobblestone streets we came up to the Piazza del Duomo where the Duomo has been since 1215. They had plans to enlarge it, but nothing but some exterior walls were ever constructed. The Duomo was beautifully done in different colors of marble and stone. Also in this square is the Santa Maria della Scala which was the city's hospital for 800 years. We toured the museum inside which has wonderful frescos depicting hospital life in the middle ages. Next, we headed to the Il Campo which is the main square. This is a huge sloping square with the Palazzo Pubblico (town hall) at the end of the slope and Fonte Gaia at the other end. Fonte Gaia is a marble fountain that depicts biblical scenes in its reliefs in the back. After lunch, we went to the Duomo Museum that included statues that used to be on the outside of the Duomo and a stunning view of Siena from the top of the extension of the Duomo they never finished.
On the 22nd, we headed back to Florence to check out the city a little. First, we headed to the Duomo in the center of Florence (there are a ton of Duomo's in Italy)! This church was built between the 13th and 15th centuries and is the fourth largest church in the world. It is also made of different colored marble, including black and white. We went up in the Campanile (a tour next to the main church), which has 400 steps and an amazing view from the top! The highlight of the Duomo was that the inside of it's Cupola (Dome) is covered in a huge fresco that depicts scenes from Heaven and Hell and a walkway that brings you right up close to the beautiful frescos! After the Duomo, we went to see a much anticipated man, David himself! We went to the Accademia and were able to spend quite some time admiring one of Michelangelo's truely magnificent masterpieces. Finally, we headed back to the hotel weaving in and out of the stalls at the Market Centrale. We had an amazing Italian dinner at Quatro Leoni that night. Wednesday the 23rd, we went to the Piazza della Signoria which has the Palazzo Vecchio, the fortress like town hall, and a copy of the statue of David out front. Next, we explored the Galleria degli Uffizi. This art gallery was amazing. It actually was started in 1560 for the Medici family and actually began to store their art collections in the late 1600's. Some of the works included in the museum are by Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, and probably Botticelli's most famous masterpiece, the Birth of Venus. We then explored the picturesque Ponte Vecchio, the 13th century old stone bridge over the river that has stores spanning the length of it. After lunch, we headed back to Rome on the train. That night, we had dinner at La Bruschetta. A friend of a friend of mom's from home is a waiter there and we just had to meet, Bonafacio! He welcomed us in the restaurant with open arms and we had an amazing dinner! Sadly, on the 24th mom had to return home and was so sad to see her go! After Rich and I explored the inside of the Colosseum, we too left Rome for Pisa.
Friday, the 25th of January Rich and I went to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Actually, it is the bell tower for the Duomo and Baptistery that all sits on Campo dei Miracoli together. They date back to the 12th and 13th centuries and the tower began to sink on one side when only three of the eight stories were done. The overhang is nearly 15 feet and they have done a ton of restoration to keep it open to the public! It is really a cool sight to see this huge tower leaning so badly it looks like it could fall at any moment! After seeing this area we took a train to the south of France to begin our French adventures!

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Photos

The town hall in Montepulciano
Its out there somewhere!

Comments

[Brad]

Ferrari!
Uh, these old buildings are cool and all. But this is Italy! Where are the pictures of Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Paganis? Come on Rich!