Geo: 42.7066, 11.9774Yay the girls are coming today. So very excited. Woke this morning to the lady in the room next door falling down the stairs at the hotel. The ambulance came then she was back later with a cut to the head and a big headache. All ok though. I toured the underground caves in Orvieto this morning. They were dug out BC and then used for centuries as strongholds, temples, olive oil processing areas, bomb shelters and now wine cellars. I visited 2 of 1200 caves under the city.Met more Americans. They just love to say "hey it's an Awwwsie". What is with that? They really do think they are the centre of the universe. Found a market as well. Mum gets ANOTHER present!!! Now I need to wait for the girls to arrive ... read more

Geo: 43.0446, 11.4884Slept in this morning and missed my dry cold toast. Got to sleep at 4.00am so wasn't too fussed. This afternoon I took a tour of the Brunello wine region of Montelcino. The countryside is beautiful and the village sits atop a hill. It had a fort that was very interesting. There were only eight on the tour so I sat up front of the van with our guide Christiano. He was great, ok so I had a huge crush on him. We chatted the whole tour and ignored the other guests. I thought he was going to invite me for a drink but then said he lives with his girlfriend. I didn't want her to come so I didn't pursue it any further. Shame. Off to Orvieto, Umbria tomorrow.... read more

Geo: 43.843, 10.5085-7 MayLucca is a lovely city, obviously much quieter than Florence and Venice but still plenty to see and do. The city is surrounded by a wall used to protect it in war times. There is a road on top of the wall and the walk around it is 4km. It poured all day on Sunday and the shops are closed so I walked most of the way around and called into the Lucca Gallery of Contemporary Art. There was a very strange exhibition on called Paint where the artist started on white canvas, colored the majority of it with black lines and then used different textures of white paint to cover it all. I think the aim was to use white as colour whereas we usually start with white and introduce other colours ... read more

Geo: 43.7687, 11.2569Arrived in Florence after a full day on the train. I found all of the high speed direct trains fully booked so took three trains to get here. Was lovely to see the Tuscan countryside and take a break from walking (although yes I was nervous about the train connections, pickpockets, getting lost, mugged, hijacked, etc).Arrived at my lovely hotel and skipped straight to the Uffizi Gallery. 430pm = no queues! Fantastic! Made sure I saw all the masterpieces and made out I knew what they represented and ohhhh'ed and ahhhh'ed at the right times. Then needed a prosecco. Found the Clubhouse where I could have a wine glass FULL of prosecco and buffet appetizers for €6. Outstanding. I think I love Florence. 29 AprilDay 2. Checked out the Galleria dell' Accademia. The queue ... read more

Geo: 41.8959, 12.4724Have found my way back to my favourite square again. It has just started raining for the first time so must retreat to a wine bar for a rose. Shame. It has been cold today, but just like Manjimup weather. I think my future husband is sitting at the table next to me, but he seems busy so I won't speak to him. Visited the Colosseum. Have to say it is a bit shabby and in need of a facelift. Must write to the Roma shire council when I get back home. It is difficult to image what went on there and I will need to read some more in the next few days. Also viewed the Pantheon which is outstanding. The hole in the centre of the Dome is bizarre. Apparently rain rarely ... read more