Day 20 June 2012

It was a sunny day, so we did some laundry for our upcoming trip to Milan.  We stopped in Montegabbioni at their Cathedral, then went to Castel di Fiori for their floral festival.

Later in the evening, we went to "pizza night" again!  Yum!!!

Franco

Frank from Holland

Me

The new group

Day 19 June 2012

We decided to go up to Citta della Pieve to see the Saturday market.  We saw a few things, but never found the main market.  They are having an arts festival this weekend, so the market may not have been scheduled.  I took some pictures going up there.  The area is devine.

 Montegabbione

 

Montegabbione

 Poppies

 Poppies

 Umbrella Pine

Olive Market

View of Cathedral at Citta della Pieve

Day 18 June 2012

Today we went to Panicale.  We had been there before, but enjoyed another visit.  We then went to Castiglione del Lago for another visit and had a lovely dinner.  We bought a chunk of pecorino cheese to bring home.

 Panicale Sculpture

Panicale view

 Panicale
Panicale

Castiglione del Lago

Dinner at Castiglione del Lago

Day 17 May 2012

Today we went to a magnificent sculpture garden called Sacro Bosco Bomarzo started in 1552.  Then we ate at our favorite restaurant in Carnaiola.  Our waitress was from Cuba, so I was able to order in Spanish...what a relief to be understood!  Ha!

 Carolyn at Villa Delle Meraviglie

 Cheryl at Villa Delle Meraviglie

 Proteo

 Proteo

 Battle of the Giants

 Tempio

 Echidna

 Dragon Lady

 Waterfall

Pegasus

 Tartaruga

 Fountain

 La Casa Pendente

 L'elefante

Day 16 May 2012

Today, we did laundry and had a bit of a laid-back day.  We went to the town of Piegaro and found a lovely place for dinner.  Then, we returned to a dessert of fresh strawberries that I had picked from the garden.

Day 15 May 2012

Today we drove up to Florence.  We found the same area to park outside the city center that we parked last time.  We were lucky to find a parking place.  We walked over to Santa Croce Cathedral, where we promptly found a leather shop and each bought a purse.  We had lunch, then enjoyed the shops and piazzas in old Florence.  The walk back to the car seemed longer after a day of walking around.

Santa Croce

Piazza Santa Croce

Piazza Publica

Perseus with the head of Medusa

 Florence Baptistry

Florence Cathedral

Florence Cathedral Bronze Doors

Duomo


Here is the pink cloud we encountered from our dining area when we got home.

 

Day 14 May 2012

We took it easy today, because it was a rainy morning.  We went into Fabro Scalo and had lunch at a little family owned restaurant.  I had a T-Bone steak which was quite good.

 Eating again

 End of the day looking out from our apartment.

Day 13 May 2012

Today we went to Scarzoula.

This spot is where allegedly St. Francis stayed in a straw hut after going through Perugia.  In 1400, the Franciscan monks built a monastery on the spot.   The architect, Tommaso Buzzi bought the property in 1956 and built his “ideal city” over 20 years:  http://www.fattoriadivibio.com/scarzuola-umbria-italy.php

This was such a marvelous tour, and we had a very dramatic Australian guide.  His dog “Sabastian” accompanied us on the tour.

Later that evening, we had pizza night, where we were given dough to roll out and add whatever we liked…artichokes, olives, tomatoes, bell peppers, cheese, etc.

 Bee Gate

 Bee Theatre

 Bee Theatre

 Monastary

Miniature city: Parthenon, Pantheon, Colosseum, etc.

 Sabastian

 Secret Gate

Dali-like sculpture

 Pizza I made

Pizza Night