Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday / 24, 25, 26, & 27 December 2012
On Monday we were going to leave the gorgeous city of Florence and move to our next stop which was in the country about an hour to the south. We got up early and were greeted by sunny skies which was a change. The church of Santa Croce was just a few blocks away from the hotel and we wanted to show the girls the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo which are inside. From there we jumped in a cab and went to the south side of the historic district and visited the Capella di Medici and the funerary sculptors done by Michelangelo which are located there. The scale of this mausoleum for the dukes of the Medici family is beyond compare. The scale of the place is huge and the detail of the decoration is comparable to anything in Italy. These guys took themselves seriously!! Leaving town we stopped for one more grand view overlooking the city at the Pizzale Michelangelo. This vantage point give a wonderful view over the Arno river and the city below. From here one can get a great feel for the scale of the city and the locations that have been visited. We bid Florence good by from here and set off for La Amorossa.
We spent a quiet Christmas day at the hotel and did a short driving tour to show Claire and Allie some of the places which we had visited during our time at Montepulciano. The highlight of the first day was the visit to some of the movie set locations of the Twilight film “New Moon” which were in Montepulciano. We moved on to Pienza where we were greeted by a warm glowing fire in the main piazza in front of the church and the streets filled with locals greeting and mingling each other. Wednesday we spent a drizzly day backtracking through Cortona and Arezzo. Thursday was a trip to Sienna which was a hit. The girls were thoroughly impressed with the Duomo and the night scene on the narrow streets was quite lively.
Next stop is Rome!
The down river vies from the Ponte Vecchio.
I wonder if the feed sack is from Chanel???
The side aisle of Santa Croce. The main altar was covered with scaffolding.
Michelangelo’s tomb.
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The last bit of street side sights in Florence.
Details from the fountain bronzes.
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Christmas runners making their way through Florence.
Not only are the kids with matching jackets check out the parents!!! This is going to be weird.
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Arrivederci Florence. My guess is we will be back again.
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This is a large panoramic photo looking west over Florence. Click on it to enlarge.
The view of la Amorosa from the back side of the property.
Claire thinks this walk in fireplace is what we need at the ranch.
Into downtown Montepulciano.
Allie doing her best scary bat thing/vampire act hoping it will bring a hunky guy around to kiss!! Just like in the movies.
Same town. Same place. Just short one hunky guy.
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A couple of the local nuns heading to church.
The church over in Pienza.
A well decorated well.
Warming up next to the fire in town.
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Over in Cortona Allie wanted just one bottle please Dad??
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A rainy day in Arezzo.
Inside the Duomo in Siena.
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I’m totally enjoying your photos.