Pienza...

After all this time, I decided you might actually want to see what the Tuscan countryside looks like. Here are some pics from around the small hill town of Pienza...

And another one...

The main Piazza in Pienza...

And of course the day wouldn't be complete without our gelato...

That was the last portion of our last drive through Tuscany...it was great, but sad. I have certainly been enjoying my time here.

This past weekend was a little longer than usual for us and we took advantage of it and took a vacation through the Alps! We visited northern Italy, Austria, the very southern end of Germany, Leichtenstein, Switzerland, and back to northern Italy. Amazing country! And I do have to say, much cooler! We have offically hit summer weather here and I have to admit...I was not made for Italian summers! I am glad that we are leaving in a week...an action packed last week, but it will be good to be home again.

Ciao a tutti!

Montepulciano...

All of a sudden, we are beginning to do the lasts of things...this time it was our last scenic drive through Tuscany. We capped off our time with a quick trip to several hill towns about an hour south of Siena. I really do like the hill towns of central Italy. The countryside is very agricultural in nature (kind of reminiscent of home) and everyone seems to run at a slower pace...kind of nice in the heat of summer.

The gate to the city of Montepulciano...

This is a building in the Piazza Grande (it is actually one of the few squares that are actually square). For those of you who might be Twilight fans...this is the spot that parts of the movie, New Moon, were shot...pretty slick...we were even their as the clock struck noon, bells were going everywhere! BTW I can't wait to see the movie when I make it back to NJ...I already have a date...

One of the many capped wells we see...indoor plumbing rules...

And the church that is on the Piazza Grande...

Well, there you have it...our first stop on our last Tuscan adventure! We had tons of fun, but the tourists are out in force. We have been super spoiled (by so many things I can't even list them all) and for 2 months have felt that we had Italy all to ourselves...not so anymore! We can usually avoid them (being locals and all) but it is still kind of weird to see crowds of people speaking English (I tend think that will be one of the hardest things to get used to when we get back...hearing all the english being spoken...I think my brain might hurt!). It is really easy to spot a tourist on the road...we are passing them and their car has a trunk! We just discovered that there is NO way we are getting all of us and our luggage into our car for the trip to the airport...NO WAY...so it looks like I will take 2 kids and go on the train and meet Tobin at the airport...kind of crazy!

Have a wonderful day!

Ciao a tutti!

Rome, again...

On Saturday, we (me, the kids and Tobin) went to Rome. Tobin had been there only once and we had seen the Ancient Roman sites...so back we went to catch a few sights before our departure...which is quickly approaching. Once again, we take the train into Rome. This is my fourth time on the train and it was shockingly empty. I could actually see the sign that showed which stops were next.

A side note: The train station in Rome is called Roma Termini...this is because all the trains come into it from one direction and stop...end of the line. Well, our train comes in from the north and circles the city on the west side and swoops into the termini (this means that the train is actually heading north or back to Montalto...the train then has to back out of the station). Well, as the train circles the city there are a number of stops in the various neighborhoods of Rome. Usually we take the train to Termini and then walk or take the Metro to where ever we are going.

So, back to Saturday...we are headed to the Vatican...long train ride, a long walk to the Metro, and a Metro ride to the right spot, then another walk...I notice the next stop is Roma San Pietro. Could that be St. Peter's Square? I break out my handy maps and Tobin found the station and we jump off the train. It was a quick 4 block walk to St. Peter's! It only took 4 trips, but what a short cut! I felt like a local! We got there before all the tourists, in the cool part of the day, there was NO line!!!! Go us!

St. Peter's Basilica...notice the line as we are leaving the square...

Walking along the same route as I went with the kids, here is Ponte San Angelo and Castel San' Angelo...

The Four Rivers Fountain in Piazza Navona...

The Pantheon...

Sorry for the duplicate pictures, but some of them were better than the last time I went through. Here is something new...more Roman ruins...

This is the Victor Emmanuel Monument...like the tomb of the unknown soldier...

Trajan's column and some churches...

Trajan's Market...

A quick Metro ride...

And we find ourselves at St. Paul's Basilica...Tobin's favorite so far (you have to ask him why)...

The inside of said Basilica...

And because we are such cool locals we walked through one of the neighborhoods and found another train station to go home on...and Rome's only pyramid...

So there you have it, another crazy adventure through Rome! We even got home in time to make dinner! It is kind of nice to finally start to feel like we know enough to be even more adventurous in our exploring...beyond the 'normal' tourist stuff. I think I will make it to Rome one last time...Pat hasn't seen the Vatican yet...but now I know the short cut!

Ciao a tutti!

Tuscania...

On Friday, we (me, the kids, and Grandma) zipped over to Tuscania (it is only about 20 minutes away if you take the direct route...I forgot my stroller in the car and we had to take the long cut to the job site to pickup the necessary item). It was market day! I am really enjoying the open air markets...one in every town...all sorts of different vendors. This one had a great dried fruits, nuts, and candy vendor. I think by the end we had a taste of everything! I also finally managed to find Case a soccer shirt (I have been looking for a while...his birthday will be in the States and I wanted to bring him something from Italy).

Then we strolled around the castle/centro for a bit, window shopping and visiting some great shops. Here is a great fountain...

We utilized the nearby water fountain (these are thankfully everywhere...it does get a bit warm...no wonder they have a siesta)...

Another fountain that Clayton especially liked...

We made it to the park...who wouldn't want such a helpful big brother...

And even managed to have some coffee and gelato at the nearby bar...

Overall, it was a great way to spend a Friday!

Ciao a tutti!

Beach bums...

Assisi...

I apologize for the lack of blogging this morning! I am in the midst of packing and I have apparently added to our pile of belongings since being in Italy (imagine that!). So, I have been trying to find some things to leave behind...well, there are some books that I brought that I haven't read yet...so I read one today! I read 'Playing for Pizza' by John Grisham...if you haven't read it, DO! It was very humorous to Tobin and I...as we know just what he is talking about...SO TRUE!!! I enjoyed it very much...though I didn't get to the computer...

On to the adventuring...we went to Assisi last week. Assisi is another hilltown in Umbria. We had a beautiful drive (though rainy) on seriously windy roads...again, you haven't experienced an opportunity corner unless you have driven in Italy...

That pic was courtesy of Case in the backseat! Assisi has been put on the map as a pilgrimage spot. Many Catholics from ALL over flock here to see the places that Francis lived and preached. Outside of the old town, is a church that is a bit different than the rest...it has a church inside a church...no joke! They built the church around the tiny church that Francis preached...

Then in the centro is St. Francis Basilica. It looks kind of plain from the outside, but inside it is a whole different story. This one has an upper and lower basilica, with amazing frescos by Giotto...but unfortunately no pictures...apparently the flashes will harm frescos as they are pretty delicate, so no photos to share...

And a nice picture of the town...

Overall, it was a pretty nice day! It rained in the morning so it didn't get super hot (To get into all these churches one can't wear shorts...even the kids...they have a dress code...so on those hot days it can get really hot in pants).

Ciao a tutti!

Via Appia Antica...

Last Saturday, we ALL went to the Appian Way. It was pretty cool, but certainly not what I expected! It is an actual road that people drive, work, and live on...right in the middle of town! Not at all what I was expecting. But we certainly had a good time, great weather, and a nice walk.

The Appian Way was the first and greatest Roman road. It was built in 312 B.C. and at one time was 430 miles long (most of it completely straight) from Rome to Brindisi (where ships sailed to Greece and Egypt). The road itself is lined with christian catacombs. In ancient Rome, law stated that no one could be buried inside the walls of the city...Romans preferred to be cremated, which left christians, who chose to be buried because they believed the return of Christ was close at hand, to find places for their dead. Some wealthy christian landowners offered their land and they built series of tunnels and tombs under the ground (up to 5 layers deep) called catacombs.

The whole gang on the road...

Parts of the Circus of Maxentius (a chariot race course)...

The road itself and I think that is wheel ruts in the stones...

In the area leading into the catacombs...

The catacombs...apparently I wasn't supposed to take pictures...Oops!

We had lunch in this LOVELY park under some orange trees, Case was helping out his brother and sister on the teeter-totter...

This was our last outing with Uncle Shannon...she flew home that day (well, at least boarded the plane for Amterdam that day)...we miss you!

Have a wonderful day!

Ciao a tutti!