Our trip to Italy

Hard to believe we’ve been here for almost a week – though by Italy time we’re still on Day 5.

Today, we moved into a different apartment (Saturday is when new guests arrive at Il Bacio) and finally did some laundry at the lavenderia in town. Not before we went to the pastry shop and had some lovely apple croissants with cappuchino to start the day right! We met Aldo and Laura for a lovely drive around the countryside. Aldo is fluent in English, and gave us the most wonderful tour of the surrounding towns. San Appiato has a church that was originally built in the 8th century – the baptistry was built in the 4th century!! There is a Templar Knight buried there, which K was totally fascinated with. We visited the Countess’ house from Semifonte – an interesting town that was in the middle of the war between Sienna and Firenze before Italy was a unified country. When Firenze defeated Sienna for this town, they took the ENTIRE town (20,ooo inhabitants) apart brick by brick and decreed that no one could build there again. All that remains is the house of the Countess – which looks over the valley, and a replica of the Duomo (1/9 the size) built on the site where the old church used to be by one of the Popes. K shot another 200 pictures today!

We went to a lovely sheep farm where they make the most incredible cheese you’ve ever tasted. We bought fresh ricotta – later eaten with honey and fresh bread for lunch – and then some harder sheeps milk cheese as well. From there, a quick stop to Barberino for fresh tomatoes, and back to Aldo’s for a spectacular lunch. Laura brought out this incredible alcohol that is called Noce (pronounced Noche) which is made from nuts that she harvested in her yard. It was incredibly strong, but served the occaision well – especially when Laura reminded us that although it takes 4 months to make, the Italians are patient people when it comes to their food.

After that lovely morning we headed back to the house for K to do some work and for us to catch some sun – finally! a little reading, a little napping and a little tanning, then a lovely walk about a mile away and back before a magnificent dinner with homemade meatsauce. K’s dad has just returned with some gelato, so this will have to end quickly!

more tomorrow. ciao!

xo K & B

today was a lazy day here -  K didn’t get up until 10 (that’s 12 hours of sleep if you’re counting!!!!), and by the time we got organized we made it out for lunch and totally missed breakfast. we went to a lovely little cafe in Tavernelle square – tagliatelle for K, ravioli with walnuts and truffles for B  and of course cappuchinos all around. the sky absolutely opened up halfway through lunch – the most wonderful thunderstorm blew through the square – leaving us to run for the car in a downpour. wonderful! K worked a good part of the afternoon (she’s promised B that real vacation will start on Saturday PM – no work after that!), then off to Dad’s friend Aldo’s for a late afternoon vino e olivie break. we spent a few hours talking about the countryside, Aldo’s paintings and their recent trip to Russia (B & K decided they must visit the Hermitage in St. Petersburg after seeing the pics!!). Aldo’s wife Laura doesn’t speak english, but K speaks Spanish – which made for a good middle ground. Lovely conversation ensued about Design in Milan, and the cheese in a neighboring town (which we’re going to tomorrow).

With all the rain, there was some nice shots to be taken of the flowers around Il Bacio – added here as a treat!

The sun has finally come out as the evening creeps in, and we’re about to make some dinner, and perhaps head out for some gelati. yummm.

B says that today was a lovely lazy day, and he’s looking foward to more of them!

much love to all! Arrivederci!

K & B

Ciao!

Yesterday was a marathon. After a very yummy breakfast at the local pastry shop (chocolate and marmelade crossiants and cappuchinos, thank you very much) we were off to Firenze

(Florence). We arrived through the south side of the city and went up to the highest church – where Franco Zefirelli’s family is buried. The view – as you’ll see when we post the photos – was amazing. You can see across the Arno river and into the valley where the city lies. It may be the best view of the Duomo! From there to Piazza di Michelangelo, another great place to see a complete view of the city. Down to the bank of the river, and into the gates of the old city (the art district now) – we left the car for what would be the next 6 hours. Our first stop was the Medici museum, where  we saw our first Michelangelo sculptures. Michelangelo was asked by one a pope to create the tombs for Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother. The tombs are adorned with statues that represent day and night, as well as dawn and dusk in human form. In the main area of the museum – which is built around a church that the Medici’s had built. Within this main area is an altar that has been “in process” since 1549!!!! It is adorned with 18 candles (we’re still trying to figure out why 18) and beautiful marble and stone inlays. After several empires, the altar is still not finished.

From there, we walked to the Duomo, Saint Marks, Hospital of the Innocents (now the headquarters for Unicef, but a lovely little museum of renessance works as well) and back around to the car. The route took us through little sidestreets, sweet little markets, gelati stands, beautiful views of courtyards and gave us a real flavor for what Florence is like. We ate lunch at a lovely little place called La Bussola – homemade tagilatele and cheeses from Tuscany. K shot almost 400 photos – and B took almost 100 of his own. Looking back, the day feels almost a blur. So much to see and admire – lucky for us we got into the Duomo with NO line! We got some lovely photos of the dome from the inside – its really remarkable that the almost-200 foot (diameter) dome is held up only by the building that surrounds it – there is no butressing under the dome itself. Stunning marble work in and among the basillica there – the floors are inlaid somehow in every inch. Accross the way from the duomo are the gold plated doors (the reproductions of) – 24 gold plates that are said to have started the movement for renessance painters. We ended our day with a trip through Ponte Vecchio, and into the Ufitze, where many of the original statues of the most famous sculptors sit. The sqaure itself is huge, and sits around some of the oldest architecture in Florence. We walked accross Ponte Vecchio – more jewelers than we’ve seen in one place for sure, and back to the car. Not before stopping to get more wine for dinner!

As we left Florence, we stopped at a little roadside stand and bought a pound of fresh olives for just 3 Euros!!! best Olives ever.

B feels that more people from the US should experience all of this architecture and artwork, so that there would be more of an appreciation of old things – something we don’t necessarily have in the US. K feels the same – although she’s not much of a city girl, there is something delicious and magical about the air in a city that is so old with so much rich history.

we’re getting ready to go to a friend of Dad’s for some lunch, and then back to rest and do some work – as well as post all the photos from yesterday.

Much love.

ciao!!

K & B

day three pics are up now too – a lazy day around Il Bacio, a lovely walk, and dinner at Barberino. check out these pizzas!!!!!

http://gallery.me.com/kris_shayon#100089

uname: italy

pword: vacation

now, off to Firenze! ciao! K & B

Bon Giorno!

Finally, pictures from Day 2 are up!

check them out: http://gallery.me.com/kris_shayon#100081

username: italy

password: vacation

Since  B & K last wrote, its been an exciting afternoon/evening.  We took a walk to Dad’s friend Aldo’s (about a kilometer away) and enjoyed the dropping sun, the flowers along the rode and some lovely time together. First time in a while we’ve actually had the time to just talk! Then, back to the house for an hour by the pool with a lovely glass of wine (becuase sun and wine mix so well, and K is determined to get a tan while she’s here). After a quick shower and change, we ran off to Barberino, a little town just up the road, to have an amazing dinner overlooking the whole valley. Delicious, huge pizzas, good wine and lovely cappuchinos made it a fantastic evening. Now the sun has set, the crickets are out, and its time for some sleep. No dozing till noon tomorrow – we’re headed to Florence for the day mid-morning. More pics and details soon. Love to all. Ciao! K & B

Here’s the links you need to view our pics from day one:

http://gallery.me.com/kris_shayon#100067

username: italy

password: vacation

More coming momentarily! enjoy!

here’s a photo from our trip to San Gimignano yesterday! We decided to upload our photos through our usual MobileMe Gallery, and all 111 are being uploaded as this post is being written! Links to come in just a few.

This morning, B & K didn’t wake up until noon! Buena Sera! After a lovely dinner last night, and a lot of walking around in San Gimignano yesterday, we needed it.

The trip so far has been incredible. Its really hard to believe that this is day 3 already. There is something so simple – so genuine – about life here. Its wonderful and precious. The artwork, the wine, the cappuchinos, the song-like sounds of conversations in Italian drifting through the air – its all amazing. Today, it is warmer than the last few days (in the evenings, its been in the upper 50′s) and there might be enough sunshine for a lay out by the pool. After adventuring out the last few days, we all decided to take it easy today, catch up on work and rest a bit before heading out to dinner in a neighboring town called Barberino. From our apartment here at Il Bacio, we can hear the roosters from across the valley, and so many birds! chirping all the time. the windows here open to the outside with no screens, so there is lots of fresh air. B is loving it here – really enjoying the slower pace of life, the food, the different languages spoken – yesterday in San Gimignano, he started speaking French again – answering questions being asked in Italian with bits of french that are coming back. K is finding the same thing with Spanish – so many similarities, its hard not to slip into it.

check out the photos we posted from our trip so far. There are so many more, but this gives you a good glimpse of what we’ve seen.

must run to catch a bit of sun before work. much love to all. arrivederci! K & B

hi all – what an exciting day all around. after waking up to a beautiful sunny, balmy day at 9am, we had a little breakfast, some lovely coffee and caught up on a little work. we went with Dad to tend to a friends garden – lovely roses, lavender (which is hugely popular and easy to grow here) and HUMMINGBIRDS! at least, we think they are humming birds. we’ll upload some pictures tomorrow, as K got some really good ones. Then off to San Gimignao – one of the towns where in the 1300′s they figured out how to build skyscrapers (well, close – these buildings are 8 or 9 stories tall). Beautiful architecture, lovely piazzas and yummy gelattos. Then home for a quick siesta – a little afternoon shower – and back to the local co-op for some groceries. Homemade pasta, local tomatoes and freshly picked olives. K has over 50 pictures to post tomorrow, but its late now and we’re off to bed. PROMISE to tell many more details tomorrow. much love to all. Ciao!  K & B.