We are 7 hours ahead but today I am officially 7 days behind on the blog! Our time has been very full so making time to blog has been more difficult that I imagined...
Since I last posted, we completed our last few days in Florence and visited Venice. Today we took the train back to Florence, picked up our rental car and drove about 40 minutes to a little hill town in Tuscany that will be our home for the next 12 days. We are staying at a small family owned agriturismo that is an olive farm. It has a lovely garden on a terraced hillside overlooking the olive grove that I am taking advantage of to write this post (while the boys are running around and exploring)!
So... back to Florence.
On Thursday Matt & I made it to 2 more palace museums before he took the bus up to Fiesole to have lunch with a friend and I had a little time to myself... The morning visit to yet another Medici palace (their 3rd on in the city) allowed us to view a fantastic collection of Renaissance art comparing the two Florentine artists- Pontormo and Rosso but my favorite residence was the Palazzo Davanzati. This family home was a cross between a palace and a medieval tower. Exploring these 5 stories satisfied my craving to feel what it was really like to practically live during this time in history (versus how royalty lived). There was even a cookbook in the kitchen with medieval recipes!
The boys spent this day working on their theatrical production of the story of Pinocchio which they performed for parents on Friday.
Friday was another Italian holiday (Liberation Day- celebrating Italy's freedom after WWII) with parades and crowds. This was also the boys last day of Arte al Sole. The kids entertained us with a short original rendition of Pinocchio and proudly exhibited the art they worked on all week. It was bittersweet as they had to say good-bye to new friends and their instructors (who were both named Shannon). We spent the afternoon in the beauty of the Boboli and Bardini gardens behind the Palazzo Pitti.
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| The Courtyard of Palazzo Davanzati |
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| Medieval bathroom complete with bathtub |
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| Liberation Day |
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| Nash's Secret Agent Fresco |
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| Ross with his Duomo dome original |
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| Favorite friend from Holland |
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| Boys with the "Shannons" |
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| Palazzo Pitti backyard- Boboli Gardens |
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| Admiring the spring flowers |
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| Up the hill- Wisteria walkway at Bardini Gardens |
Wow, what gorgeous scenery! Feels like a big step back in time. Quite a sight! I think I see Pinnochio on the ground at the Bardini Gardens. Tonight I will look on the web to find pictures of your apartment so I can envision those sweet boys running among the olive trees playing chase. Yes, we will eat black olives tomorrow night. That is how we share your trip; by tasting your Italian cuisine. I know it is challenging to find time for your blog, but we all eagerly await a visit with you through your writings and photos. Your hubby looks like an Italian local with his stylish hair. Tomorrow, here in Memphis, the Royal Family from England will be visiting. They are visiting within one mile of our house. Enjoy your outside activities this week in Tuscany, among such powerful history. Love and hugs to each of you. GoGo
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