Tuscany Part 2

so..instead of driving to rome on friday

we changed our plans

and drove deep into the heart of tuscany..

the chianti region.

steve and i fell in love with this 

part of italy.

we decided that we want

to buy an old farmhouse here

and grow olives.

doesn't everyone when they come here?

we got a great recommendation

from steve's sister who had

stayed here a few years back.

she told us about

Villa Vignamaggio.

Lucky for us there 

was availability since we were

traveling during the off season.

we stayed in one of the apartments..

plenty of space for all of us.

(iphone photos..)

kids watching the only american tv station..cnn.

loved the loft and the exposed beams.

master with a fabulous view.

i re-read "A Room with a View"

while we stayed here.

saturday our plan was to drive the 45 minutes into florence.

however, during breakfast,

i ate something with pine nuts..

and i'm allergic to them.

i didn't have an epi-pen with me

and started having a severe reaction.

steve drove me down the hill to the doctor

and the pharmacy. 

after taking italy's version of benedryl..

i fell asleep for most of the afternoon.

steve took the 4 kids

all by himself to florence.

they had a wonderful time..

and even brought me back a book :)

i was sad to have missed florence..

but grateful for a day of rest and reading in bed :)

the next morning..sunday..

we drove about 45 minutes south to sienna.

i LOVED sienna.

and steve said he preferred it to florence.

i didn't take many pictures here.

we had a fabulous lunch 

and did a lot of shopping! 

sienna is a beautiful city.

looking down onto the square in sienna.

monday morning

steve woke before all of us and 

walked around the villa to take 

some pictures.

looking up at the main villa.

looking down at the farmhouse

we stayed in.

villa vignamaggio was where the mona lisa grew up

and it's where the movie much ado about nothing was filmed.

they offer wine tours and tastings,

painting classes

and tuscan cooking classes.

steve and i hope to go back someday.

our trip to italy was fabulous!

Tuscany Part 1

leaving venice,

we drove for about 3 1/2 hours

into tuscany.

during that drive

steve and i talked about how different

it was when we traveled through europe

all those years ago.

17 years ago,

there were no iphones, ipods, ipads

to keep my kids quiet and busy in the car.

we didn't have the garmin AND the gps

on our phone. 

we used an old fashioned map

to travel throughout europe.

there was no google

to research hotels and "what to do"

when we got to our destination.

and we had NO money.

we didn't even have a credit card.

yet, during the 3 years that we lived in germany,

we traveled all over europe.

and we have such wonderful memories

of those trips.

i would pack picnic lunches/dinners.

we would fill gas tanks

and store them in the trunk of the car

because we couldn't afford the european gas.

the military gave us gas ration cards

to use at certain ESSO stations throughout europe.

and we would drive.

stephen propped in his car seat

in the middle of the non-back seat of steve's

old two seater.

me in the front navigating

with maps and guide books.

we drove to italy, france, denmark,

amsterdam, poland, prague,

austria, switzerland, england.

we would drive to our destination

and then started looking for a place to stay.

sometimes we lucked out

and found a cheap, clean, comfy place

to sleep.

sometimes i slept with one eye open.

it's so different now

traveling through europe.

we don't have to exchange the deutsche mark

for italian lire or the french franc.

we can afford to fly and stay in a decent hotel.

i no longer pack picnic lunches.

we didn't even use a map in italy!

i'm not saying it's any better.

just different.

the first 3 nights in tuscany

we spent at a marriott in barga, italy.

we arrived after dark,

and when we woke the next morning,

the view was beautiful.

we relaxed at the hotel

in the morning and let the kids

swim in the pool.

later we drove about 45 minutes

to lucca,

a beautiful walled city.

it was pouring rain

that afternoon

so we didn't get to 

really see too much of the town.

we had a great lunch

and then drove around lucca

in search of a bookstore.

(the entire trip i was a bit obsessed

with finding books from each place we visited :)

the next day we headed to pisa.

about an hour away from our hotel.

i was surprised by how much i liked pisa!

we had a nice little lunch and walked 

around the town for a few hours

buying the kids "leaning eiffey towey's" 

as griffin calls it.

after a great day in pisa,

we headed back to the hotel

and sat downstairs in front of

the fire.

the kids read books, played games

and we ordered dinner right there.

instagram pics..

club sandwiches and french fries

for the kids..

(a nice break from our daily pizza/pasta)

steve tending to the fire

while i eat my tuscan beans with 

olive oil, sage and 

a piece of tuscan bread.

and wine of course.

the next day we packed up

and headed out.

the kids loved the hotel here

and didn't want to leave.

originally we were supposed 

to be driving to rome from there.

steve and i talked a lot about 

it being not only too much of a drive,

but we loved tuscany so much

and wanted to see more of it.

we would drive past this very old bridge

in barga each day.

as we left barga..

we pulled over to take pictures 

and to take a walk across it.

unfortunately for us, the town was having 

a celebration that night and the bridge 

was being prepared with fireworks.

i loved that bridge!

tomorrow..

off to the chianti region

deep in tuscany! 

Venezia

 rick steves writes..."travel is intensified living"

and i could not agree more with him.

traveling is..

educational.

exciting.

exhausting.

and

traveling with children...

we have learned..

takes both planning

and spontaneity.

our children are

17, 14, 10 and 3..

which also takes

a bit of creativity sometimes

to keep everyone happy 

when traveling.

but both steve and i feel

that for our family..

travel is important.

we try and stay with marriott hotels

whenever we can.

we (or i should say, steve) has a 

ton of points from traveling with work.

this is the ONE good thing

about his busy travel schedule..i think :)

we flew into bologna..

rented a NINE passenger

van and drove to the marco polo airport

in venice...about an hour and a half.

we parked the car and hopped on

a shuttle bus that should have taken

20 minutes but took about an hour and 20. 

roads were shut down for the venice marathon.

now, what i haven't mentioned yet..

is that we arrived during our own

hurricane sandy.

70 mile an hour winds

rain coming down sideways

and COLD.

those poor runners!

getting off the bus,

we finally found

the  right water taxi that

would drop us off at our hotel.

we were completely soaked

and tired from traveling..

but happy to be in venice.

we spent 3 days here..

marriott's boscolo hotel.

i was trying to figure out how

i could snag one of those chandeliers.

after filling our bellies

with pizza,

hanging our wet clothes all over 

the room,

and a good nights' sleep..

we woke up to a beautiful

but chilly day.

snow capped dolomites made for 

a lovely view from our room.

getting ready to board

the water taxi.

griffy doesn't like having

his picture taken.

off to st. marks square!

who doesn't love a boat ride?

the square was flooded

when we arrived.

there are elevated platforms

to walk on

for those of us that forgot

their rain boots.

the kids loved the venetian masks.

time for lunch.

typical street in venice.

gondola ride!

will's highlight of the whole trip.

by late afternoon

the water receded in the square

and filled with people,

pigeons, and vendors.

view from the rialto bridge.

steve and i went to venice

when we lived in germany

years ago.

stephen was only 2 years old.

it was valentines day

and carnivale and 

we were blessed with a warm

and sunny february day.

what a treat it was to

return with our family.

tomorrow..

off to tuscany!