ITALIA

What's better than famiglia? Famiglia in Italia!!

So, on May 2nd, Mom, Dad, Aunt Cindy, Uncle Bones, and I set out to meet up with Maria and Marissa in Florence. It was an AMAZING trip! We met family, tasted wine, rode trains, and ate gelato until our buttons popped off, and I just wanted to share some pictures of our trip.

Saturday May 3rd
On our first day, we all arrived at different times, so we spent a lazy afternoon wandering around Florence's little cobblestone streets. We found ourselves at a hippie market, and this is a pic of Uncle Bones with the Uncle Jiggs look alike...Can you believe that?! We also took a bus up to Fiesole, which overlooks Florence. Like almost everywhere it Tuscany, it has a breathtaking view, and we were lucky enough to dine overlooking the city as the sunset on our first day in Italy!


Sunday May 4th
On Sunday, we set out to meet up with family. First, we went to Lucca, this beautiful little walled city! Everyone rides around on bicycles and it's the hometown of some famous composer...Puccini? Yeah, our cousin Giovanni was a little appalled that I didn't know who he was. But here's a picture of cousin Giovanni and gang.We also found out that Giovanni has a really cool daughter, Daniela, who is only 27! We'll have to make sure Zach and Daniela meet up before his last week in Florence!

Later that day we went to Cerageto to see where Poppy was born!! It is this beautiful little mountain town- population: 160!! Right when we got in, we met up with some Lorenzettis!! They are Joe Lorenzetti's (the Lorenzetti on Sackett St.) relatives, and they were very nice. They popped a bottle of champagne for us and then Chiara took us on a tour of the town. We went to the cemetary and it was full of Lorenzettis!
Here is a picture of Marissa on a slide right before she hurt her tailbone. And then the other is of Uncle Bones and my dad in front of the door where Poppy lived!!
Monday May 5th
As nice as it was to have Uncle Bones drive us to Lucca and Cerageto in our automatic transmission minivan, we decided to take a train the next day to Siena. Unfortunately, it rained all day, but that didn't stop us from heading outside. It was a day of many firsts. It was Mom's first time on a train in Europe (Daddy usually drives!), and it was our first time trying ribollita! This soup, which is made of vegetables and bread, is phenomenal, especially with the raw onions, right, Aunt Cin? It was delicious and then Marissa paid me 5 euros to stuff a heaping spoonful of parma cheese in my mouth. Now, "THAT'S DELIIIICIOUS!"
The main purpose of going to Siena was to see Ambrosio Lorenzetti's Good Government, Bad Government. Mom and Dad have a part of it hanging on the wall in the blue room, but I quickly learned that that's one of the least impressive parts! It takes up all four walls of the room, and depicts famine, fortune and everything in between. Unfortunately, Bad Government was falling apart from age, but you could still see a lot of it.


Tuesday May 6th
Tuesday may have been the best day of the entire trip. We went to Cinque Terre, which are five small towns on the Mediterranean that you can hike between. The weather really cleared up, and we trekked between Monterosso, Vernazza, Corneglia, Monarola, and Riomaggiore. Yes, I said trekked, which is a vague term, right? Yeah, the guide books were pretty vague about how crucial HIKING BOOTS would have been on our adventure in Cinque Terre. Marissa and I were wearing flip flops, hiking up mountains, between vineyards, through the woods, and on rocks overlooking the Sea. Just ask Aunt Cindy how nice the view was!! Marissa claims Aunt Cindy was pushing little children out of the way so she wouldn't have to get near the edge, but I thought she did well! Mom and Aunt Cindy decided it was definitely worth it to trek even though it was hard at the time. It took hours, but the gelato stops in between made it all worth it!!


Wednesday May 7th
After our strenuous day on the cliffs, we decided to sleep in a little bit. On Wednesday, we decided to see the DAVID!! I was so impressed with how big it actually is, and I was probably even more impressed with Mia's knowledge of art history!! She was like a little fact book, explaining why the size of his hand was distorted and that he was meant to be seen from a certain angle. It was a really great experience; I only wish I could have taken a picture!!
Later that day, we went to Cortona to see Brama Sole!! It's the house in Under the Tuscan Sun, my favorite movie! To be honest, it was kind of a let down because an American bought the house from the movie and was remodeling it completely, but our taxi driver took us to see the house in the book (which I read), and it was BEAUTIFUL. We also got to see lots of "creepy Italian trees" bordering all the streets. Dad wasn't too impressed. He decided that Cortona was prettier when you look at it from a distance, BUT let's please not belittle the EXTRAORDINARY gelato we ate in Cortona. It puts all other gelaterias to shame. I guess now is as good a time as ever to tell you that I'm obsessed with nocciola, hazelnut flavored ice cream. And where I would feast on gelato for every meal, Marissa says she'd rather eat more dinner, and Mia would be happy eating bread for the rest of her life.

Thursday May 8th
Thursday was wine day!! We met our driver, BEPE, early in the morning and we set out to discover the best brunello that Italy had to offer. We first stopped at a winery called Poggio Antico whose number one customer is none other than Dr. Rod. They love him there, so we got treated to a nice tour and subsequent wine tasting. Now, brunello was never my favorite before coming to Italy, and it probably still isn't, but I think we all have a newfound appreciation for a good brunello. Poggio Antico was very good, very beautiful, and Marissa and I are going to have to battle it out for who gets to get married there. Mom and Aunt Cindy suggest we all get married on the same day....I doubt it. Next, we headed into Montalcino to go to an enoteca where we had an extensive wine tasting. I also think we exhausted their supply of cheese and breadsticks. What can we say except Mangia Mangia?! We tried a bunch of different names, and Dad finally decided a few he really liked. Mia and I really got into it, while Marissa, Aunt Cindy, and Mom enjoyed a bottle of chardonnay. And I think Uncle Bones prefers the grappa!! Finally, we went to a small vineyard that makes Cupano. This vineyard was some guy's private home. He was a french film maker, and basically hobby turned into big bucks for this guy. He showed us around the vineyards and let us drink wine and grappa until Bepe, the driver, ushered us back home...three hours late.
Friday May 9th and Saturday the 10th
Friday and Saturday were reserved for exploring Florence. It's such a beautiful city, and Marissa and Maria brought us to Boboli Gardens, the Bridge of Ponteveccio, the Duomo and to a bunch of different markets. The days were spent shopping for souveniers for friends and family, and of course, saying good bye to Fiorenza, Pierro, Pietro, and Matteo (the host family). Let me put this on record right here, FIORENZA MADE THE BEST MEAL I ATE IN ALL OF ITALY. Mia and Marissa had warned us that we might walk away hungry from that dinner feeling hungry and dissatisfied, but it was exactly the opposite. I would even say that the worst were the desserts...and WE brought them!! There's so much I could say about Florence, but I think this post has been sufficient in length. If you want to hear more, I'd be happy to retell the tale of the Great Lorenzetti Italian Adventure!!











































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