Category: 2018 Northern Italy

Wednesday, Sept 26 - Venice > Home

9/26/2018

Our tour ended on Wednesday and we were all supposed to be home that evening. A few of our travelers made it home Wednesday, but many of us were on Delta and a computer problem on Tuesday caused "minimally" delayed domestic flights which delayed the arrival of our plane in Venice Wednesday morning. As a result we arrived in NYC too late to catch a plane home that evening. Most of us spent the night in hotels near the airport and arrived home Thursday instead.

Those who departed on earlier flights (not Delta) got home Wednesday night

Waiting for our water taxi outside our Venice hotel. Little did we know we wouldn't be home until Thursday.

One traveler commented, "It was a perfect 2 weeks. Everything went like clock-work until this flight delay. "

Well said. It was a perfect 2 weeks. Italy and the itinerary were wonderful. We enjoyed traveling with old friends and meeting new ones. We're glad to be home and already planning future trips.

The blog is signing off until January, when we leave for South America. Interested in our upcoming trips? Click www.travelinterri.org/

Treasures of Italy Itinerary

Tuesday, Sept 25 - Venice

9/25/2018

Today we had a full day in beautiful Venice. We enjoyed a guided tour of St. Mark's Square, viewed the beautiful Basilica, Clock Tower and the Bride of Sighs, where prisoners could have their last look outside to freedom as the walked across the bridge to life-long imprisonment. Then we entered the Doge's Palace to view the monumental art that adorned the walls and ceilings. Not to be missed - the walk across the Bridge of Sighs with a tour of the prison. We all agreed, we'd rather enjoy Venice from the outside.

We boarded a boat to Murano Island for a fascinating glass- blowing demonstration and shopping event.

A quick lunch near St. Mark’s Square then most of us enjoyed a gondola tour with our own guitar player and singer.

Last, but not not least, we enjoyed a celebratory farewell dinner in a beautiful courtyard. We celebrated Keith and Ann's 47 anniversary, a great trip, new friends and then Dan regaled us with an "Ode to Treasures of Italy", a poem he wrote about the trip. We laughed, ate and had a wonderful time. Then, back to the hotel for a good night's sleep before early rising to catch our flights home in the morning.

Ann and Keith - 47 wonderful years.

Pete and Jeanne

Rick and Mary

Sharon and Bob

Lyn, Mel and Pat

Diane and Dan

Grace, Sally and Karen

Diane, Barb and Kim

Nancy

Randall and me (Terri)

Fortunately, this photo isn't anyone in our group. We'll travel again and enjoy it as much as this trip!

"Why not to postpone your travel plans"

Monday, Sept 24 - Tuscany > Bologna > Venice

9/24/2018

Today was a transportation day as we left our beautiful Tuscan villa and headed to Venice. Sometimes even the act of moving reveals learning and discoveries. It seems that "supersizing" has arrived at the Italian truck stops.

Lyn and Randall show us supersize cans of Pringles

Few tours stop in Bologna, the culinary capital of Italy and home to a 1000 year old university. We stopped, loved it and wonder why more tourists don't visit. We enjoyed a guided walking tour of the center, virtually unchanged since the Renaissance.

The streets of Bologna are covered by charming porticos

Keith shows us the bottle of our favorite prosecco

Local delicacies

Next stop Venice for a 2-night stay. Cars and buses are not allowed on the main island so we boarded vaporretos (water taxis) for our hotel.

Kim, Diane, Mary and Barb on the vaparetto

Grace, Barb, Jeanne, Karen and Nancy waiting for their room keys

We have a guided tour tomorrow, but some of us walked to St. Mark's Square for a preview.

St. Mark's Cathedral at sunset

Bridge of Sighs

Sunday, Sept 23 - Tuscan Countryside

9/23/2018

We spent the day in the bucolic Tuscan countryside, visiting an award winning winery. This was a family estate, with a small inn, award winning wine cellar,
restaurant, vineyards and olive groves. We toured the house and winery before participating in a Tuscan cooking lesson given by the winery’s own chef. We made pinci pasta which required simultaneously stretching and rolling tender pasta into long spaghetti-like ropes. Our undisputed champion rollers were Mel and Keith.

Pretty good Pete, but not quite as good as Mel and Keith

Lyn rolls pinci

Then we enjoyed another authentic Tuscan meal (lunch) expertly paired with wines produced on-site. Did I mention the food and wine on this tour is FABULOUS?

The Staggia Castle group - Sharon, Karen, Dan and Diane

On our way back to the villa four of our more adventurous travelers hopped off the bus to visit Staggia Castle. They happened upon an enthusiastic archaeologist who filled them in on the history of the place. They got so involved they had to walk double-time back to the villa to catch the bus for dinner.

We had one more wonderful Tuscan meal before we returned to the villa for our last night in beautiful Tuscany.

The lighting was perfect as we stepped off the bus for dinner.

Pork with plums - delicious

Why is it we so often see Mel with a large glass of something in his hand?

The peppers are spicy, but not too spicy.

Tomorrow off to Bologna and on to Vienna.

Saturday, Sept 22 - Siena

9/22/2018

One of the lovely things about our villa is it's central location in Tuscany we're within 45 minutes of Florence, Siena, San Gimignano and much more.

The historic owners were able to maintain the estate based on a sharecropping system. The owners got 70% of what their workers raised and the workers got 30%. After WWII the sharecropping system was banished and the family could no longer afford to maintain it. A local working-class family had a dream and took a chance. They purchased the estate with massive loans which they paid back over 10 years at 17% interest. Everyone pitched in, reconstructed the war damage and today manage this welcoming oasis.

Hotel Villa Lecchi from a distance

A little closer

One of the larger rooms

Saturday morning we traveled a short distance to Siena to visit this charming town. It is most famous for it's twice annual paolo, a horse race 3 times around the city square where the 17 neighborhoods compete for the glory of winning for the Virgin Mary.

Of course, we weren't there during the paolo, so here's a photo from the internet.

We enjoyed our of the town's dramatic cathedral, a stunning example of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Then down to the town square for lunch and a bit of shopping.

Duomo di Siena

Oh, oh - Where's Randall? We found him.

We returned to your villa where some of us enjoyed a couple hours of R&R and others hiked the nearby countryside. This evening we visited a farm for a winery tour and delicious dinner of local products. The setting was so perfect, it could be a movie set.

This morning someone found the remains of last night's TnT dinner. Oh, my we must have had fun!

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Wednesday, Sept 26 - Venice > Home

Tuesday, Sept 25 - Venice

Monday, Sept 24 - Tuscany > Bologna > Venice

Sunday, Sept 23 - Tuscan Countryside

Saturday, Sept 22 - Siena

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