Venice: An Amazing Finale

Now that we are home and pretty much back on AZ time, I'll recap the last 2 days of our trip.  There was a hiccup in our Delta flight causing us to overnight in NYC Wednesday night.   We got home Thursday.

The last 2 nights of our exploration of northern Italy were spent in incomparable Venice.  The city is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea.  It has no roads or cars, just canals including the Grand Canal thoroughfare lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces.
The islands are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges.  It is truly a wonder and not to be missed.

We were transported between the islands on water taxis like this.

The Rialto Bidge over the Grand Canal

The city has been an inspiration for many artists through the ages including writers such as Marco Polo, Shakespeare,  Henry James and Ezra Pound.  It has also been the setting for a myriad of motion pictures,  including 3 James Bond movies.

Here are photos from a few of the sites around Venice.

St. Mark's Basilica 

The Doge's (magistrate's) Palace

The ceiling in the Doge

Mel's photo of the Bridge of Sighs that prisoners traversed on their way to a jail cell from which they would not return 

One of the islands in Venice is Murano Island, famous for its exquisite glassware production. We took a water taxi there, saw a glassblowing demonstration and did some shopping at the factory. 

   

Treasures for me

 

Mel and Randall on our gondola ride

Terri and I enjoy the ride, complete with a singer

Mel's photo of some of our group on their gondola

Ciao, bella Venice

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Bolonga

We spent a day in Bologna before settling in for our last 2 nights in Venice. Bolonga isn't always on tour itineraries, but it should be.  Famous for its towers, churches and nearly 24 miles of porticoes, it has a well-preserved historical center and the oldest university in the world. The University of Bologna was established in 1088, and the student population has consistently made up about 25% of the city's population.

Some of the over 600 porticoes

 

Bolonga is an industrial,  financial and transport hub and is one of the wealthiest cities in Europe.  The city is also famous for its "ragu alla bolognese", a rich tomato and meat sauce for pasta and is a mecca for "foodies".

The Fountain of Neptune in the town square celebrates the fact that Bolonga was one of the first cities in Europe to offer free, fresh drinking water to its residents.

Bolonga's architecture is a stunning testament to the city's long history.  It was a fun stop.

Leaving Tuscany

On our last two days in Tuscany we visited two small farms in the area.  The agritourism business in Italy is flourishing.  Both of the farms date back generations and produce high-quality olive oil and wine among other items.  The organic farming eliminates the preservatives we have in the US, giving everything a fresh, full flavor. Here are some photos from the first farm.

Terri's checking out our lunch of local products 

The second farm

Osteria di Donatella was the first all-female run winery in Italy (and perhaps the world?).  Donatella's ancestors owned the property at the end of the 16th century.  It was here that we had a lesson in making the pasta of the region and a light, creamy dessert.  Our lunch was fantastico!

Sharon, Karen, Terri and Jeannie make pasta as our tour guide, Ivan (on the left), and bus driver watch 

 

Mel did a great job

Ivan, listens to our hostess explain their wine production process 

That evening at dinner, Mel jumped the gun at pouring himself some wine and was rewarded with his own special wine glass.

Florence, Part 2

Florence is a city of nearly 400,000 residents that averages 12 million visitors a year.  It is the capitol of the Tuscany region.

"Florence was a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of that era.^[4] It is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called "the Athens of the Middle Ages".^[5] A turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family and numerous religious and republican revolutions." (Wikipedia)

Florence from the hills above

Renaissance architecture first developed in Florence in the 15th century.   There are amazing examples of it around the city.

Mel's photo of Santa Croce Cathedral 

Inside the cathedral are the tombs of some of Italy's greatest names.

Galileo

Michaelangelo

Dante

18 carat gold temptations 

A mime on a busy street

The wall is a chocolate "waterfall"

A reward after a busy day of site-seeing

For Me, Florence is "David"

Our original itinerary did not include a stop at the Accademia Galleria to see Michaelangelo's David.  When our friend and tour organizer, Terri, discovered it, she quickly worked her magic and got our group last-minute tickets.  And I'm so grateful she did!!  It was the highlight of our day in Florence for me.  The sculpture is 17 feet tall and a masterpiece of the Renaissance created between 1501-1504.  It symbolizes the biblical story of David and Goliath.

"The statue soon came to symbolize the defence of civil liberties embodied in the Republic of Florence, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici family. The eyes of David, with a warning glare, were turned towards Rome.^{[2]"  (Wikipedia)}  

The pupils in the eyes are heart-shaped.

 

There are several other sculptures of Michelangelo's in this museum. Here are two I especially like. 

"Our" Tuscan Villa

Our 4 night stay at Villa Lecchi has been nothing short of spectacular.

Mel's photo of the villa from afar

 Tucked high above the Tuscan hills, the scenery is the backdrop for an amazing historical residence.

View from the villa

Here are some highlights of its history:
*Dates back to at least 1500
*The structure was completely modified in 1821 except for a structure known as the "farmhouse" because that was its principle purpose.  It remains virtually unchanged since 1500.  That is where our room is.

The outter door to our room is on the right

*Before WWII the property was approximately 1,000 hectares  (1 hectare =2.5 acres).
*The villa was heavily damaged by bombs during WWII and changed hands many times including, for a short time, becoming a home for disadvantaged children.

The bomb shelter

*In 1991 the villa was purchased by an Italian man and his wife who, with huge bank loans at 17% interest, set out to transform the property into the magnificent hotel and restaurant we see today.

Menu for our first dinner at the villa

 Breakfast buffet

*The third generation of that family is running the business today with help from the fourth generation.

Today we saw a wedding party having the reception at the villa, complete with a photographer using a drone.  What a gorgeous scene!!