Eight Friends in Italy

Our Final Evening in Rome

2008-06-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

We lingered into the evening on the bustling streets of Rome... not quite ready to leave it all behind... Dinner at La Fortunato in the thriving area of the Pantheon... back to the great Roman nightlight of the Trevi Fountain... and then on through the city back to the Spanish Steps... History and the cool Rome night air embracing us for one final evening... We'll be back.

Gin Rummy, Bacci Ball, Rainbows & More Great Food...

2008-06-09T10:20:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed our final day in Tuscany at our fabulous villa by staying home and just enjoying being together... We played a friendly game of cards (just ask Angie and Ron!)... then a little Bacci Ball on the freshly mowed lawn.... a quick shower gave us the gift of a late afternoon rainbow... and then another yummy meal with Carla... our favorite chef! She brought gifts for the girls... handmade spoon rests. Another wonderful day in Tuscany with friends.

Last day memories

2008-06-09T07:47:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon waiting for Carla

Our last sunset
Pam at the Spanish Steps
Spanish Steps ( a gathering place )
Porsche and Ferrari siteing ( both very nice )

Friday was our last night in our wonderful villa in Montespertoli. Everyone looked forward to Carla arriving with dinner preparations. What an experience she was. The fabulous food she prepared was beyond description. She also brought gifts for each of the ladies. I'm sure each of us will think of her every time we use her ceramic piece. I really hope to see her again and she will be in our memories forever.
On Saturday, we all got to explore Rome again in a more relaxed pace. Our hotel at the Spanish Steps was very nice and close to all the restaurants, fountains and shopping area. Dick and I found the Ferrari store for some 'manly' shopping for a change. For some reason, in all the stores the ladies took us to and all the patience all the guys had, we somehow was abandoned in this store. I did find us a car photo op.

The trip back on Sunday went without a hitch with exception of the sad feeling of our friends going their separate way.

This trip with everone was very enjoyable and special. Pam and I miss all of you and the laughter that was shared.

Our hope is that we can all look forward to getting together again very soon.

And, Charleston's Cooper River bridge run is not as far off as we think. Plus, I need that long to get back out of my Italy debt.

Ron and Pam

What we've been doing the last days of our trip (Wed., Thurs. Friday)

2008-06-06T06:37:00.000-07:00

Hello to all!! Sorry, we haven't blogged in a couple of days. We've been gone or too tired to blog when we return from our adventures!!

Wednesday we actually hung around the villa most of the day because we were so tired from the previous two days. We finally decided to venture out to our little town for dinner. Stanage left for Venice to spend the night with her dad.

Thursday Stanage returned late from Venice. Ron and Dick decided to stay around the villa, while Sally, Gina, David, Angie went to Cinque Terre for the day. What a wonderful day. See the pictures for just a sample of the day that we had.
Friday, (today) most of us haven't left the villa, except a few went into town for gelato. We've all be packing and trying to find places in our suitcases for all the treasures we have found in Italy!
Saturday we're getting up bright and early to leave our wonderful villa for one more night in Italy(Rome).

Monday & Tuesday in Venice & other places

2008-06-04T00:36:00.000-07:00

David's buddies, Pig, Garfield and Superman riding on the Gondelier's hat brim!
Debra Molina with Ron & Pam in Venice showing us the sites...

Hello gang! Well it's been a couple of busy days!! Sally, Ron, Pam headed out EARLY Monday morning for Venice & didn't arrive back until LATE Tuesday night. Gina and David met us in Venice on Tuesday. Stanage left for Venice early this morning for a couple of days. Her dad just happen to be there at the same time, so she is spending a couple of days with him. Dick, Angie and Stanage have stayed close by the villa and small towns the last couple of days. Angie and Dick took off early this morning for a Olive Oil tasting nearby. I don't think we have an agenda today(thank goodness), so it'll be a relaxing day! Here's just a couple of Venice pics.

"Lots of Laughter"

2008-06-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

As beautiful as Italy is... it wouldn't matter a bit if we weren't getting along together... and I would characterize our trip after the first week as one filled with laughter... we wake to the sounds of conversation (or the crazy "Coo Coo" bird outside our windows) and finally go to bed when everyone is just worn out from laughing... Ron has learned Italian... his first word was "Chippa" just use the english word and add a vowel to the end... and we thought Italian was going to be tough... drinking Grappa with the locals... and then finding that they remember us the next evening... finding most things funny... including our driving pursuits... the stress is lessened when we get back to the Villa and compare notes on our escapades... everyone has a better story than the last person who made it home alive!! Our GPS systems only add to the Chaos!!
Coming soon... I'll tell you about garlic breath... and have I mentioned Gelato????
OH MY GOSH! It is as good as everyone says!

Biking in Lucca

2008-06-01T12:50:00.001-07:00

Gina and David leaning together in Pisa....

Lucca street scene with Sycamore trees...

After Pisa on Saturday we toured the walled city of Lucca on bicycles. What fun! Lucca was one of our favorites and definitely deserves more time... a city of music... Puccini was born there and culture... well... they didn't kick us out and we certainly enjoyed our time. We purchased traditional pasteries at Taddeucci including an Anice flavored bread with raisins and other little yummy treats... thank goodness we rode off a few calories on the bikes!

Monterspertoli - City of Wine

2008-06-01T12:34:00.000-07:00

How lucky could we have been... our little village of Monterpertoli has been hosting a Chianti Festival all week long. We purchased wine glasses in little "feed sacks" to hang around our necks and have sampled the best that Monterpertoli has to offer all week long... there has been music in the streets... and today was a sweet parade celebrating their wine and agricultural heritage... animals and folks dressed in period costumes... fellas sporting wild fake mustaches... ducks in rolling, floral decked cages.... again, so quaint and fun! Here are a few more pics to tell the story... Pam, Ron and I (Sally) are off to Venice tomorrow for more big adventures... the rest are staying around for the Flag Throwing demonstration in town which will signal the finale of the festival in town. We're making the most of every lovely day... wish you were all here with us! Ciao!

2008-06-01T09:03:00.001-07:00

Ron, Pam, Sally, Stanage went back into Florence for Sunday. We had some great 'gelato' at Grom's. I found an Italian sports car, called the SmartCar Roadster and posted a photo.

Dick and I did a currency conversion on the cost and in US dollars it will run about $28,000.00.

Sorry SmartCar. We performance guys will stick with our Corvettes, Porsches, and BMW's.

2008-06-01T00:08:00.000-07:00

We left early yesterday for Pisa and Lucca. We had our "photo opp' in Pisa... a quick spin around the grounds and we were off to the next town!
Lucca was a pleasant surprise. We had lunch in a piazza where an antique car and motorcycle show was happening... then rode bikes around the ramparts and into the ancient city center.
We all decided that Lucca was our favorite spot so far on the trip. The city is small and quaint and quiet... really enchanting... then back to the villa for wine and conversation in the evening

before ending up back in Monterspertoli at the our local spot for a lite dinner and fun with Guiseppi.

The Hood

2008-05-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots from around the Villa. We have a panoramic view of hillside castles and grapevines as far as the eye can see.

2008-05-30T23:09:00.000-07:00

Friday and taking it easy

2008-05-30T22:44:00.000-07:00

Friday was a easy day for the group. It was a bit rainy so we decided to stay close to home base and do some ceramic shopping in nearby Montelupo (a ceramics town). We ate lunch in a small restaurant where we were the only Americans and had a truly Italian experience... most of us ate some sort of seafood after the waiter was kind enough to decifer the menu! After shopping we hung out at our little town and then spent our evening here at the villa and had a wonderful dinner.... goodies from the local merchants... local cheeses including a fabulous fresh picorino; mild and sweet... fresh cherries and strawberries... melon and proschutto... bread and olive oil from a local grove bottled this month... salami and a fresh arugula salad.... YUMO!!! Oh yea... and of course Vino!! We ended the meal with chocolate and Lemoncello! This morning our shorts are TIGHT but we're going to ride bikes in Lucca and hold up the leaning tower in Pisa! Ciao!

2008-05-30T01:01:00.000-07:00

Wonderful Sienna

2008-05-30T00:47:00.001-07:00

Lunch in Sienna

Half way up the Bell tower

Gina, David, Sally, Pam, Ron, Angie traveled to the nearby hill town of Sienna. What a wonderful town. We all came home with our treasures from shopping. And of course had a nice lunch with music playing close by. And ended the day with gelati! Stanage arrived back at the villa and had great stories to tell about her adventure to Pompeii. Dick relaxed at the villa most of and read.

Eat, Play, Laugh!!! Our new motto for Italy...

2008-05-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

Miss Carla Meucci came to the Villa to prepare an authentic Tuscan meal on Sunday night... we were all full by the time the "secondi" course arrived... and we've been eating leftovers all week. We have invited her back for a command performance on our last night at the villa... giving her total freedom to prepare her favorite dishes for us! And did I mention the wine... hum... it's flowing like water... we've been making regular purchases at the Chianti festival in town at an average of 3.50 Euros per bottle!

Angie and I at the top of one of the many towers in San Gimignano... the "play" portion of our adopted agenda. 463 steps to the top of the Duomo dome in Florence, 500 steps to the top of the tower in Siena yesterday and again to the top in San Gimignano! There ia always Gelato to be eaten one you're back down!!

I went to bed last night to the lovely sound of laughter... we site together in the evenings and compare notes about our day... mostly about the thrills of driving on these gently winding Italian country roads... with crazy Italian drivers buzzing around us like bees on a mission!
Le Dolce Vita... life is sweet here in Montespertoli! Wish you were here with us!

Thursday morning - Group getting slower getting up....

2008-05-29T01:13:00.000-07:00

Gina & Pam are up, others are still sleeping or starting to move around the villa. Not sure what direction we're going today. Some of us may stay here and relax & some of us may take off again. Maybe another hillside town, Sienna.

Yesterday(Wednesday) Dick, Angie, Sally, Ron & Pam visited San Gimignano(see pic). Gina & David arrived back late afternoon safe and sound from Rome. We all met in our little town of Montespertoli for dinner & more fun. Stanage will arrive back from Pompeii today!

Wednesday Morning--Slowing moving about the Villa

2008-05-28T03:46:00.000-07:00

This week is going by so quickly! It's Wednesday already and even though we have seen some amazing things and had so much fun, the days seem to pass so quickly.
We left for Italy Friday, arrived Saturday, hung out close to home(Villa) & our small town on Sunday and had a wonderful dinner prepared by Carla(more on that later). Monday, Gina & David left for Rome for a couple of days, Stanage hung out at the villa; while Dick, Angie, Sally, Ron, Pam headed for Florence.
Tuesday Dick & Angie decided to spend a relaxing day at the Villa and drive to a couple of small hillside towns, while Ron, Pam, Sally, Stanage woke up at 4am and headed out for the day.
We drove to Florence to board a train to Rome. We said goodbye to Stanage, who headed on down to spend a day/night in Pompeii, while Ron, Pam, Sally met Gina & David for a guided day tour of Rome.
What a day! It was awesome!! We said goodbye to Gina & David who stayed in Rome and headed back to the villa. We arrived back at the villa about 1:30am.
Today (Wednesday) we will NOT be getting on a train! We are pretty darn tired & plan to spend the day in some hillside towns. Gina and David will return today, while Stanage will return on Thursday.

Tuesday in Rome

2008-05-28T03:02:00.000-07:00

Overlooking Rome toward the end of our day trip.

One of Rapheal's masterpieces

St. Peter's Square where the Pope will be on Wednesday!! Gina and David are staying overnight in Rome and plan to try and see him.!!!

The Colosseum.....Glad we were not living back then, we may have been fed to the lions or had to fight a Glaidator!

The beautiful Trevi Fountain. We threw coins over our left shoulder in hopes to return.

More pics.....

If it's Monday, this must be Florence

2008-05-26T23:21:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am...all alone (with Dick of course) at the villa while everyone else is roaming around Italy. Ron, Pam, Sally, Dick and I piled into our VW Golf yesterday and took a little trip to Florence. A wonderful time was had by all....Pam and I dropped coins (bought jewelry) on the Ponte Vecchio...Sally and Pam bought lamps at a wonderful lamp store...pics of those to come later. So, here's a little preview of our day!

Ron & Pam perusing the leather goods at the market:

The girls posing at the top of the Duomo...you can't send us marathon runners to Italy and not expect us to climb every staircase there is!!!

Oops, sneaked a pic of the villa in here. Here's our awesome kitchen fireplace. The villa is indescribable...it's huge...we could have easily tucked 6 more people into our suitcases and it is beautifully kept.

The Duomo

The relative hardships of WWI helped bring Mussolini to prominence, and Florence became a violent fascist stronhold between the wars. The city was badly damaged by the retreating German forces in WWI and the Ponte Vecchio (shown below) was the only bridge spared.

Day 2 in Italia

2008-05-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

The day started off slowly....at least for some of us. Sally was up at 3:00 a.m. and with her usual enthusiasm was ready to hit the road shortly thereafter. It took the rest of us a good 7 hours to catch up so that by 10:00 a.m. we were all ready to go to town...off to Montespertoli we went. And what good luck we had...the Chianti festival is going on all week and tastings were easy to come by...even on Sunday morning!!!!!! Here's some pics of our day BEFORE noon!!!!

Dick and and Ron dueling to see who can take the best (or fastest)picture.

Here are the girls on the Chianti "Girls Gone Wild" Tour!!!

No, this isn't our villa...this is our "neighborhood" barn as we embark on our morning adventure:

Here's the Chianti versions of topiaries!!!

Under the Tuscan Sun

2008-05-25T00:45:00.000-07:00

We're Here!!! And it is absolutely more beautiful than our wildest dreams!

Our travel was uneventful... sweet relief... planes, trains and automobiles...

all without a hitch! With good navigators, we all drove to the Villa through the winding hillside roads of Tuscany! Angie & Dick arrived first and had a "welcome reception" of wine and cheese waiting for the rest of us~ more fabulous photos to come! Ciao!

Villa Sweet Villa

2008-05-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

Take a look at these digs!!! There's lots more to see at the following link:

http://www.villa-tuscany.it/location.html

Life is Good!

2008-05-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

Here at the luxury doghouse/cat condo, my 5 little foster kittens have returned to their rightful foster mom (she back from one week of vacation), so it is quiet and calm here once again. I can now focus all my attention on the Muirfield neighborhood BBQ this afternoon, lining up a Haz-Mat crew to clean the bathroom where the kitties stayed (or else declaring it our next hazardous waste Superfund site!), dog-walking next week, and, yes, PACKING for Italy!

Remember I said I was going to "pack light"? Well, check me in a couple of days, and we'll see how that's going....

My guest bedroom is designated as "Italy central", and all the vigorous planning and packing and mumbling to myself is going on in there. I'm trying to keep two ideas in my head as I pack:

1) we'll have a washer and dryer -- I can keep my clothes clean! A novel idea, and a complete luxury for a (typically) budget traveler. Somehow, this should translate into bringing fewer clothes.
2) they have stores in Italy that sell stuff -- as Nada says, "You don't have to pack as if you're going to a third-world country. There are stores in Italy that sell what you need!" Again, somehow, this should translate into bringing less stuff.

Rio will be staying with his breeders in SC while I am away. This, for him, is summer vacation at summer camp, and he loves being there! His birth momma (age 15!) is still with Ken and Margaret, and Rio loves to be reunited with her, as well as all the other whippets and dogs at their kennel. I'll take him down Wednesday night. It will be a sad goodbye, but he is in excellent hands with family who loves him.

So now I've posted somthing to the blog. Can I just go to Italy now, and tell you all about it later? This, from Stanage, on Sunday afternoon....

One Week to Go

2008-05-17T17:48:00.001-07:00

So I suspect this is where we will be one month from today...strolling the Ponte Vecchio in Florence!!!!!

Cycling in Tuscany

2008-05-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

Here's our contribution to the book club!

Ron & Pam

Another Clever Purchase... Just thinking of my friends!

2008-05-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

Dr. Singha's Travel Tonic is currently featured in American Airlines magazine, "American Way" as a 'magic potion' to help win the battle against jet lag. Travel often brings on various forms of stress caused by poor eating, disrupted sleep patterns, high speeds and general apprehension. This great travel buddy can help you arrive calm and collected instead of tense and fatigued. Contains Organic extracts of Ginger Root, Eleuthero Root (formerly known as Siberian Ginseng), Lemon Peel, Sheep Sorrel, and Wild Harvested Yohimbe Bark in a base of Organic Grain Alcohol and Distilled Water

9 Days and Counting Down.... Last Minute Purchases

2008-05-14T06:29:00.000-07:00

I made a purchase of THE most important guide book we'll need for the trip.... "Made In Italy"

(A Shopper's Guide to Italy's Artisanan Traditions, from Murano Glass, to Ceramics, Jewelry, Leather Goods, and More)

Whew!! Glad that's handled!

2008-05-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

Just a few notes on our Villa in Italy. We will be living in a town called "Montespertoli." Montespertoli is a commune (municipality) in the Pro vince of Florence in the Italian region Tus cany, located about 20 km southwest of Florence. (That's only about 12 miles from Florence, birthplace of the Renaissance, and home place of great bargains for beautiful gold jewelry and hand-made leather products!) I expect that we'll be spending plenty of time in Florence, oogling "David" - not Scheller, but that guy chopped out of stone by Michelangelo... shopping for Fancy Smancy Italian bargains, wandering the beautiful stone streets (getting completely lost), and sipping (aka slurping) great wine at sidewalk cafes...
ah... the life... wonder what the working folks will be doing????

Shopping Day

2008-05-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today was "shopping for Italy" day. It was a beautiful day in NC today, so Ron and I took the vet out and did some shopping. First stop was REI, since they have a good sale right now. I bought one t-shirt and a little travel purse. Ron on the other hand, that shopping fool, bought about 5-6 shirts! Then to the mall(I hate malls), to get a day backpack I've been eyeing. It had to be unisex so Ron and I could switch off carrying it. I bought some VERY comfy sandals yesterday, so Ron decided he needed a comfy pair of shoes also, so he found a comfy pair at the 'WalkingCompany'. So we're ready for sightseeing in Italy! 13days~ Pam

Angie & Dick are Ready to Go

2008-05-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

Hey, it's Angie & Dick here. This is our 2nd trip to Italy together but our first to really enjoy the joys of a Tuscan villa. We are very excited and like the rest of the group, we are in need of some serious R & R. So...while everyone else is galivanting all over Italy we're gonna be hanging at the villa...drinking coffee...drinking wine...more coffee....oh yeah...and more wine (tee hee). In between that, we'll explore a few little towns....maybe even take a drive up to the mountains and out to the sea. We are the only ones driving from Rome to the villa so that, in itself, should be an adventure. We may even get ourselves on a bike....but that still remains to be seen!!! Ciao!

North Carolina mates are getting ready

2008-05-09T06:04:00.000-07:00

Pam & I are looking forward to spending these two weeks with great friends. I have some anxiety, since I'm a control freak and this has me out of my element. Double checks for clothing, cell phone coverage, funds, etc. are underway. I am meeting with a co-worker on Monday for a Italy luncheon. It's my friend's 3rd Italy trip, so some advice is welcome.

Being the outdoors people we are, we cannot wait to explore everything we can. I expect to have some driving assistance from my backseat drivers, helping me out with waves and smiles to assist me in getting into other lanes driving around in a golf cart looking thing, they call 'cars'. See everyone very soon... Ron

15 days, but who's counting?

2008-05-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's only 15 days before we leave. Time has flew by since we returned from the CooperRiverBridgeRun in Charleston last month.
This weekend I'll start my "Italy pile" of what I'm taking.
Most of all, I can't wait to hang out and relax with my buddies. We'll have a blast, as usual.
Even though I'll miss my two sweet children, I know they'll be perfect angels while their parents are away. (right kids?)

A little about Ron & I later........
Pam

This is the SPOT... to keep up with us while we're in Italy!

2008-05-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

We'll be plenty busy... touring ancient cities, drinking great wine, shopping, swimming in our pool, lounging at our Villa, biking and hiking, eating Pizza... but inbetween all that, we'll take some time and post pictures and let you know what we've been up to... so this is the spot!
Check in every few days just to see what we've been up to! Caio!!

Well Ain't I A Smarty!!!

2008-05-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

Hey Italy Buds!!
Take a look at this... I posted our pictures today!!
We'll get a great group shot once we arrive at the Villa!
Until then... The Posse is Posted!!!! :-)

Hey Guys....Only 16 Days and counting....

2008-05-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

This is the first post to our Blog for Italy Trip.
You won't find 8 more excited folks... New sandals,
backpacks and tour books galore... We're ready to take
Tuscany by storm!!!
I'm goina try and figure out how to add a picture or two...
wish me luck!
Sal