When we left Rome, we started driving north on our big coach bus. After a couple of hours we stopped in the beautiful Etruscan town of Orvieto. I had visited this little town when I toured Italy in high school, but I had forgotten how cute it is! We enjoyed meandering up the street on our way to lunch.
Our group had lunch at a great restaurant where they served us so much delicious food. We all loved and gobbled up this first plate of yumminess!
Between each service, they brought each table a balsamic vinegar to taste. We tried vinegars that were aged 12, 20, and 60 years. They were delicious!
They also brought us plates with pasta and chicken which was tasty, and then of course, dessert. You can't not have dessert here!
We had a little time to explore on our own after lunch. Our family chose to visit the beautiful Duomo di Orvieto. It was a lovely cathedral to enjoy.
We had a little time to explore on our own after lunch. Our family chose to visit the beautiful Duomo di Orvieto. It was a lovely cathedral to enjoy.
Looking out on the Etruscan countryside from the city entrance. Stunning!
We then gathered everyone back up and drove a couple more hours north to Florence. We arrived in the early evening at the Hotel Brunelleschi which was gorgeous. It is an interestingly built hotel too as they combined a few different buildings, one of which is the oldest remaining tower in Florence! We had a great room on the corner, so we enjoyed looking out the window at all the passersby below.
The group ate dinner at the hotel that evening which was delicious. Afterwords, all the kids went into the tower to pile on sleeping bags and beanbag chairs to watch Cars while the adults enjoyed a tour of the hotel's little museum and then a wine and biscotti tasting. It was a nice, quiet evening which was good given all the traveling we'd done that day.
Knowing that we would be here over Christmas, I hung a few gel clings to the girls' bathroom mirror in their room.
On Monday, we drove to Fattoria Poggio Alloro just outside the beautiful Tuscan countryside town of San Gimignano. This farm is run by third generation owner, Sarah Fioroni. She led our pasta making class, and this was one of my favorite parts of the trip! She showed us how to combine flour (semolina and all-purpose) and eggs to make a big ball of pasta, then how long to roll it out, and finally, how to cut and shape it into several different pastas. It was so cool to watch, and we couldn't wait to try it ourselves!
While her staff cleaned up from our group's mess, Sarah gave us a tour of the grounds. We enjoyed getting to see their vineyards and gardens.
Next up was a tour of their winery. They produce mostly chianti here. It's always interesting to see how new technology mixes with ancient processes here.
Next up was visiting the dairy cows.
When the tour was over, the adults had the choice of doing a chianti tasting or joining the junior adventurers to learn how to infuse olive oil. Ryan and I both chose to do the olive oil with the girls. We use a ton of olive oil at our house, so we thought this would be something fun to learn together. We were right! We all got the chance to make our own bottles and infuse with rosemary, basil, or thyme, or as in Lily's case, a combination of all three. These have to rest for a few weeks, but we're bringing them home and can't wait to try them!
When these activities were finished, we went back into the farmhouse where Sarah's group had made us a delicious lunch of salad, pasta, and dessert. The pasta was so fresh tasting (and no, it wasn't the pasta our group made), and it made us determined to continue making our own when we return home. After lunch, we had the opportunity to explore their little shop where we bought a few goodies and then enjoy their beautiful grounds.
It was a little overcast, but the views from Sarah's farm were amazing. They were exactly what I think of when I imagine the Italian countryside. Beautiful!
When we arrived back in Florence a couple hours later, the city was pretty close to shutting down for the holidays. Miki told us that most Italians get together with their family on Christmas Eve, so shops and restaurants close early. The area around the Cathedral was almost deserted!
Our family decided to stop by Eataly to pick up some bread, meats, cheese, oil, and vinegar, and we enjoyed a picnic dinner in our pajamas in our hotel room. Then we all snuggled up together on our bed to watch Home Alone. It was the perfect Christmas Eve together!
When we woke up Christmas morning, our stockings had been stuffed!
The girls were excited to find all sorts of fun items in their stockings...feather pens, travel games, Lego mini-figures, candy, cute cable bites, cooking supplies (for Lily), guitar capo (for Mia), and craft supplies. Buon Natale!
After we opened stockings and ate a quick breakfast, we were ready to enjoy our guide's walking tour around the heart of Florence. It was an amazingly clear and crisp day. What a lovely time to be out.
How often can you get a picture of the Duomo, Baptistry, and Bell Tower in Florence with no one else in it?!
It was nice to walk around the city as everything was quiet and peaceful.
Similar to the Trevi Fountain tradition, if you rub this snout, rumor is you'll come back to Florence...doesn't hurt to try!
Misuri opened their store for the Disney tour which we appreciated. Florence is known for their leather goods and gold jewelry. The adults got to hear them explain the process for these goods and see some beautiful items. At the same time, the kids went to another area of the store to learn their own lessons. They each got to pick out a leather product and have it embossed with gold leaf which our girls were fascinated by. Lily picked a cute coin purse while Mia chose a beautiful bookmark.
Ryan and I saw a gorgeous wool/cashmere coat with leather trim and a mink collar, and I fell in love with it. We decided this would be my 40th birthday present from Ryan, so we bought it and had it shipped back home. I can't wait to wear it!
In the early afternoon, we drove over to Pisa to see this little town and learn more about it.
Of course you have to take some funny pictures while here!
When we got back to Florence, our group walked over to a big dinner together. Towards the end, a very fun band came in and started playing for us. It didn't take too long before they selected Ryan and me to get up and dance with them!
They were so much fun!
On the 26th, we started our morning at The Academy where we got to admire David. This is truly an extraordinary and awe-inspiring sculpture by Michelangelo.
The Academy is actually a pretty small museum, so we didn't have a lot of time here. Ryan went ahead and took the girls to the gift shop while I explored just a little longer. I've always loved the angel sculpture by Bartolini (below, right), so I was really glad to see it again. There were many lovely ones in this area though.
There was also a rotating exhibit on the history of musical instruments. I took a few minutes to explore it. It was fascinating!
It was fun to see a Stradivarius violin and an upright piano.
I had never seen instruments like this before...a serpentine horn and a piano guitar.
This is such an amazing city, but it's time to keep on moving!
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