We spent the morning catching a few more sights in Florence and doing a little shopping.
We walked past the Pitti Palace and then on to San Spirito Church. We started in the Refectory where there was some really old stuff ( not labelled) and then moved into the church itself which was lovely.
The above photo shows a wooden crucifix sculptured by a young Michaelangelo- his gift to the priests for letting him dig up bodies to study their anatomy!
The accommodation is in old stone buildings- several apartments with another building for the group of us to gather for meals and a few quiet drinks!
It is beautiful here, surrounded by hills that typify the area.
Manuela, our wonderful hostess, provided some delicious food that she brought from a wedding she had catered at her other property nearby.
On our first full day we toured close to home.
Our first stop was Pienza, a beautiful little town with some lovely shops and great views.
Above is a cheese shop- they are famous for pecorino cheese.
The boys with our drivers Paolo and Andrea. they have done a fantastic job so far navigating the narrow roadways.
The second stop was montechiello. This is a residential village with only one or two shops. We had a great lunch- many of us had the pici- Masterchef fans may remember this town where the contestants had to make pici ( a type of pasta) and roast pigs for a town feast.
Next stop was Montepulciano- what a place. It is really set up for tourists- lots and lots of quaint shops with beautiful views.
When we got home we had a swim- amazing in these surroundings.
A night of fun followed. We had a great Tuscan dinner prepared by Manuela and her daughter Alessandra.
They joined us for our meal which proved to be very animated given the limited English of our hostesses and our limited Italian. Lots and lots of laughs, especially when I wished Manuela happy Christmas instead of good night. I heard about that many times the following day!!
No comments:
Post a Comment