Club Italy Vacation 2023 Day 6

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Today was a very early morning (5:00 AM) start because we were going to Florence for the day.

Originally we were planning on driving but because of the traffic and no driving zones in Florence, it was decided to take the train to Florence. We had 8:15 AM tickets to the Accademia Gallery. I was the only person of our group to have seen the statue of David and that was in 1980! We all were looking forward to visiting the gallery.

We had to drive from the villa to the closest train station in Poggibonsi. Once we got the vehicles parked we made it to the train station to catch a train to Firenze Santa Maria.

Even though it was early, our group was all smiles and ready for our next adventure in Florence!

When we got off the train we had to walk quickly for our entrance into the Accademia.

We arrived a little after our timed entrance but we were able to get right in and of course our first stop was to see the stunning statue of David! It was as I remembered from 43 years ago and this time I didn’t have to view it over crowds of people.

David was sculpted by Michelangelo, 1501-1504. It stood about 17 feet tall and weighed a little over 6 tons and was carved in marble. The statue originally was placed in the public square in front of the Palazzo della Signoria. In 1873 it was moved into the Accademia Gallery. After our admiration of David we then explored the gallery on our own.

We saw more of Michelangelo’s works. The unfinished marble statue of San Matteo or St. Matthew (1504-08). We also saw the 4 Prigioni (the slaves or prisoners) and these statues were meant for the tomb of Pope Julius II. When you looked at them it appeared they were struggling to free themselves from the marble. The Palestrina Pietà was first believed to be carved by Michelangelo but experts now think it was a different sculptor because of the variations in the style. There wasn’t any documentation to support who was the sculptor.

San Matteo- the unfinished sculpture of St. Matthew.

Another room in the gallery was the finest 19th century collection of plaster casts and models by Lorenzo Bartolini and his student Luigi Pampaloni. This technique of using the plaster casts and nails that helped the sculptor put reference points onto the block of marble before carving into the stone. These casts showed how the gallery was originally used for teaching art students from the art academy next door. There also was a video we watched that demonstrated this process.

The musical instrument collection once belonged to the grand prince of Tuscany. This collection included a violin and viola by Antonio Stradivari and other unique instruments.

Below is “The Tree of Life” by Pacino di Buonaguida. This painting is based on the Book of Genesis and dates back to the early 14th century. This painting depicted Christ’s crucifixion as a tree with several branches extending from his body. And from each branch of the tree hung medals decorated with certain biblical events.

When we were finished with our visit we went to find a restaurant for breakfast/brunch because we hadn’t eaten. We found a restaurant that was opened and getting ready for lunch but they set up a spot in their back dining room for us.

After breakfast we walked around the Duomo and the Bapistry and had time to explore on our own. The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Flower or Cattedrale di Santa Maria Del Fiore was commonly known as the Duomo. Construction began in 1296 and took about 150 years to complete. The cupola was a terracotta-brick dome. It was constructed between 1420 and 1436.

White, pink and green marble is breathtaking!

As we explored around the main square of Florence we came across some points of interest.

Image gallery image — Chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra Porta- first built in 1038.

When we met again we headed to the Sant’Ambrogio district because Joe(one of our group) shared an article about this local neighborhood that wasn’t over run with tourists. It was a short walk from the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio. The article stated that this area was a “tight-knit” community and that it was still authentic Florentine. It’s also a multi-ethnic neighborhood. Florence’s first covered food hall was located here. We found a restaurant, Cibrèo Caffe in Sant’Ambrogio and had a delicious meal! And bonus this restaurant was mentioned in the same article and it talked about how it is a restaurant that is a stand-out in the area. The owner’s son explained that their philosophy was “if you visit Florence and see a Botticelli painting and Michelangelo sculpture, you should not have to then settle for a fast-food pizza or a sandwich on the street”! Here we experienced a traditional Florentine cuisine!

Exploring the quiet side streets of the area.

When you are walking around the area, make sure you turn around and look behind you. You never know what scenic sites you might see.

Even with taking the train into Florence we still had ove 18,000 steps but it was a great day spent in the capital of Tuscany’s region. We felt we experienced some of the Renaissance art period!

We took the train back to Poggibonsi, found our vehicles and drove back to our villa where we enjoyed some wine and discussed our highlights of the day before dinner.

Our meals at the villa were always delicious! After our five-course meal, they always served a shot of Grappa! Grappa was an alcoholic pomace brandy made in Italy and contained 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume! It was grape based and was made from the left overs from winemaking after pressing the grapes.

Club Italy Vacation 2023 Day 5

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

This morning we had to be up early to check out of our hotel in Rome and carry our luggage over to the Metro station. We rode the Metro with our luggage to the main terminal exit.

From the terminal we found the track that our high-speed train would arrive on and then take us to the Firenze S.M. Novella stop.

At the Florence Airport we got off the train with our luggage and then boarded the Metro to take us to the airport!

When we arrived at the airport the guys left and took the rental car shuttle to pick up our van and car. When we first planned our trip we were hoping to rent one 10-12 passenger van. When we checked with Italy’s car rental agencies we were told you had to have a special bus driver’s license to drive any vehicle that carries 10 or more passengers. Therefore we had to rent two vehicles, a nine passenger van and a five passenger car.

After loading both vehicles with our luggage, we headed for our villa outside of San Gimignano, Torraccia Di Chiusi. It was our 4th mode of transportation!

The last two miles of our drive to the villa was gravel and because of all of the rain that they have had there were many potholes and uneven surfaces! Below are pictures from around Torraccia Di Chiusi.

We all loved our rooms, the staff, and the grounds of the villa.

It was around 3:30 PM when we arrived at the villa. This evening we were going to eat dinner there and it was served at 8:00 PM. Since we hadn’t had anything to eat since morning, we talked to Maria, the manager, and she had the kitchen make up two meat and cheese trays with fresh bread for our group. Of course, we also had several bottles of their wine. It was the perfect “happy hour”!

The grounds were beautiful and the scenery was spectacular.

Right by our villa was the Via Francigena Toscana, an ancient pilgrimage route. It was a 1300-mile long route in the Middle Ages from Canterbury through France, Switzerland and Italy before reaching Rome. We met a couple that was hiking part of the route.

After dinner some of our group played Euchre, some read, and others found that sleep was calling their name. It was a long day of subway, train, and cars so it was an early night for most!

Club Italy Vacation 2023 Day 4

Monday, June 5, 2023

This morning we were up very early to take the Metro to the Vatican. It was rainy but it didn’t stop us from arriving at our Vatican Museums tour at our check-in time of 7:15 AM and our tour began at 7:30 AM. We checked in, met our guide, and had time to use the restroom before heading out on our tour. I can’t emphasize enough what a great idea it was to do this tour before the museums opened to the general public at 9:00 AM. It felt like a private tour in the museums and the Sistine Chapel.

Our group before heading into the museums.

The Vatican Museums house more than 70,000 exhibits in an area of 42,000 meters (or 26 miles)! There was no way that we could experience it all in a few hours! Floriana, our own guide for the ten of us, did a fantastic job! We took a lot of pictures of the exhibits we saw but we only posted a few of our favorites here.

Pictures weren’t allowed in the Sistine Chapel. When we were sitting in there and looking at the ceiling and the walls it was like having the space to ourselves. We thoroughly enjoyed our private tour and then when we were finished, our ticket included breakfast in the Pigna Courtyard (or the Pinecone Courtyard)!

After our delicious breakfast, we then had to walk through some of the museums to get to St. Peter’s Basilica. Well, it was packed with people and it was quite an ordeal to get out! We made it and then spent some time in St. Peter’s.

We went from St. Peter’s Basilica to the Roman Forum. It was the political, legal and religious center of the Roman Empire and was located between the Palatine Hill and the Capitoline Hill. It was first developed in the 7th century BC. After we walked through the Forum, we hiked up the Palentine Hill and took some pictures looking down onto the Forum.

Remains of the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine

Below is the Arco di Tito (The Arch of Titus). It was built by the emperor Domitian to honor his older brother Titus. It was created in 81-85 AD.

Our last sight to visit was the Colosseum which was built between 69-79 AD. As we walked around and then in the Colosseum you could envision the gladiators fighting, animal hunts happening or public executions.

Without going into a lot of specifics, if you visit any big city please be careful. There are many pick pockets and they are extremely slick. One of the members of our group had his wallet taken and it was in a cargo short pocket that was buttoned! Crowded places are easy targets. We found the police were not helpful.

This evening we had dinner at another great family restaurant and celebrated Dave’s birthday!

It was a day filled with a lot of walking all around Rome with over 25,000 steps.

Club Italy Vacation 2023 Day 3

Sunday, June 4, 2023

Today we took the Metro back into the center of Rome and our first stop was the Mamertime (Mamertime is a term attibuted to the prison in the Medieval Period) Prison. On our way to the prison we stopped by the Church of Santa Maria ai Monti. This church was built in the 16th century and was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was beautiful inside.

Inside the Church of Santa Maria ai Monti.

Then on to the prison.

It was built in the 3rd century BC and in this prison, according to legend, Apostle Paul and the Apostle Peter were imprisoned here by Emperor Nero. The prison was known as the Carcer which means prison and it was the only prison in ancient Rome. The Tullianum which was speculated to hold religious importance, votive offerings were found during excavations. It was used for death row prisoners and these prisoners were let down through the hole in the ceiling.

Upper Chamber of the Carcer- this altar is in memory of Saint Peter in the Carcer.

We walked over to the Circus Maximus. It was the largest ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium. It was constructed in the 6th century BCE. It was U shaped and had seats on 3 sides. It was rebuilt by Julius Caesar in the 1st century BCE. There could be 150,000 spectators and it was enlarged by subsequent emperors until Constantine in the 4th century AD and it had a seating capacity of almost 250,000 spectators.

We walked over to the Parco Savello, Giardino Degli Aranci and it was located on the Aventine Hill. This park was named after orange trees and was very peaceful. It has an excellent view of Rome. The park was designed in 1932. There were medieval walls surrounding the park. It was worth the hike up the hill!

We crossed the Tiber River as we walked down from the park.

By now it was early afternoon and we were hungry so we found outdoor seating at a restaurant called Sabatini in the Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere a neighborhood in Rome. Trastevere was known “as the foodie neighborhood of Rome”! Our meals were fantastic!

The drinks were excellent too!

This neighborhood had narrow alleys and in the Piazza di Santa Maria was the Basilica di Santa Maria which was one of the oldest churches in Rome.

As we explored the neighborhood of Trastevere we saw cobblestone alleys and interesting restaurant windows and shops. Below are a few.

At Pasta e Vino, she was making pasta in the window!

I loved seeing these boys as we walked down one of the alleys!

Some boys playing chess along one of the narrow streets!

Our walk continued to Janiculum Hill (Gianicolo). It was quite an uphill trek with stairs and narrow streets. It was worth the climb! At the top of the hill there was an equestrian statue dedicated to Geribaldi who was a military figure and hero.

The Janiculum Promenade served as a monument to the 84 partisans who fought and died protecting the Romans from the French invasion of 1849. These statues surround the area.

The views from Janiculum Hill were incredible.

The Fontana dell’Acqua Paola was a marble fountain and was built during the 17th century and was also called “The Big Fountain”.

After walking back down the hill we passed by the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument. It was built between 1885 and 1935 to honor Victor Emmanuel II who was the first king of a unified Italy.

As we were walking to the location for dinner we passed by more Roman ruins. Unfortunately the information plaque explaining what we were looking at was blocked off and we couldn’t get the information.

We walked into a neighborhood area of Rome to find a local restaurant and we found an excellent one. It was family run and we had great food and service.

Our group of travelers at Trattoria Da Valentino

It was a beautiful evening to walk from our dinner restaurant to catch the subway and head back to our hotel after a busy day and over 21,000 steps!

Club Italy Vacation 2023 Day 1 and Day 2

Friday, June 2, 2023 and Saturday, June 3, 2023

After over a year of planning this trip to Italy and it was finally here! Ten of us are heading to Italy!

We had an afternoon flight from Columbus to Washington, DC and had a short layover before we boarded our United flight to Rome. Both flights went smoothly and we arrived in Rome around 8:30 AM. Saturday morning. Italy was 6 hours ahead of us.

We had a car service meet us at the airport and drove us to our hotel which was located on the outskirts of Rome!

Our rooms were ready so we all went to our rooms to clean up after our 24 hour day! We met and walked to the closest Metro station to head into Rome! We rode the subway to the Colosseum stop. When we walked up the steps, the first sight for our group was the Roman Colosseum! Dave and I were the only members of our group that had visited Rome before. The rest of our group was in awe. Their expressions and comments were priceless!

Even though our group was exhausted we spent the afternoon exploring “The Eternal City”! We walked by the Forum and visited the Trevi Fountain where we all tossed our coin over our left shoulder to ensure our return to Rome. The Trevi Fountain was the most famous fountain in Rome. It was built in the mid-seventeen hundreds. It was the largest Baroque fountain in the city and known throughout the world.

We also walked up the Spanish Steps! They were built between 1723 and 1726 and consisted of 135 steps and 3 different terraces. The steps began at the Piazza di Spagna up to the French monastery church, Trinita dei Monti. At the top was a great view filled with many tourists.

Below is a slideshow of more of the sights that we saw on our first day in Rome!

Picture 1- Piazza del Campidoglio, Picture 2- part of the Forum, Picture 3- Roman Forum as we walk by, Picture 4- walking from our hotel to the Metro station, Picture 5- the Pantheon from the side, Picture 6- the front of the Pantheon, Picture 7- Piazza della Minerva, Picture 8- Monument to Cola di Rienzo, Picture 9- Forum of Caesar