Club Italy Vacation 2023 Day 12

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Our first stop today was the medieval village of Radda in Chianti. It had been inhabited since the 9th century. It was built as a fortified town to protect Florence from its enemies. The last invasion was in 1478 and much of the town was destroyed including its castle. And of course Radda was famous for its wine!!!

The black rooster was a symbol of the Chianti region. The rooster was adopted as an official emblem by the League of Chianti (an anti-Siena political/military pact the united a league of rural towns. Radda in Chianti was on of them) in 1384 and was officially adopted by the Chianti Classic Wine Consortium in 2005! We saw the rooster symbol all over town.

The government building, the Palazzo del Podestà was destroyed in 1478 but was rebuilt. It was the town’s seat of power and was decorated with the family crests of the once-ruling nobles.

The Propositura di San Niccolò church had origins to at least the 1200’s. It was seriously damaged during WWII. The bell tower was reconstructed in the 1950’s and they used one of the ancient castle towers as its base. Its last renovation was 1969 and today it was being renovated but the entrance was still opened to visitors. This church was the main place of Catholic worship in Radda.

Late morning the rain cut loose and several went down into the medieval tunnel area of Radda. Of course we found a wine bar, Casa Poriciatti Enoteca, that was opened and we had a glass of Chianti while we waited for the rain to stop.

Walking around town and enjoying the narrow cobblestone streets. On a rainy day there weren’t many locals or tourists around.

Radda like all the other villages in Tuscany sat on a hill so the views looking out were beautiful, even on a cloudy, rainy day.

As we left the town of Radda the rain really cut loose! We even pulled over and waited for the rain to slow down.

When the rain let up we headed to the small town of Castellina. It was located on the main tourist route through Chianti. Our first stop was to find a restaurant for a late lunch. We found the Il Cantuccio Wine Bar. We enjoyed a good meal with Chianti wine from the region.

Boar meat was popular in the Chianti region. You would find Boar was a popular dish on many menus.

Castellina had a historic center and one main street. The Church of San Salvatore was located in Castellina. It was medieval and rebuilt in the Romanesque Revival style because it was heavily damaged in WWII.

In the central piazza of Castellina was a 14th century fortress and tower.

The vaulted alley was called the Via della Volte and it was once part of the city walls.

After the rain stopped we walked around the town.

After visiting Radda and Castellina we headed back to Torraccia di Chiusi, our B&B, for the evening. Dinner was inside because of the wet weather.

Even though it rained off and on it didn’t stop us from having a wonderful day in Tuscany.

Club Italy Vacation 2023 Day 11

Monday, June 12, 2023

Our adventure today took us to the medieval walled town of Montepulciano. It was a town known for its wine, the Vino Nobile. The wine was made from sangiovese grapes that were grown there.

We parked the vehicles and walked up into the town. Montepulciano’s medieval architecture hasn’t changed since the 1500s.

We stopped at the historical town center, Piazza Grande. It was a large square in the center of town and flat. All of the other streets from this piazza slope down the hill.

The Nobili-Tarugi Palace was located on the Piazza. It was built in the early 16th century as the residence of the De Nobili family and later by the Tarugis.

The Town Hall, Palazzo Comunale, was also located along the Piazza. It dated from the late 14th and early 15th century. It was built originally as a palace and then later became the city hall.

The Well on the Piazza had the Medici coat of arms as well as Griffins and Lions. The two lions sitting on top represented Florence and on either side of the lions sat a griffin that represented Montepulciano.

The Cathedral Saint Mary of Assunta was consecrated in 1712 and sat on the site of an ancient church of Santa Maria. The bell tower was from the 15th century. The outside of the church was very plain because the marble was never added as planned. Inside was a 1401 gold-hued altarpiece by Taddeo di Bartolo.

The Medici Fortress was located at the highest point of town and had been rebuilt several times. It was first built in the 8th century and what we saw dated from 1261!

On the facade of the medieval Benincasa Palace was a bust of Gian Gastone de Medici (1671-1737). He was the 7th and last Grand Duke of Tuscany.

The il Corso was about a mile long and ran through the historic old town. The Corso began at the city gate and ascends to the Piazza Grande. There were narrow streets in the old town.

As we explored the town we stopped into La Dolce Vita, a wine tasting, bar,restaurant and wine store. It opened in 2005 and was located inside an historic building dated to the 13th century. It was a cool place to look around in.

Because Montepulciano sits high on a hill there were some terraces that offered breathtaking views of the countryside!

You could also see the Temple of San Biagio. It sat outside the city walls of Montepulciano and was built by Antonio da Sangallo who was an architect from Florence. It was built between 1518-1545 and was considered a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture.

I used my Find Me Gluten Free app to find a restaurant with gluten free options. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at AI Quattro Venti. Locals ate here which was always a good sign. The gluten free gnocchi and gluten free bread was yummy. Those in our group who ate gluten really enjoyed their meals too!

After leaving Montepulciano we stopped at the Azienda Agricola Canneto winery for a glass of their wine. Canneto AG of Zurich purchased the estate in 1987 from a family that for generations had a great reputation of wine-making. The wines were certified organic since 2017. Of course we tried the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano that was grown here.

We went outside and enjoyed our glass of wine as we looked over the estate! It was very relaxing.

There was some rain and then the sun came out when we were back at the villa. A beautiful rainbow appeared.

This evening some of our group read and others played Euchre and recapped our day.

Club Italy Vacation 2023 Day 10

Sunday, June 11, 2023

This morning when we woke up and looked out our windows we saw hot air balloons off in the distance.

Today we visited the hilltop town of Certaldo which was situated up the hill and had medieval walls and cobbled streets. After parking the vehicles we walked to the funicular which linked the Certaldo Basso (at the bottom of the hill and the newer part of town) and Certaldo Alto (the older part of the town). The funicular railway climbed up 200m (654 ft.) and we rode it up the hill.

When we got off the funicular we looked out over the amazing scenery.

This town was famous because it was the birthplace of Giovanni Boccaccio. He was an Italian writer, poet, and scholar. Boccaccio was born in 1313 and died in 1375 in Certaldo. He was best known as the author of Decameron which was a collection of tales told by 7 women and 3 men. He wrote this at the onset of the Black Death (bubonic plague). It was considered a masterpiece of classical Italian prose. I plan on reading this book.

Certaldo was a small medieval village located halfway between Florence and Siena. It was surrounded by its defensive walls that were built in the 12th century and a watch tower still stood.

Palazzo Pretorio or Vicar’s Palace was built in the late 12th century. It’s a museum but once belonged to the vicariate families that ruled in Certaldo. The front displayed numerous coat of arms frescoed in stone and of glazed terracotta.

Below are pictures from our time in Certaldo. The town was pretty quiet when we first arrived.

After spending time in Certaldo we visited Palagetto Winery which was located outside of San Gimignano. We did a wine tasting here.

We purchased wine to drink back at our B&B later. 🙂

We enjoyed our tastings and then loaded back in the vehicles to go to another winery nearby. It was the Il Colombaio Di Santachiara winery in the very small village of San Donato along the Via Francigena. The Via Francigena was the ancient road and the pilgrimage route from Canterbury in England, through France and Switzerland to Rome.

The winery Il Colombaio Di Santachiara had room for us to do a tasting of their wines. The wine tasting staffer that did our tastings was so engaging.

Our wine tasting included bread and the wineries on olive oils that they produced.

Our wine tasting staffer took us outside to view the grounds.

After this last wine tasting in San Donato we drove back to our villa to get ready for dinner!

Club Italy Vacation 2023 Day 9

Saturday, June 10, 2023

Today we visited Monteriggioni that was a walled castle with only about 50 people living in the historic castle complex.

Looking at the countryside from the main entrance into Monteriggioni.

We walked around the town and a highlight was walking along the castle walls. The village sits on the hill Monte Ala and looks over the Chianti countryside.

The medieval city walls and its 14 defense towers are well preserved from 1213 when the fortress was built. It was built as a base against Florence for the Republic of Siena. The walls are up to 6 1/2 feet thick.

One of the best things to do was to walk on the medieval walls. You can’t walk the entire loop but there were two sections. The longer section was near the main entrance into town.

The views from the walls of the Chianti countryside were beautiful. Below were some of the pictures we took from the wall.

We also took pictures of the village of Monteriggioni as we stood on the wall.

The Piazza Roma was the center square of the town. On the square was the small church of Santa Maria Assunta which was from the 13th century. This church was built the same time as the foundation of the castle.

The famous Italian poet, writer, and philosopher Dante Alighieri even referenced the town in his Divine Comedy.

Our walk around town didn’t take long because the town wasn’t that large and it wasn’t crowded at all!

The Monte Chiaro wine shop and tasting laboratory was located on the town square of the castle. One of our traveling group found this little gem. We did a wine tasting here. The wine was certified organic and our guide to the wines was very knowledgeable. The wine tasting began at the outside covered patio but it started raining and so we went into the tasting room downstairs.

After we finished our time in Monteriggioni we drove to a newer winery Casale dello Spaviero in Castellina. Castellina had about 2,800 inhabitants. At Casale dello Spaviero we had another wine tasting. The estate sat on a beautiful setting in the countryside.

The wine tasting was of three different red wines from the cellars.

We were back at the villa (really it was a farmhouse B&B) for dinner which began at 8:00 PM and lasted until 10:00 PM. and consisted of 5 courses! Each dinner ended with being served a shot of Grappa, a grape based pomace brandy of Italian origin and contained 35-60 percent alcohol by volume. Having a shot of Grappa after dinner was supposed to help with digestion of your meal! It was definitely strong!

What adventures would be in store for us tomorrow? We were looking forward to it.

Club Italy Vacation 2023 Day 8

Friday, June 9, 2023

This was another very early morning and we were on the road before breakfast was served at the villa because we were driving to La Spezia to catch a train. We parked the van in the train station garage. We purchased our tickets for the Cinque Terre train. It was an all day pass and it allowed us to hop on and off.

Waiting in line for our Cinque Terre train tickets.

Cinque Terre was comprised of 5 old fishing seaside villages that sit high on the Italian Riviera. You can hike between the villages and see the scenic coastline and countryside but we opted for the train! Our time was limited and we didn’t have the gear for hiking.

In 1997 Cinque Terre was listed as an UNESCO World Heritage site and in 1999 it became a national park.

The first village we visited was the largest and the farthest village, Monterosso. It had a long sandy beach. The water was so clear!

Make sure to see at the end of the beach the large sculpture of Neptune, the Sea God, or as the locals call it II Gigante, carved into the stone. It was built by a Jewish Italian sculptor, Arrigo Minerbi in 1910. It was made from concrete and steel. Monterosso was bombed during WWII and II Gigante lost his arms, trident and a giant seashell. It also suffered additional damage from rough seas and strong winds. Even with its wear and tear, it still stood tall!

You also could see the Aurora Tower here. It was a 16th century fortress built by the Genovese against pirate attacks.

We went back to the train station for our next stop which was Vernazza. This small fishing village had a small port that was surrounded by typical colorful houses for the coastal Italian riviera.

The Church of Santa Margherita di Antiochia was built in the 14th century. It was said that it was constructed here after the bones of St. Margaret washed up on a beach nearby.

The Belforte Castle and tower was built to protect the village from pirates in the mid-1500′ attacks. The remains from the fortress were converted into a restaurant.

A few more photos from Vernazza and its port.

We walked back to the train station for our train ride to the next village of Corniglia. This village sat on a promontory that overlooked the sea and was the smallest. It also was the least visited because of the difficult accessibility.

As you can see in the 2 photos below, it was a minimum 30 minute hike up to the village and filled with switchbacks.

Due to only having a day to spend here, we opted to skip this village. I guess we’ll need to return some day.

We went back to the train to stop in Manarola.

This village also had a small harbor with colorful boats. It had a tiny piazza and multicolored houses that faced the sea. We found it very crowded in all of the villages. It definitely was a popular destination for tourists.

We were told to try Sciacchetrá, a sweet wine made from the grapes in Manarola. Unfortunately we didn’t try it. Another reason to make a return trip!

The footpath Via dell’Amore – the Path of Love was closed due to a landslide and won’t open until 2024. This was listed as the easiest of the hikes between villages. It connected Manarola and Riomaggiore and was also a little over a mile long. It would have been one we could have walked. It gave us yet another reason to return!

The last village to explore was Riomaggiore which was the most southern of the Cinque Terre villages. It was known for its harbor with its colorful boats and the houses looked like they were stacked one on top of the other.

Before we left Cinque Terre we stopped in a place in Riomaggioree for either a glass of wine or wine tastings. It was a great way to end our day here.

On our way back to our villa, we made a stop in Pisa around 8:00 PM. It was nice because the majority of the crowds were gone.

The Arno river flows near Pisa. The Piazza del Duomo was near the northwestern end of the medieval walled city. In the piazza was the cathedral, the baptistery, the campanile or Leaning Tower of Pisa and a cemetery. Of course, the most famous was the Leaning Tower of Pisa which was tilting when it was completed in 1372 because the foundation was unstable.

We arrived back to the villa at 12:45 AM. It didn’t take long to wind down and get some rest for another day of exploring Tuscany.

Club Italy Vacation 2023 Day 7

Thursday, June 8, 2023

Since we were up so early yesterday, we relaxed at our villa where breakfast was included in our stay and it was quite a spread each morning.

Chris and Dave were busy planning out our adventures. Chris did a lot of research on the medieval towns around the area.

Late morning we left for San Gimignano which was the town we could see from our villa. The city was named after the bishop of Modena, San Gimignano who they believed saved the city from Attila the Hun.

There are 14 remaining of the 72 towers that originally existed. These were tower houses that symbolized wealth and power of the owners.

It originally was an Etruscan village and it’s location along the Via Francigena pilgrimage route allowed it to grow. The Via Francigena was an ancient road/route from Canterbury in England, through France, Switzerland, and through Italy to Rome and on to Apulia which had ports for embarkation to the Holy Land.

A view of San Gimignano from our parking spot.

San Gimignano’s historic center is a UNESCO world heritage site.

We visited the Collegiata, a Roman Cathedral.

The frescoes in the cathedral date from the 14th century.

After our visit of the church, six of us climbed the Torre Grossa’s 214 steps, the tallest tower in San Gimignano. It was 177 feet tall. Its walls are a little over 6 feet thick. It was worth the climb to experience the panoramic views of the city.

San Bartolo church was anciently dedicated to St. Matthew. This church went under complete reconstruction in 1173. It was devoted to St. Bartolo who was a local saint who died in 1299.

It was always worth stopping in to wine shops to have a wine tasting or just to enjoy a glass!

San Gimignano was known for its Vernaccia di San Gimignano wine which was made from white wine grapes. In fact, I read that is was so famous that it was even mentioned in Dante’s Inferno.

Below were some pictures from our exploration of the town.

After a fun time spent in San Gimignano, we had purchased some wine, cheese, and salami to enjoy at the villa in the evening because we had a late lunch in the town.

It was another great day!

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.

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!

Tag: Italy

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