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Ravenna converted to Christianity in the 100s and many martyrs were made here before the Edict of Milan in 313 officially ended Christian persecution. The martyrdom of Vitalis led to the building of an early Christian church over the spot of his live burial for the faith. Today, St. Vitalis Church contains the most resplendent mosaics in Western art. Ravenna is noted for the ancient Christian mosaics that are scattered around the city. I have seen churches far more vast and filled with spectacular treasures of art, but it was here at St. Vitalis that I felt as if I were standing on holy ground, in one of the earliest Christian churches with early Christian art on a place where those who came before us actually paid the price with their lives.

San Gimignano turned out to be a pleasure way beyond expectations. The drive to the medieval village was along narrow, and at times, one lane roads and bridges and through vineyards, occasionally happening upon churches or deserted stone outbuildings. Nestled in the high hills of the Chianti Region of Tuscany, San Gimignano is the quintessential “hill town” of Italy. Its thirteen towers stand proudly above intimate plazas and narrow streets filled with interesting shops and restaurants. A street curves along the medieval walls which surround the small town offering breathtaking views of the grape arbors and olive groves in the deep valley below, while snow clad mountains loom in the distance. Once pilgrims on their way to Rome bolstered the local economy; whereas, tourists gladly take their place in modern times. Taking lunch in the church plaza in the warm sun of an outdoor seating area beside the ancient city well, the Standly’s and Graumann’s decided it was an enchanting day. WEG

I discovered a new pizza today–Nutella. It is thin pizza dough made into a pocket and filled with Nutellla, heated and covered with chocolate paste and powdered sugar. I ate two, and refused to share.

Today was Tuscany! Wonderful Tuscany! The hills are high and vine covered. Twisting roads snake up the hills and quaint Italian towns with towers stand in the distance, beckoning. We stopped in one–Greve in Chianti. The town square was lined with small shops selling local crafts and flowers. We stopped in one and I asked the woman butcher if some sausage was raw. She promptly cut some off for me to eat and while eating she cut off more from a different kind and before I could stop her, cut off more from an entirely different kind and poured her in-house made olive oil into a cup for me to drink. I walked out with a bag full of stuff, but she gave Randy (the Standly’s are traveling with us) and me kisses and a hearty, “buon giorno.” I love Tuscany.

Siena, the jewel of Tuscany, is a city enclosed with massive medieval walls and gently curved streets where the buildings are in almost perfect harmony lined in completely seamless array, leading to the Piazza del Campo, considered the prettiest plaza in Italy. The duomo is intricate and detailed–the exterior marble and wonderfully covered with a menagerie of statuary and the interior exquisite with gold starred ceiling, frescoed walls and marble floors inlaid to depict important historical events. I love Tuscany. WEG

On an amble through Florence today, the Standly’s, Kathy and I ran into some unexpected pleasures, like the Boboli Gardens, the huge park/gardens of the Medici Family, the ruler/banker family who funded much of the Renaissance. Their glorious Pitti Palace had the gardens as its front yard. Filled with fountains, hidden trails and statuary, it also included many museums. It was here that the electricity went off while I was using the restroom and sitting in a completely enclosed “stall” had to fumble around in the dark for all the necessities. It was not humorous at that moment.

We also stumbled upon a fully costumed enactment of the Renaissance flag throwing ceremony in the Piazza Della Signoria, the large gathering space for ancient town meetings filled with marble and bronze statues. With trumpets blaring and drums pounding, the flag bearers worked with precision. It was a happy discovery.

I was personally moved by the two famous crosses housed in the Santa Croce church–one by Donatello and the other by Cimabue. Santa Croce is the church of Italian national glory, housing the tombs of Michelangelo, Dante, Machiavelli and Galileo among others. It is filled with artistic treasures, but the crosses along with Gaddi’s fresco of the Last Supper and the Tree of Life caught my attention and gave me inner peace.

The laugh moment of the day came with Melisa’s suggestion that Randy and I copy the pose of statues in the Boboli gardens for some fun pictures. I pointed to one for Randy to copy in our game of “double dog dare you.” What he and Melisa did not know was that I was filming rather than picture taking. The big discovery was Randy’s acting ability. The resulting video provided so much amusement that other tourists commented to me later in the day that they enjoyed watching us having so much fun. WEG

The Cinque Terre (Chink-wah Teh-rah) are so intriguing and mysterious. The five villages are all old and filled with narrow alleyways and stairs to climb. Built right into the mountainside and hugging the Mediterranean, they keep the residents well fit. We watched a helicopter remove garbage bags from rooftops and ferry them to trucks on the hills above, since cars/trucks could not reach the village. A small but scenic harbor allowed small trawlers to maneuver between rocks to reach shore, and hoists picked up boats out of the sea to their land resting place after the fisherman finished their work for the day. Old fortress turrets rose above cliffs and monasteries with beautiful chapels stood above each village. Ancient cemeteries with family mausoleums sat on hilltops accessible with steep stairways. Mountain walkways with sea views connect the villages. Laundry hung from clothes lines outside windows that somehow added to the ambiance. Flowers filled wooden wheel-barrows sitting outside small restaurants. The homes are worn pastels and stacked multistory, somehow out of kilter. All of this adds to the charm and gives unforgettable character.

For a meal the fourth generation owner ran to the sea to get the fresh urchin–he proudly showed me the fish–prior to using it to season the fresh pasta and sauce he was serving. Melisa charmed a 90 year old man by speaking Spanish with him–he gave us lemon and grapefruit off his trees.

Driving the twisty-windy roads back to Florence, we drove in snow in the mountain tops and many snowcapped mountains gave us majestic views. Back in the apartment, Italy appeared in the voice of opera wafting through the air. Across the street–one lane–a woman is in voice practice and the high soprano notes certify that she has a good voice. WEG

Wayne had a little trouble pronouncing the name of one of the five villages of the Cinque Terre, the “Five Lands” that hug the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. That city’s name was Riomaggiore, but Wayne pronounced it Rigmarole-ee. He did not do it on purpose; it was just the best he could do with his Italian. What an amazing day it was! Words fail to describe the beauty of the ocean, the mountains, the cities clinging to the mountainside or hugging the ocean. It was as Italian as Italian can be. KG

The hill town of Lucca with its wall/ramparts still encircling the entire city and church bell towers still looming above tile colored roofs and narrow streets, the city of Pisa with its magnificent white marble Duomo and Baptistry with gold ceilings and brilliant paintings and mosiacs and the leaning tower–I climbed it and the marble steps are worn on different sides depending on which way you lean as you climb the spiral staircase to the top of the viewing area amongst the big bells at the top with sights of rolling hills and snow covered mountains–were just too much for Kathy and Melisa Standly to handle today.

As Randy and I climbed the tower, they decided they needed to use the restroom. Finding it, they discovered they needed money to buy a ticket to use it. Here is the problem–they had no money since Randy and I had it all in our possession and we were in the tower and would not be returning as soon as they needed us to. They went into a holding pattern as they searched Kathy’s purse for any thing loose within its cavernous interior. Each ticket would cost 50 cents, European. You guessed it, only 49 cents. Crossed legs were not going to do it. What to do? Kathy went begging for a penny–promising that when her husband returned, she would repay. A kindly older gentleman held out his hand filed with money and said, “Little lady, take as much as you want.” She took a penny. Here is the problem–they needed to buy two tickets and now had money for only one. Holding pattern again, but Kathy noticed that the ticket was for a certain time period and so she decided that she would go fast and give Melisa the ticket to use the remaining time. Melisa was hesitant when Kathy returned quickly, wondering if it was legal and Kathy insistently growled, “Take it and go!” Melisa made it and when Randy and I returned, they both wanted money in their possession from now on. The husbands replied that they were only too happy to share. WEG

What a day–I don’t think we could have packed more into it if you used a shoe horn and WD40 or told my wife Palais Royal had combined their Club 50 sale with another 50% discount, but she only had one hour to get it done. Highlights:

Uffizi Galary–Italy’s greatest art museum and the home of incredible Renaissance paintings and statuary from Ancient Greece, Rome and the Renaissance times. The gallery is in chronological order from late Gothic through the early 17th century. Most all of the well known artists of Italy are represented. Interestingly, there is a room for Cranach and Durer, the great Lutheran and German artists who where friends of the Reformation. The famous painting of Luther and his wife Katy are in that room. We spent hours marveling at the beauty of the rooms that housed the art as well as the art.

Central Market near Saint Lorenzo church–outside stalls selling lots of stuff, especially leather goods and an enclosed food market with most every food item sold by individual sellers.

The Accademia–oldest school of art in the world. Home to several important musical instruments, including the only Stradivarius violin that has no replacement parts or refurbishments and the first piano forbears as well as several Michelangelo statuary, including his David, carved from one piece of marble that other artists had refused to use.

The Cathedral Dome–while Kathy and I took care of some personal needs with a phone and future travel plans, Randy and Melisa climbed all 462 stair steps to the top of Brunelleschi’s dome to first see the incredible paintings of Judgement Day that adorned the interior of the dome and then the beautiful sites of Tuscany as you went on the outside railing.

The goose chase–hunting for the church that had an organ recital in the Oltrarno district across the Arno River. We never found it, but we did glimpse into a beautiful church where mass was being conducted. It was not a site the tourist maps include, but with frescoed ceiling and beautiful altar, it was a wonderful discovery.

Great Italian pizza–wood fired pizza, real Italian style with super thin crust. Delicious! WEG

The beauty of Basilica di Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno district of Florence was inspiring in its simplicity. Located across the Arno River from the historic area of Florence, the area is filled with wonderful restaurants and workshops where carpenters are carving wood ornamentation or restoring antique furniture. We found a wonderful Trattoria with freshly-made pasta and ate a wonderful lunch with the Standly’s who are traveling with us right now. We then saw the fantastic Brancacci Chapel with the frescoed walls depicting the life of Saint Peter begun by Masolino and Masaccio and completed by Lippi. It’s all Greek to me also, but the paintings speak for themselves.

When you travel with others, you let each person’s abilities shine for the good of the whole. I like to be in charge, Kathy likes to organize, Melisa likes to execute, and Randy likes to think about what he is good at, so we appointed him the engineer/fix-it man. His first big task, self-appointed I might add, was to try to figure out how the ever-changing colors of the candle worked that way. That’s the candle I purchased in Seville and Kathy snuck to Florence. So far, every experiment he has run on the candle has proven false. We are going to the Uffizi Gallery tomorrow and Randy said he thought the mesmerizing colors of the candle would rival any painting by Botticelli or Fra Angelico
or Titian or Raphael or Da Vinci or Ghiberti or Lippi or Caravaggio or any of the great painters of the Renaissance. Such is the power of that Spanish candle. WEG

We have officially arrived in Italy. Florence is our home base for the next month. Is it different than Spain? Absolutely. We have only been here for about a day, but the architecture and the pace of life and the public demeanor of the the average person immediately strike me with the differences I notice. Spain is a much more conservative country, both in dress and in public conversation. I am not suggesting one is better than the other.

We were excited to see Randy and Melisa Standly who are with us for about two weeks and so we will galavant around Tuscany with them and are looking forward to it. Kathy and I already slipped into the grand Duomo (cathedral) that is noted for the Brunelleschi dome that commands attention with its red tile roof atop multi-colored marble walls engraved with mosaics and recessed statues of Bible characters. The inside of the dome is as impressive as the exterior, painted in a grand scene of heavenly glory.

Our apartment is comfortable and well placed for what we wish to do while here. Kathy brought a little bit of Spain with us–can you guess? The candle that turns colors. I could not believe that she snuck that into her suitcase. It is burning its ever changing colors as I type. Oh yes, she brought several pounds of Valor a la Taza chocolate for her “hot drink.” Alas, there are not the abundance of pastry shops that we had so close to us in Seville, but I did notice a few in the piazza just up the street–all aglow with flaming torches and linen covered tables under white awnings. Rather classy. I’ll be checking them out later.