Grand Bellavista Palace E Golf Montecatini Terme

... on internet and then back to the bar for more wine and tapas.<br><br>Sun 15 <br>Did some chores... yes we have some, we are not totaly void of resposibility. Went to the supermarket to stock up on food and went to an Aire d'service to empty Theo (our Thescott cassette toilet). Enough of that and we were back in the walls checking out the Antiques Market and eating Gelati... YUM!!<br>

Today was our last full day of enjoying all that Italy has to offer before beginning our journey back west tomorrow morning. Having had a couple of days off from major metropolitan areas, we decided to finish our journey in Florence, the city where the Renaissance began. The history of this former Italian capital is staggering, from Brunellechi's triumphant dome marking the start of the Renaissance to the Medici family's enclosure of ...

... we walked toward an Italian restaurant whose famous salad made my mouth water. Our guide told us about it our first night and I had been thinking about it ever since. We found this tiny restaurant in the twisted streets of the old Jewish ghetto and unfortunately, they weren't open yet. Oh, hum. <br><br>So we continued onward to the Colosseum where the blue skies provided an amazing backdrop to this richly historical site. Our Rick Steves ...

Just realized those not on facebook haven't seen pictures from Pisa and Florence. No long recap of Anthony and I's weekend in Tuscany, for obvious reasons. Also note that "Anthony and Alison's Great Adventure" was like taking a knife.<br><br>Love you guys! :)<br>

Rented an apartment in a villa which was at the top of a mountain (like most villas in Tuscany), however, our journey to the top was not on a paved road which made for some challenging driving. The villa was really nice with its own pool and great view over the countryside. The owners also provided fabulous meals in their other ...

... in the Piazza of the Palazzo itself. I can only guess that it will be incredibly expensive to attend, but luckily my ass won't be in country by the time opening night comes around. Opera isn't really my thing, either, so screw them and their ******, overly expensive tastes. By the time we left the garden, we were pretty tired. We got some gelato to wake us up and get us happy, then picked up the car and headed home. Getting to the Autostrade turned out to be a little frustrating, but ...

... a forgotten offer ("So, what are you guys up to tonight?"). Luckily awkward question avoidance is like a second language to me, so we decided before T and D got there that we would try out this pizza place that they said was delicious. Honestly, though, they could have been talking about any pizza place, called it delicious, and it could be the worst pizza place in the city. We wouldn't know it if they gave us day-old slices from a ...

... out the real reason later. After our dinner we headed back to the hotel room to get ready to go clubbing. We headed out to Space Electronica which was only a short walk from our hotel. Although we had fun with our contiki party (there was another contiki party there which also seemed to be having a very good time) I think the locals avoid the spot for the same reason. That and it was a weeknight. We finally rested our weary heads looking forward to Pisa and the Cinque Terre the next day.

... tell you, this place was really great. A) There were no tourists there. B) It was right near the fireworks. C) It was PACKED (always a good sign, right). D) It was cheap. After stuffing our faces we only had about 30 minutes before the fireworks started, so we found ourselves a pretty sweet spot some 10 feet above the street on some ledge of someone's personal property, I'm sure. After the fireworks we found this cute cafe on the way ...

... have skipped it. Then it poured rain, had lunch, walked around the market, then back to the hostel and chilled out for a while. Had supper at a great little restaurant for &euro;10 each because the CND girl only had &euro;10 left before she leaves to Switzerland tomorrow so the awesome girl who runs the place phoned up a restuarant and told them we only had &euro;10 so we got to eat there for 10 each. We had asked for a cheap place to eat, and within seconds, the hostel girl was on the phone ...