Hotel Europa Arezzo

... paysage est tres beau, comme dans toute la toscane!!

dans les attraction principale , il y avais le duomo, quelque eglies plus modestes, mais chacune avais un petit quelque chose a voir. puis il y a les ruines d'une anciene arena romaine.

Apres une heure de bus dans un paysage montagneux remplis de vignoble et de plantattion d'olivier, nous somme arrive a "Greve in chianti" en toscane. Malheureusement pour nous, la saisons des visites de vignobles est terminee. Nous avons quand meme marche jusqu'au chateau montefioralle. Une fois en haut de la cote, on avait une belle vue sur les environs et puis apres avoir marcher au travers du chateau, nous avonas repris la route du village ...

From Chianti went south to the Le Crete region. The drive provided us with more quintessential Tuscan scenery. We stayed overnight in Asciano as we could not make it to Montalcino before dark. We had vowed not to drive in the dark as the small windy roads and excessively erratic Italian drivers are not good for our nerves!

Next stop Radda in Chianti and the drive there through the Chianti countryside was sublime!!! The rolling hills lined with yellow and red vines and olive trees. It was like looking at natures own patchwork quilt. We found a park at the bottom of the village and went in search of the tourist office to get a map for tomorrow's hike. The tourist office though was closed, only opened from 10.30 to 12.30 nice work if you can get it!! So we went off for a stroll around ...

... there are more locals than tourists and every one likes to get out and about and socialise.
Jane manged to root out an 80 year old gold watch which belonged to the shopkeeper's uncle.


We wandered in to a terrific display of old radio and movie equipment dating back to Marconi. John & Pat will appreciate the photos.

For our last night we went to ...

Hello all,

Well, the last time I updated my blog was to let everyone know I arrived safe and sound. So this entry is a little more detailed.

So, getting here was longer than going to Argentina. I had to fly from Charlotte to Toronto, Toronto to Rome, take a train from the Rome airport to downtown Rome, then a train to Arezzo. Needless to say, it felt like two days of ...

... filmed scenes from the movie in Arezzo. On each of these spots, there was one of these signs that showed pictures from that part of the movie, as well as quotes. That made us love Arezzo and want to see the movie again. Next, we found the Piazza Grande, where more scenes from Life is Beautiful were shot. Finding Petrarch's house was impossible because, according to the signs, we found the right block ...

... or so years. It also houses the originals of the sculptures now present in the cathedral area. Various statues and reliefs currently on the exterior of the cathedral, bell tower, and baptistery are all modern copies(less than 300 years old). There is also an emotional Pieta sculptural group by Michelangelo inside the museum that was never completed. He was working on one of the legs of Christ when it broke. He never finished the work and ...

... all I have is 10 bucks, take it or leave it!" I am walking towards the exit to talk to the ticket Natzi and I run into the big black dude that got us all in the club. I asked him for his help and he said sorry, you have to pay. The big black guy was walking towards the exit as someone was calling his name. I just followed closely behind him in the crowd. One of his friends was so drunk he lost his ticket and passed out in the back. The bigger black guy that got me in was yelling ...

... We have reservations for 5pm at the Galleria dell'Accademia, and I'm so worried we won't make it. It says we have to be there 10 minutes early to be let in. There's a friendly receptionist waiting for us, and he gives us a map of Florence. I ask him for the quickest way to get to the museum. He circles it on the map, and says it will be easier (but longer) if we walk to the Duomo and then ...