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Day 4 in Tuscany

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 On our 4th day, we got up a little more slowly - we were tired! After breakfast, we checked out since it was time to head to our next accommodations in Florence. Before leaving, we enjoyed a wine tasting at the Mazzei winery . Castello di Fonterutoli where we were staying is the estate of the Mazzei family, so we wanted to learn more about the wines they make. The first known document to refer to "Chianti" wine was written by a Mazzei family ancestor. In fact, one of those ancestors, Phillip Mazzei, was a friend of Thomas Jefferson , so the Mazzei estate has a connection to our American revolution. In fact, there is speculation that Jefferson's wording of "all men are created equal," is a paraphrase of Mazzei's own writing. Jury was our tour guide. He was very engaging, and a musician! The winery is built over an underground limestone spring, and the cool waters are used to help cool the wine. We ordered several bottles and had them shipped to our home in t...
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Ten Travel Items You Don't Need

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Let's start with this: This post doesn't contain any affiliate links or sponsored recommendations. You should take recommendations from bloggers and influencers with a grain of salt. If you buy what they promote, you make money for them. So, it's in their interest (not yours) for them to recommend all kinds of gadgets and accessories for your trip. Here are my opinions about travel stuff you don't need based on my now 5 international trips. Go here for travel stuff you DO need, and here for travel stuff you MIGHT want.  You Don't Need... 1.  A New Suitcase , unless yours is broken, too heavy, lacks wheels, or is an unsuitable size. The trend right now is toward the hard-shell suitcases, and to hear all the influencers out there, you'd think that if you take a soft-sided suitcase, it's a foregone conclusion that it's going to get ripped up and destroyed by the airlines. I've only ever traveled anywhere with a soft one. It's always been fine, and ...
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Ten Travel Items You Need

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 There are no affiliate links or sponsored recommendations in this post. These are just things I think are worth purchasing for a trip because I find them indispensable.  1.  A portable phone charger . If you're out and about all day long, and if you're using your phone a lot, you need to be able to charge it on the go. I consider this a safety item. 2.  A hanging cosmetic bag . I'll never travel again without one of these. Instead of having to jumble through a typical cosmetic bag, I can see everything at a glance, and it's all off the bathroom counter. In many places, you might not even have a bathroom counter. I have and use the one linked here. It's a great size and very durable.  3.  A washcloth or two . European hotels don't usually provide these either. It's not that they don't use them; it's that they consider washcloths to be a very personal item. Kinda makes sense, actually. I mean, you're putting an awful lot of trust in the hotel'...
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Day 3 in Tuscany

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On our third day, we drove to Pienza which we had visited quickly on a day trip/bus tour to Tuscany back in 2019. This view was one of the things that drew us back to Tuscany, and as it turns out, you can hike out there  in that view! We found a parking spot and the start of the trail, which includes "the gladiator road," or the road seen at the end of the movie Gladiator when he walks through the wheat fields .  We did the circular trail backwards which meant that we had a very steep descent into the valley right at the beginning, but when returning, rather than an intense climb over a short distance, a more gradual climb over a longer distance. I'm not sure which would have been easier, but that's what we did. Again, I needed my Merrell hiking shoes for this, and I'm glad I took them.  At the start of the trail, we stopped in to the little church of Corsignano , which has been there since at least the 12th century. Two popes were baptized here. Then we set out ...
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Day 2 in Tuscany

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After enjoying breakfast on day 2 ( see day 1 here ), we set off in our little T-Cross for San Gimignano . The drive was just beautiful, and Kevin wished for a zippy sports car for zooming around all the curves. Our navigation program took us right there with no wrong turns! Tip for driving in Italy:  You can't drive into the historic centers of the towns. If you do, you'll get a hefty fine. So, when setting out to visit one, scout out ahead of time where you will park. They've all got parking lots nearby, marked with blue signs with a white P. A few might be free, but most require payment, and the process for paying it varies from lot to lot.  As we walked from the parking lot into the town, we were greeted with these beautiful views of the Tuscan hills. We were hoping to beat the tourist buses, but even by around 10:00 on a Sunday in early April, there were lots of people. San Gimignano is a medieval town that is known for its many towers. 14 of the original 72 (!) are st...
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The Lowes Go To Italy...Again (Day 1)

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Welcome to our online travel scrapbook! I love to travel, and I love to write about it after we're home so that I can relive it again and again. I love the way travel opens my perspectives on the world and the people who live in it. I love seeing history come to life. I have made a hobby of planning potential trips down to the last detail, most of which I'll never actually take, but even planning them is exciting. I also write to help those who may be planning similar trips and want a realistic account. I am not a 20-something influencer in a romantic, billowy dress trying to sell the products sponsoring me; I'm just a real-life woman in her 50s who loves to travel!  My sweet mother passed away in October. I'm an only child, and it was hard. My dad is in excellent health at 87 and doesn't require the level of help she did, so the possibility of travel opened up again. I decided that, on her birthday, I could be home and sad, or somewhere fabulous, so I started resea...
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