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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 th...
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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 historic sites in person and the enhanced understanding that provides.  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 researching possibilities. Her birthday fell on the first Saturday of my spring break, but I wasn't sure Kevin would be able to take off, and so my first plans were for a solo trip. I finally settled on Florence. We visited Rome (and Pompeii and Venice) in 2019, and my confidence about navigating Italy was pretty high. I planned to tour Florence and either take th...
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