London and Tuscany

 In the Countryside near Cortona: The Pilates Retreat.  October 5-12 There are Ten participants from various parts of the USA here to enjoy pilates mat classes taught by Page Sieffert...my darling daughter! I've followed her, not just to her home in Costa Rica, but all over the world to participate in these retreats. Each year I find myself impressed with the places we are living for the week. The food, the facility,  the owners. Each with their own story and this place is no different.  It is magical even in the chill that has decended upon us. There is a spa that warms the chill from the bones and soothes sore muscles from travel or pilates classes. The food is delicious and different each evening.  There is always a cat to greet us and a fire to warm the dining room.  Monday...yesterday,  we went on a truffle hunt with a seasoned hunter and his dogs. I had conjured up scenes in my head of mud slicked hills. We'd be tromping up the hills and getting ...

 Friday,  October 5th Tuscany at it's best: Countryside and Pienza After a few days of rain we found sun. The rolling hills sparkled in various green and yellow hues. Homes made out of stone, old brick, wood shutters, wearing red tile crowns stood like statues on top of hills. Italian Cypress trees lined dirt paths that curved around to the homes. Grape arbors  followed the curves of the earth.  We stopped at a winery that is as popular for it's winding Cypress tree lane as it is for the wine. The views from the terrace were spectacular and seemingly endless. As we headed back down the lane we had to take care to avoid hitting tourists taking "iconic" selfies amongst the trees. Cars were stacked up along the road waiting their turn at the "perfect" photo shot.  Pienza is my favorite old village thus far. The stone and brick architecture is lovely. Then there's window boxes of greenery or autum flowers spilling out and cascading over like water falls. The...

 Wednesday, October 2nd Rain In The Forecast We left Simione, the cute tiny town that stretches into lake Garda, late morning. We got lucky and had no rain during our visit there. But soon the heavens opened and as we headed toward Verona,  Liana checked off a bucket list must-see, we took a break for pizza, and then we were off to Pistoia, to our agro-hotel for the night.  In Italy there are Agriturismo Hotels.  Usually it is in a farm-rural setting; an Air B&B in the country-side. Often the food served is from the farm to table and each place has their niche.  Our Agri-hotel did not serve dinner.  However, there was an organic restaurant a short walk away. It was a relatively warm evening and the rain had stopped. I loved this restaurant.  They agreed to open an hour early to accommodate our need to eat before 8pm as we were tired, sick with head colds, and needed sleep. The restaurant was lovely. This was an organic farm to table with a beautifu...

 September 30th It Must Be Lake Garda, Italy September 30-October2nd Today we traveled the autostrada (freeway) to Lake Garda which it north east of Milan. Because we toured Lake Maggoire into the late afternoon, we didn't arrive until just before sunset. We had dinner in our hotel's restaurant The Meander Hotel with a fantastic view of the lake.  Garda is the largest lake in Italy. Homes and hotels are set high into rocky cliffs surrounding the lake. Roads are winding, narrow and with many roundabouts but nothing like those on the Amalfi coast. To get from town to town one could go by ferry or take to the road through several tunnels through the mountains.  On our first day there we went north and visited two small, cute villages that are built at sea level. At one we conquered a castle and at another we enjoyed lunch outside as the sun peaked through the clouds and warmed us after a chilly morning. We decided to shop at a local grocery store and have a light dinner in o...

 The Lake Region: Three days of Castles and Medieval Villages Liana is fluent in Italian and driving a stick shift in Italy. She has the necessary skills that it takes to drive in a foreign country, no fear and previous experiences driving these roads.  I can sit back and enjoy the scenery which is lovely.  On Sunday, September 27th, we left Milan and headed to lake Maggiore just northwest of Milan. This lake is the second largest in Italy and is located just south of the Alps. It shares a portion of the lake with Switzerland.  There are several  Islands within the lake. That just a few inhabitants.  We took a ferry to visit Isola Bella. It is a small piece of land where , in the 1500's, Prince Borromeos built his castle as a summer home. He brought his bride, raised children and grew into old age. The enormity of this "home" is difficult to describe.  It is quite plain on the facade and very ornate and opulent in it's interior.  There are multipl...

 Milano: Warm, beautiful Day! September 28, 2024 It was wonderful to enjoy Milan on a warm day after the chill and rain of London. Even though it was the end of September it felt like summer and the crowds were also in proportion to a busy tourist season which we thought we'd avoided.  At times we felt like salmon going up stream to spawn. And yet, we enjoyed our time in the city immensely.   Being the fashion capital of Italy, Milan is home to trendy high end stores along with H&M, Zara, Mango, and Max Mara. We just had to "browse " to check out the current fashion trends. And yes,  some items were purchased. Nothing with labels or high-end.  Famished from shopping fatigue,  we found a pretty outdoor restaurant that featured delicious pizza that went down easily with a glass of white wine. I am finding that food and especially wine prices are very reasonable. A glass of delicious white was 5 Euros.  We walked the city, found a castle built in...