It's been quite a whirlwind of Tuscan hill towns, medieval and renaissance art, Medici's, churches, piazzas and walled cities. The red-tiled houses, stone walls and towers are a constant part of the landscape. We've had lovely days, and days that felt like we were spinning our wheels a bit. We are actually missing work, believe it or not! We had to take some time to regroup and make some different plans for after our days in lovely Italy come to an end. But for now, we've been able to let the architecture and history of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance seep into our souls.
Our Tuscany Hill Town Tour: We broke down and rented a car in Florence because we longed to get out of a city and into the hills. We spent 4 days at a 4th generation winery in Chianti. From there we visited: San Gimangiano (I might have spelled that incorrectly), the town of towers; Volterra, a lovely, ancient walled city; Sienna, and Lucca. They all had roman ruins, and/or Etruscan ruins, as well, showing the layering of cultures and passing of time. Even today, each town seemed to have its own flavor and specialties. I especially love those tiny winding streets! We pondered the effort it took to built and protect such walls and towers, and what being surrounded by walls might do to a culture. What will be layered on top of our buildings and walls?
While on a drive around to smaller hill towns, we stopped at an old abbey, now owned privately. We happened to get there right in time for a tour. The tour guide was lovely, and we found it so interesting to learn about the history of this small abbey, who's monks brought the Sanviovese (spelling?) grape to Chianti. But also, what did they store in their safe? SALT, of course (we've learned a lot about the importance of salt on this trip)! This, we learned, is why in Tuscana, they don't bake their bread with salt--because those darn Pisans charged so much for salt. The monks, however, were well off, and had plenty of salt of their own. We also got to see an invention of Leonardo da Vinci...a flour sifter. Very cool! It was interesting to learn that the first private owner was Jewish and was deported to a concentration camp during WWII. He survived, and his family still owns and runs the winery.
During much of our trip in Italy, we have sought out the works of Michelangelo Buonoroti. We have seen his paintings, architectural achievements, and of course, sculptures. So, we could not be this close to Carrara and not see the marble quarries where he obtained much of his stone. We had to arrange a guide because the area is really not set up for tourists. We had the nicest tour guide, Nicola, who met us and drove us around to various points of interest. We learned the history of Carrara, saw tiny quarry towns, and saw the mountains being carved for their marble. It was the perfect way to cap off our study of Michelangelo!
I am now sitting on the roof of a hotel in Pisa, as the Torre Pendantare fades into the evening sky. It is something else to see the Leaning Tower, even though we've seen it so many times in pictures etc. I tried to drop a golf ball and a bowling ball off the top, but the guards stopped me just as I was about to let go! DARN! So much for the science part of the curriculum! Maybe we'll try again, but we'll be sneakier. We send our love and best wishes to you all! Love, Shana, Jon and Jeremiah
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