We started our beat the line tour of the Academie museum with Hillaria at 11:15 where we stood in the “no line line up” for 45 min before heading In to see 5 Michelangelo statues. \240Starting with the prisoners which were a favorite. \240

We learned how Michelangelo would choose his slabs of marvel and without using models or screeches and with using only three tools uncover to soul within the marble. \240He felt it was like the soul being trapped inside the human body and that it was perfect. \240These prisoner statues were never completed and you can see how in this one the head is still inside the marble . \240Incredible how he felt he was the tool of God unearthing what was already there.

Then we finally saw the famed David which looks perfect but we learned was purposefully imperfect because Michelangelo felt only God could make something perfect. \240We capture this first glimps

We then went to the San Lorenzo market for lunch and had the most amazing charcuterie board

Then found a tasting of the fameouss Sassacia wine for a mere 20 E for one quarter of a glass! \240Verdict : lost on us.

Our next stop was a walk around the Duomo with a coffee/gelato stop. \240Then a quick change to get ready for dinner where we had wood fired pizzas and Chianti..

Then it was to the Opera! The opera was La Traviata and the venue and orchestra were if the best in the world. \240Our tour guide from earlier in the day was working there and gave us some history of the building. \240We had the full Italian opera experience

And now we are greatful for the full day and settled in bed in our very centrally located , slightly quirky and a bit smelly apartment! \240

Duomo in the distance

We met our food tour at 11:30 and walked the streets through the San Lorenzo market (again) and had a taste of some delicious lemon ravioli. \240We tasted some very subtle truffle oils and aged balsamic. \240We headed for some typical Tuscan dishes and ended with the most insanely delicious pestachio gelato. \240

After naps our energy picked up and we did some Instagram super model shots on the Ponte Vecchio. \240Needless to say we had some good laughs with these shots

Followed by a walk through some of the beautiful back streets

And of course some #newshoes shots

After our long walk we settled into some Aperol spritz by the water and then to a dinner of shared pastas and wine. \240Hitting the sack in prep for a day at the Uffuzi and setting sail for our next leg- Siena and the Val d’Orca

We had a magical day today. \240It started early with an 8:15 meet up our Context travel tour guide. Her knowledge of the museum and the masterpieces was impressive and left the four of us wanting to do deep dives into the Medici family and Renaissance history. \240

The Birth of Venus

Michelangelo’s Doni Madonna. \240Completed right before he did the Sistine chapel and is his only completed \240panel painting.

It was a super quick turnaround to get our bags and check out if our most adorable and perfectly located Florence apartment to get our rental car and head to the country. \240Carly did an awesome job of safely getting us out of city traffic and touring is to a winery called Villa Medicea Di Liliano. \240This stop was why today was magic. \240We had no expectations and when we went to the side entrance the sweet owner offered to service us lunch of meet and cheese and wine on their terrace. \240When we got up there we were alone with only one table and a view that spanned a million miles. As we wound our way through a courtyard with a carriage and fountain up stairs to a deck that made us all gasp with our first real view of Tuscany.

With full bellies we headed back to the car when we spotted a truck full of grapes ready to do it’s dump. \240The workers let us watch and gave us a sample of their Sangiovese grapes. \240Small, sweet, seedy.

Watching the auger didn’t it’s job..

Our grape model Carly!

And olive groves as far as you can see

We headed to Greve next to check out the town and found some Borghese Rose so we had a break and a cheers to our luck. Greve is the center of the world for Chianti and it was surreal to be there. Recognize this rooster?

Olive art shot

Then we left to find our place overlooking the Val d’Orcia and we were glad to settle in for the night

We had a collective sigh at the look of this infinit pool for us. \240It was pretty hot today, about 25-27 so the look of this is delicious.

Our new home for four days is well stocked. \240We stopped at a market and got some groceries and are eating in tonight. \240As I type Jill and Lorraine are pulling something yummy out of the oven

Shoukd sleep well tonight!

Day 4- Montelcino

We had a slow morning with late sleeps and coffee at our new place. \240By noon we were headed down the hill and to Montelcino which we all agreed was the cutest village we’ve ever seen. The town is fameous for its Brunello wine which we learned is 100% Sangiovese grapes and is the cradle of wine production in the region with 200 wineries that grew from 30 in the 1960s. \240The town was full of wine tasting shops, restaurants and windey streets

We had a delicious lunch then made our way to the fort and poked in plenty of shops along the way. \240Had coffees and headed home.

We even found Mike Varrin’s favorite wine..at 400 E per bottle we thought it was a bit much for dinner..

Our drive home was beautiful and the Minish girls made us a dinner of pesto ravioli, Mellon and prosciutto, caprese salad, green salad with figs..and an organic wine Carly found in Montelcino.

We are now tucked in bed and ready for San Gimignano tomorrow!

And just some added extra photos

More supermodel shots

Carly is rockin it but I know...I look dead...was trying for the bored look!

Today we ventured an hour west of our air bnb to the gorgeous hill top town of San Gimignano (we still aren’t sure how to pronounce it). \240A walled town built in the 1100s which saw its heyday in the 1300s. \240The town was physically beautiful which is why it was also full of tourists. \240We found a great place for pizza and our first beers of the trip. \240Then we did some great shopping for pecorino cheese, Italian tablecloths, clothing and the cutest souvenir for little Scarlett.

(I think we nearly bought this place out)

After a few hours of poking around we stopped for gelato o’clock and it truely was in an award winning shop. Specifically, my pistachio was over the top good and mom had this deep rich chocolate that was amazing.

When our shopping bags were full we left town and headed to Our next stop which was an olive oil tasting in a nearby vineyard

Super tempting to buy 50E bottles of olive oil but we decided no..

We sampled delicious oils and vinegars with the view of the towers of the hilltop village. A dream come true for Jilly...

Finally it was home in time for a sunset swim in our pool

Followed by a pasta carbonara cooking class by In our \240kitchen wiith our own personal chef! Beware for this dish to be on heavy rotation at my house for the next long while!

I’m late doing my journal tonight because of the amazing conversation we had over the local white wine celebrating the life of Elaine. \240Lots of memories about her life and last days (how David cut his hair when he came to see her in the hospital), her life as a musician, her move from Vancouver to Swan, that had me especially in tears. \240Jill said her mom \240always wished she would have seen Tuscany and hoped Jill would one day see it. \240We felt her with us tonight and Jill made a lovely toast in her honor..🍾❤️..

Tomorrow is day 6 and we are all feeling like a chilled out day at the pool is in order...so we’ve postponed our Siena day in favor of pool day...

But our real mission for today was Bidteka..a 1kilo Tuscan steak. And...mission accomplishiato

We had the authentic Italian experience with no English and an attempt to use our google translate on the menu. \240Carly was first to try the steak and her first words were “holy shit you guys”...so, that’s how it went down. \240Accompanied by some Brunello from Montepulciano and our dreams came true.

After lunch we did a walk if the town stopping to take some classic tourist \240shots of doors and Churches before heading back to the villa

Once at the Villa we decided between naps and a pool party. \240The Instagram models and photographers came out again at the pool so here ya go (our pool party series)

Insta models

We then pulled tougher the leftover Bisteka along with a an amazing peach and arugula salad and some organic unfiltered “fruit forward” wine and we are having an early night. \240It’s Sunday after all. \240Tomorrow is a big day as we check out and head northwest to Lucca. \240We got our Flytographer photos today so I’ll do a new separate entry with those pics..

Mom and I tucked into bed...g’night

Today we checked out of the Crete Senesi house and moved north. \240Our first stop was the beautiful vibrant town of Siena . \240We had some good laughs on the drive as google maps was taking us on the bike path I’m sure to get us to the city...our instincts were to not listen to google but even though it was definitely not the main road to the town. We saw some interesting sites along the way. \240In Siena we had cappuccinos overlooking the Piazza del Campo

Mom read to us the history of the square from our trusted Rick Steves guidebook where she read that it was the only square where people lay out like they are on a beach...so of course the Instagram models showed up and

.

We saw the beautiful fountain of joy or fountain of the world where in the early 1400s they built a system of aqueducts to bring potable water to the city center..(us in the first photo us in front of this fountain)

We were them off to Lucca which was about another hour from Siena. \240We arrived into yet another town with towers but this one is different with a rampart surrounding the inner city. \240We made our way to the center pizza, which was not a square but completely round. \240

Pano attempt at a round plaza. \240We had lunch here where mom and Carly had porchetta.

We then found the Guinigi tower where we went up 232 steps to get the view of the city. The interesting thing about the tower is the oak trees growing on top. \240Originally the Mitch was just below the top so the rooftop was a rooftop garden for the kitchen. \240I honestly think the view was straight out of the fame of thrones scene where the the dragon burned the city to pieces. \240

We poked through a few more shops until we made our way to our new BnB. \240Bill and Johnny are our hosts and they are over the top hospitable. \240They are in their late 60s and American and this is their retirement. They love it because they don’t pay property tax and pay only 1.50e for wine. \240The evening was a bit off speed for us. \240Mom is getting a cold so the three of us got her in bed then went to the pharmacy for decongestants and losenges. \240We made her tea and a snack and got her to bed. \240Carly and Jill left me to care for mom and ventured out to a restaurant that Bill recommended that was” close”. Problem was his directions were off and Carlys phone was out of data and the GPS didn’t work so after a six point turn in a super tight laneway, some stressed out shouting and near tears, they turned back without ever finding the place. \240But then, they couldn’t find home so they were out in the dark for about an hour lost and trying to remember where to go. \240 They finally made it back, hungry...so thankfully Bill left out some oranges for them to eat.

Our plan tomorrow is to suit up and head to the Mediterranean Sea...a town called Forte Dia Marmi..where the Rich and fameous play. We should for right in!

Porchetta lunch

Where you are supposed to tie up your horse in Siena

Another great day in the books. \240We woke up about 9 and went down for breakfast made by John and Bill. \240They had croissants and fruit with yogurt and a big pot of coffee. We then packed our bathing suits and headed 1 hour north to La Spezia . It was our intention to go the Forest dia Marmi today but Bill talkednus out of it saying it’s dead after summer. \240We drove by Carrera marble factories and were stunned and the blocks we saw waiting to be shipped away..

In La Spezia \240we circled around roundabouts, drove ost cruise ships and slid effortlessly into a parallel parking spot near the train station. \240We caught the 11:45 to Monterossa with some help from the experienced Italian train taker..mom. \240She helped us find the right platform and guided us on and we were off

Jill and mom reading the train platform info..

We cruised down the coast by train to the northern most town Monterossa. \240Clearly a picturesque town where it was hard to stop taking photos. \240The scenery was spectacular.

We found a perfect sea side restaurant where we enduged in a mixed seafood grill with lemonchello spritz. \240We couldn’t stop taking photos of this either

We has swordfish, Tuna, Seabass and shrimp and dedicated the meal to Uncle Macs birthday..

We were so full and happy after lunch and literally pinched ourselves as we actually didn’t think we’d make it to cinque terra. \240It was on the list but we thought it might be too far and too much to see in a day. But we got there. Some happy girls

After lunch we changed into our bathing suits and went to the spot right in front of the restaurant for a dip in the sea. \240The water was so bouyant and warm it made it easy to enjoy. \240The weather was perfect. \240About 24 and clear skies...warm enough to be a bit hot so the water cooled us off. \240

And just for Ian’s benefit and because it’s fun...we did some color palates of the stones we found..

This represented the four of us!

We changed back with the intent to head to the next town south ; Vernazza. There were quite a lot of people on the platform to get on the train and when it stopped it was a pushing match to get on so we kind of felt we had to get on. After we made it on,mom thought to check that in fact, we were headed to Vernazza but were told the train was going to Milan! \240Yikes ! \240We hustled off in time and boarded the next train. \240When we got off in Vernazza we noticed a long line up waiting to get onto the train platform so we bailed on the town as it was already getting late in the day. \240We boarded again and made our way to the car and then back to our home in Lucca.

We walked to a small pizza place in town where the same mamma who is 87 is still making the pizzas. \240We are getting deeper in our conversation topics 8 days in..covering things like Spencer’s trip to New Brunswick and Carly’s high school boyfriend Ryan and which of the mustard blends is cooked or not..I think we are getting pretty well aquatinted.

Now we are tucked into bed...ready for our Italian cooking class and our last day. I’ll leave you with some outakes of the day..

Today we did Antonias cooking lesson- the highlight of the vacation for chef Jill. \240We met \240Monica in Lucca to go to the market to buy groceries (sausage, foccacia, ricotta) then drove to Antonias house . \240She was the chef and a licensed chef of the region of Tuscany and was with her interpreter. \240The day was spent with these three women learning secrets like removing the heart of the garlic before using it, and pouring a quarter bottle of red into your pasta sauce for flavor!

Checking on the crostini

Antonia the chef...

We started with Bruchetta where we learned to use cherry tomatoes and dice it up waaaay smaller than we thought. \240We moved to make the bolognaise sauce and while it was simmering, we had appetizers. They served peccerino and ricotta with green tomato jam, a sort of chestnut honey that was a brand new flavor for me! \240And the farro salad, foccacia, salamies, prochuitto, chicken liver pate(too rich for me) and home made olives. \240All with white and red wine..delicious is an understatement

We were already full but soldiered through the pasta. Macaroni, which was nothing like macaroni..a flat square pasta which she put into the tomato sauce and cooked further .

After this course we had a pana cotta and carmelized pear with melted chocolate \240desert. \240Followed by biscotti and sweet wine and a shot of lemonchello and vanilla cream .

Our little Jilly was in heaven...this was her wheelhouse for sure and the rest of us enjoyed seeing her so happy. \240I mostly enjoyed watching Carly become visibly more and more uncomfortable until I could see in her eyes how full she was...literally her eyes were watering she was so full. \240I looked over at her only to have her look back with desperate eyes saying “I’m struggling over here”. Which was exact how much was feeling..I have always experienced full as a feeling but today you could see it in our faces..I’m not kidding .

The class was great. \240The space was full of old old cooking tools and was perfect for us.

After class we rolled into the car and went to Lucca to have one final shop. \240Carly got a bag and I got a sweater and Jill got a scarf and mom a leather wallet.

We made it home to our BnB and had happy hour with our very generous and entertaining hosts and we told stories of their nightmare house guest and famous people they met in Hawaii (FYI-Steve Martin is boring).

We have checked into our flights and are feeling full in belly and spirits with how well this trip has gone. \240So much variety of experience and sites for the eyes. Not to mention the new strong bond we created for ourselves and our families. \240Mom and I were talking about how well we all got along and how easy things were. Travel worth four can be challenging sometimes but this group was a cohesive team with quick decisions and driving and navigating and visiting . \240A once in a lifetime unforgettable experience for us all..