So glad to be back online in our "home away from home". We found ourselves greatly disabled without the internet in our apartment over the past 4 days. My lesson learned is to print out more of our travel arrangements and info than I had. Had to do all our communications with family in internet cafes, which usually were smokey and noisy at the time we could talk (10pm or later our time here). We have found that Face Time has worked great, so we've enjoyed tal...

No blogs for several days owing to an Internet outage--seems our landlord's modem fell down and couldn't get up. Spent a few evenings at the local bar using their wifi mostly to stay in touch with family. But it hasn't slowed down our touring. Day before yesterday we were in Ravenna, a small town south of Venice, with the most beautiful mosaics we have ever seen, covering the walls and ceilings of medieval churches. These works date from the 5th and 6th centu...

We're doing well. Em & Jon left for Venice yesterday, after spending 4 days with us. Lots of fun! We've been doing plenty of Florence stuff, like eating pasta and gelato, drinking Chianti, and visiting museums and other beautiful sights. Amazingly, I don't feel like I've gained weight -- even with pasta or pizza on a daily basis. It's probably because we've been doing a ton of walking and the portions are much smaller and more sensible. I'm more concerned abo...

We were sad to see Emily and Jon leave yesterday afternoon--no more family until we get home. They were with us for 4 days of visiting, shopping, eating and drinking. I especially enjoyed the morning Jon and I climbed the hills behind our apartment to reach San Miniato al Monte and got panoramic views of the city. Our days now are alternating between sun and rain with temps in the mid 50s. So great to have so many days at our disposal. When it rains we j...

Florence is beginning to feel more like home. A fruit stand near the Porta Romana sells my favorite apples, vibrant green ruccola for salads and sweet Sicilian mandarins for snacks. The Centro market down the street satisfies our needs for staples. Our backyard is the Bobolli Gardens, the Medici's playground, a warren of clipped hedges, stone pathways, Roman sculptures and fountains covering 11 acres. We are told that Cosimo Medici's wife, Elenora di Toledo, ...