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, ...

Though cloudy and misty, the Tuscan hills are as beautiful as we remember them. Weaving through tiny villages, we encounter sights across the valleys that make us feel like little has changed in the 8 years since we were here. A stop at the gelatoria in Castellina in Chianti seals the memory. On to Radda where we stop for lunch--salamis, prosciuttos, ribolleta (bread soup), spaghetti (jumbo girth) with red sauce, bruschetta,wine. And then to the Verrazano Win...

What a delight to have Julie & Eileen join us for a week in Florence. Eileen's knowledge of and enthusiasm about speaking Italian has been a big plus. Julie can fluently ask for a glass of red wine. We've wandered all over Florence together sampling the amazing Tuscan food, browsing in the stalls, and taking in the sights around every corner. Eileen remembered a friend she and Bridget had made who runs a leather store in Florence. We accidentally came ac...