Zurers in Italy 2009

Journals

Itinerary April 15 2009 - May 14 2009
Zurer - Spring 2009, April 15 2009 - May 14 2009
Day 1: Rome
We are back in Italy again......and feeling pretty good. We will be here for most of a month....here is our itinerary.
Day 2: Rome
Our first morning in Rome starts out bright and sunny. I have some work to do after breakfast so we don’t get out of the hotel until almost 11 am. Our first destination is the Giotto show at the Victor Emmanuel Monument (Vittoriano).
Day 3: Rome
The weather is somewhat iffy after we eat breakfast so I take the opportunity to do some errands. First stop is the local TIM (telephone store) to purchase some credits for the “internet key” that I borrowed from Franco and Maureen.
Day 4: Rome-San Quirico d'Orcia
Last morning in Rome....very overcast with a threat of rain. Since it is Sunday, the traffic limitations barring driving without authorization into the center are not in force so I can go and pick up the rental car and drive it back to the hotel, making it easier just to load the bags directly into the car.
Day 5: San Quirico d'Orcia
Our first morning in the apartment…..I go out to buy some rolls for breakfast (we had stopped last evening at the grocery store in town for staples–butter, cheese, jam, coffee, tea, etc.). The weather looks promising…some overcast but with patches of blue in the sky.
Day 6: San Quirico d'Orcia
Not such a pretty day this morning….overcast with the threat of rain. We have our breakfast in the apartment and I am happy to have a few big cups of drip coffee along with our rolls, butter, strawberries and fabulous ricotta cheese from the local producer who has a store around the corner from us.
Day 7: San Quirico
The sky is mixed this morning……lots of clouds but patches of blue visible. I take my morning circuit around San Quirico d’Orcia–walking on the roads inside the wall and then up and down the main street a couple of times, a quick pass through the Horti Leoni and back home–about 35 minutes. When it is sunny and bright, the walk is extremely pleasant…the sun playing on the stone buildings and the beautiful views from the ramparts; when the weather is less clement, the walk is still pleasant.
Day 8: San Quirico
Very blue sky this morning…..on my morning stroll, I enjoy taking pictures of the town bathed in sunlight.
Day 9: San Quirico d'Orcia
A very dreary morning in San Quirico d'Orcia–very cool and overcast and a definite threat of rain. The first order of business after breakfast is to get the broken computer (it hasn't healed itself overnight) to the computer repair person in Castiglione d'Orcia.
Day 10: San Quirico d’Orcia
The sun is out and shining brightly this morning…..it is Liberation Day, the holiday commemorating when the Allies liberated Italy from the Germans.
Day 11: San Quirico d'Orcia
The weather has regressed this morning……very overcast and threatening. We spend a slow morning around the apartment and I take a walk around town which is pretty busy with day trippers in spite of the dreary weather.
Day 12: San Quirico d'Orcia
Weather continues to be iffy…..the morning is very overcast but there are glimmers of blue sky and sun–but it may be we are just being teased.
Diana is feeling a bit better this morning and it is a pretty drive to Chiusi on the valley road to pick up Marian and Karlie.
Day 13: San Quirico d'Orcia
Our last full day in southern Tuscany and the weather is…..uncertain. There are tantalizing patches of blue peeking through the overcast.
Day 14: San Quirico d'Orcia-Florence
The sun is shining brightly this morning…..grrrrr. I take my last morning walk around the town.
Day 15: Florence-Pietrasanta
We sleep well in the sumptuous surroundings. Breakfast is surprisingly limited for such a luxurious place and the service was slow. If the weather had been a bit warmer, we could have taken breakfast on the beautiful terrace but, while sunny, it was still cool.
Day 16-18: Pietrasanta
NOTE: In the interests of catching up with our trip before we get back, I am posting one report for our three days in Pietrasanta.
The hotel is wonderful…almost perfect.
Diana's Reading List
Some of you have wondered what I've read this trip, so here goes:
Day 19: Pietrasanta-Sesto Calende
Another beautiful day in Pietrasanta….we take our last walk around town stopping to buy a piece of parmigiano-reggiano that our friends in Sweden requested.