Website “Discovertuscany.com for schedule of events in September
Tuesday Aug 31st Depart Ohare and Arrive in Italy on Monday Sept 1st. For Debbie and myself this will be Florence FLR Airport. We are flying Swiss Air leaving about 7:15 pm on the 31st.
There is a layover in Zurich then on to Florence.
August 31 travel update: We find out at the last minute we need negative tests to go to Italy. Many thanks to Dan Leahy for finding this out. I was able to text Mark and Chris what he had found so they could get tests. Last second change by the Italian government. We have to use our travel kits to get the results. Kits were easy to use and we had the results with 15 minutes to spare of the limo showing up
The funny part was no one at the airport or in italy ever asked to see them. Once at the airport we get on the plane no problem. Well except for the bomb sniffing dogs catching someone at the loading ramp. We leave 40 minutes late because they have to offload these idiots and their luggage from inside the plane. We spend sometime in the Swissport lounge before lifting off. Swiss Air again doesn’t impress me. The lie flat seats have very little foot room. Zurich Airport was easy to navigate which was a good thing. Arriving late gave us only 10 minutes to spare once we changed terminals and got to the next gate. Sadly our luggage did not get to the next plane. Once in florence we waited and waited and the luggage never came. Lost and found was not a pleasant experience. 2 hour wait then the rental car shuttle bus left just as we got there. 20 minutes later the next bus shows up. 1 hour ater that we are still waiting to get our rental. Very talkative Italian man at the counter just wouldn’t shutup. Once we get inside we have our car 10 minutes later. Now driving to the Leahy rental 1 hour away. Time is 3:30 pm.
Road contruction causes a short delay but we finally arrive at the house. So good to see Mark and Chris again.
Wednesday 1st Arrive at Florence airport about 1:30 pm local time pickup the rental car and drive to the Leahy’s. There is a large grocery store at the town of Scandicci (called a COOP in Italy located at Viuzzo delle Case Nuove, 9. We will probably stop there and pick some things up. Maybe stop at a small winery and pick up some wine. Most likely we will arrive about 6:00 pm at the Leahy’s rental. The first day we will still be jet lagged so nothing planned.
Thursday 2nd Maybe still jet lagged so nothing major. I’m thinking Lucca (40 min drive). Its a small town with several wineries close by. See the list on Tuesday the 7th. Its has a wall completely around the town great for walking or biking. There is also a large botanical garden to wander thru. Napoleon thought the town was so pretty he gave it to his sister in 1805. Check out this link for other things to do. We may stop at a small local store just to get a feel for small town Italy.
Friday 3rd Florence Uffizz Gallery at least 1/2 a day here get tickets far in advance. Early Access Guided tour by viator $59.26 per person. Meet at the Statue di Nicoli de Pisano
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Saturday 4th Florence more museums and walking tours. Walk to the top of the famous cathedral. Maybe Le Murate art gallery. Pranziamo Trattoria Za Za. Meet for the Duomo climb here.
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Sunday 5th Free day Looks like we will do a vineyard tour with lunch and tasting with a visit to the Da Vinci museum. Very few things are open on Sunday in Italy. Uffizi Gallery is free the first Sunday of every month and will be very crowded.
Monday 6th Cinque Terre (CT) Oh Yeah! Google it. Rick Steves has a video of this on Youtube. Quaint towns and great foods. Think seafood cone. Like an ice cream cone only with seafood. You are not allowed to drive all the way there. In La Spezia there is a dedicated train just for the 5 towns of the CT. This is the starting point. Also awesome hiking trails with views of the ocean, small towns, and vineyards.
This is an Italian national park. To use the trails and train you must purchase a pass. The cost is 16€ . Click here to purchase https://card.parconazionale5terre.it/en
Several ways to get there. From the Leahy rental it’s an 1 1/2 hr drive to get to La Spezia then a 10 min train ride to Rigommore (first town in CT). Or drive to Lucca (40 min drive) and 1:30 hour train ride to La Spezia or 50 min drive to Pisa then a 1 hr train ride to La Spezia. I will probably drive since I prefer my schedule to the train schedule. It’s best to get there early to avoid crowds. It is popular with the cruise ships. I’m thinking leave the Leahy casa about 7:00 am. Parking can be found under the La Spezia Centrale Station for 2€ an hour. There are two entrances don’t forget to check both.
This is what we plan to do in a nutshell although we may not do the second hike. I stole it from full suitcase.com
Tuesday 7th Fattoria al Dotto Winery near Lucca, or/and Podere Pellicciano or Holding Buonamico winery south of the Leahy rental 30 km OK change of plans. hold the strikethrough places for alternatives. Maybe Giardino Bardino gardens or Bobili Gardens on the south bank of the Arno river In the morning. Park at Parcheggio Oltrarno Calza. This parking lot is about an 18 minute slow walk to downtown Florence. The entrance to the parking is the one on the extreme left of the Porto Romana gate. There are blue round parking signs pointing the way. The middle opening is an exit. The extreme right will have you make a u-turn around some parked cars before getting to the parking lot. The Festa della Rificolona will be taking place today. It will be a big deal since they had to cancel the one in 2020. One of the biggest festivals in Florence. Held since 1276. Thousands of paper lanterns in the night sky. Parades and kids with blowguns trying to put the lanterns out and huge farmers market the next day. I wonder if Debbie will let me get a blowgun. Possible viewing of lanterns from the south bank gardens. Park at Parcheggio Oltrarno Calza. Probably out of blowgun range.
Wednesday 8th Bologna. “The red, the fat, the wise. ” Stanley Tucci did a whole show on just Bologna. This is the deli he visited (Salumeria Simoni S.R.L.) Its a 2 hour drive to get to Bologna so we won’t do that. Instead a 45 minute drive to the tram station at Scandicci., 10 minute tram ride to Firenz SMN train station, then 38 minute bullet train which makes for a 1 hour 33 minute adventure with very little driving. I have purchased tickets online at Trenitalia for the bullet train from Florence to Bologna and back. We are also doing a tower climb (45 minutes starting at 10:45am tickets) followed (12:30 pm )by a 2 hour guided walking tour of the city (Meet guide here outside the entrance of Piazza Maggiore). I’m thinking this rather than Pisa. Two towers both taller that Pisa’s. Food capital of Italy, best cheese in the world, Moderna balsamic vinegar, oldest university in the world, well you get the idea. Things to do. Other things to do. The will most likely be a long day. Maybe leave the rental at 7:30 and get to the tram station at 8:15 Tram to Santa Marie Novella train station in Florence. Feccerosa bullet train at 9:20 to Bologna. Arrive at Bologna Centrale Station at 9:50 am. We leave Bologna at 6:00 pm
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Backup plan is Siena about an 1 hr drive to the southeast from the Leahys. Parking is a problem. ZTL’s here so be careful. Vignamaggio winery is close by and where “Much Ado about Nothing” was filmed. As an alternate plan. The Diotto celebration in Scarperia (Northeast of Florence) is basically a Renaissance fair with ancient style games.
Thursday 9th Voltera(parking outside of town) and Castello di Verrazzano are about 1 hr drive to the southeast of the rental. The Castello is a winery with tastings and lunch tours. Get tickets in advance. After the Winery on to Voltera.
Date of the visit
09/09/2021
Requested programme
The Wine & Food Experience 12.00pm visit + tasting + tasting + lunch
Appointment on spot
Please arrive 10 minutes in advance.
Name and surname
Charles Doyle
Telephone
8154740437
Email
joedeb1990@gmail.com
Summary
N. Guest
Adults: 4
Children 6-14 years: 0
Payment will be done on spot.
Friday 10th We are going to Siena. 1 hour 15 minutes away from the Leahy Rental. WARNING… WARNING…DANGER WILL ROBINSON! ZTL’S PARK OUTSIDE OF TOWN.
The following is an excerpt from Rick Steve’s guide to Tuscany
Siena was medieval Florence’s archrival. And while Florence ultimately won the battle for political and economic superiority, Siena still competes for the tourists. Sure, Florence has the heavyweight sights. But Siena seems to be every Italy connoisseur’s favorite town. In my office, whenever Siena is mentioned, someone moans, “Siena? I looove Siena!” Situated atop three hills, Siena qualifies as Italy’s ultimate “hill town.” Its thriving historic center, with movie-set lanes cascading every which way, offers Italy’s best medieval city experience. Most people visit Siena, just 35 miles south of Florence, as a day trip, but it’s best experienced at twilight. While Florence has the blockbuster museums, Siena has an easy-to-enjoy soul: Courtyards sport flower-decked wells, alleys dead-end at rooftop views, and today, even with all the tourists, a strong local spirit pervades.
Saturday 11th Flight leaves Florence 9:50 AM. Probably leave the Leahy’s around 6:00 am.
Mark and Chris Leahy are AWESOME!