Travel Tripz » Italy

Chianti Wine Road: Tuscan Villas, Towns and Landscapes

Guest Author — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 04:25:14 +0000

The Chianti region in Tuscany, Italy was already world-famous during the past centuries. British and German Romantic writers, Goethe among many others, discovered here a piece of natural beauty. Gently guided by the hard working hands of countrymen who reclaimed many hectares of woods to create a patchwork of combed cultivated fields, the natural landscape has ever since been the main asset of Tuscany. And the terroir of Chianti, with its distinctive asperities, is among the most suggestive of all Tuscan views. However, the word Chianti unavoidably evokes the homonym wine produced on this land. The very first wine to...

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The Boboli Gardens

traveltripz — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 23:41:00 +0000

After taking in the sights on the Ponte Vecchio we arrived at the Pitti Palace and the majestic Boboli Gardens. These beautiful formal gardens are situated behind the Pitti Palace which was the property of the Medici family. This stunningly beautiful palace is the 2nd largest museum in Florence. The gardens cover and area approx 45,000 metres and include statues from the 16 and 17th century. There are many areas where you can sit and relax before continuing on your stroll through the many twists an turns. I have read a number of reviews about the gardens and some have not been very encouraging saying they are...

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A Day in Florence

traveltripz — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:23:00 +0000

We are so excited to be here in Florence so we rise early and head down to partake of a very tasty buffet breakfast. Everything, as usual in Italy, is cooked to perfection, proscuitto, eggs – scrambled, poached and fried, an assortment of cheeses, breads, jams, little Italian sausages and fresh tomatoes gently grilled to perfection. The breakfast room is abuzz with tourists from many countries all quickly downing a hearty feed before setting off for an exciting day of exploring. Our first stop is the Ponte Vecchio on our way to the Pitti Palace of the Medici’s and the...

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Back in Florence

traveltripz — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 06:57:00 +0000

We arrive back at the hotel and park the car. It looks so tiny in the parking space when we look down at it from our hotel room window. There is il negozio di alimentari (grocery store) just down the road from our hotel so we set off to buy some food for dinner and lunch the next day. It reminds me very much of the corner shop from my childhood. The air is filled with the aroma of food and hessian sacks. It doesn’t take long to make our decision as there isn’t a great deal of variety, so...

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San Gimignano – The City of Towers

traveltripz — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 01:52:00 +0000

So here we are at San Gimignano, the City of Towers. During the medieval times, rich families who lived in the Italian walled towns would erect high towers to compete with rich families in other towns. Apart from being a status symbol, the tower would serve as lodgings and fortresses. In cities such as Florence most of the towers no longer exist because of wars or urban renewal. San Gimignano has saved thirteen towers of varying heights and it is for these towers that San Gimignano is well known. Wherever you walk in these ancient towns, there are really interesting...

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Mid Morning in Siena, Italy

traveltripz — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 06:19:00 +0000

After strolling around the streets, well hardly a stroll really as the place is very hilly, so it was more like – after mountain climbing up and down the narrow, uneven cobbled streets, we crossed the piazza to enter the beautiful Duomo. This stunning building is Gothic in design except for the Romanesque style Campanile. The floor is etched and inlaid marble is one of the most impressive in all of Italy. Most of the floor is generally covered and only fully on display at certain times of the year. The Duomo houses many outstanding examples of Tuscan Art and...

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Carnevale in Venice

traveltripz — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 06:07:00 +0000

I came upon this video on youtube.com and I thought that the piece was really done well, so I have included it here for your enjoyment. The clip is about Venice during Carnevale and the music fits very well with the clip.

On to Siena & the Beautiful Siena Duomo

traveltripz — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 00:55:00 +0000

Italy is easy to navigate around and it was no time before we reached the city of Siena. Firstly we drove into the city as far as was allowed and then realized that we would have to park outside the city limits, so we drove back out to find a park. Of course the only spot available was on a hill and we had to reverse park, something neither of us are keen on at the best of times. Remembering that we are doing this in reverse to how we usually park because everything is on the opposite side of...

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A Gondola Ride Up The Canals of Venice

traveltripz — Tue, 15 May 2007 12:10:00 +0000

To quickly orientate ourselves with Venice we went on a walking tour. Part of the walking tour included a ride on the public gondola. We thoroughly recommend that you do this walking tour. Our guide pointed out the different styles of architecture in Venice as it had developed over the years, showing the influence in style of whichever political sphere of influence Venice was under at the time of building. We also visited a church that had magnificent tombs and paintings by Giovanni Bellini and Titan. All to soon it was time for us to take a trip on one...

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