Tuscany/ Florence

We left Venice and drove a few more hours to arrive at our Tuscan village in Volterra, Italy.  We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at this lovely house, the kids were not very happy that it was too cold to swim but they had fun with the animals.  The landscape was gorgeous with the hills and vineyards all around (more pics later).

We arrived there on Drake's birthday and Claudia (the daughter of the owners)  had brought wine, juice, and a freshly-made Italian cake from their restaurant in Volterra and set it all up in our apartment before we got there.  It was extremely nice and the cake was warm and delicious!

The BIG 6 year old!!

We got to celebrate again when we went to their restaurant in Volterra that night.

It was such a great meal and they didn't mind that we were a little underdressed.  Claudia had said she would make reservations for us at their restaurant, I just didn't know that it was kind of fancy.  But they didn't mind at all and most the people in there all knew Claudia and were underdressed as well.  

The next day we had a great lunch in Volterra and then headed back to have a wine tasting at our villa.  Everything that that family does and they still have time to produce wine!  They work constantly!

They also make their own meats.  We got to try some with the tasting and they were great!

FLORENCE

We were happy to get the chance to visit Florence.  Preslee had a great school field trip here last May and we have been wanting to go back with her.  Although, mostly she just remembered where her hotel was (by the Disney Store) and where they bought gelato.  She did also remember the spot where she had found out that her camera and money were gone :(  The best part about Florence was that we got to spend the day with the Vastine family!  The kids love to hang out together and so do the adults :)

The first thing we saw as we were walking into Florence was the Duomo of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (Cathedral of St Mary of the Flower).  This is probably (after the David) the most visited spot in Florence and the reason is because of the dome created by architect Brunelleschi.  You can walk up the dome and get a view of the city and see the architecture up close.  Of course, it was closed the day we were there so we did not get to climb the 463 steps to the top.  Not sure how we would have done that with the baby, but I was bummed.

We saw the dome of the Church of San Lorenzo on way to meet the Vastine crew.

We found the Vastines and the first stop was feeding these kids!  More pizza please!

Back to the cathedral with happy kids...except one.  She has started to completely ignore anyone who is taking her pic if she doesn't want it taken...stinker!

The inside was beautiful of course..but felt a little empty.

Lighting their candles

The Last Judgement 

Piazza della Repubblica

Palazzo Vecchio...was once a town hall and is again where the mayor and council offices are, but in between that time it was Medici'd personal palace.   It contains artwork of Michelangelo and Donatello.  It also has a fake David at the entrance.  The real one was here until the 19th century, moved for it's own protection.

Fake David..I guess it's not fake but it's not the original :)

Ponte Vecchio....most famous bridge in Florence lined with lots of shopping.

BFFs

Trying to get a pic of Drake being still is very complicated

The Vastines!
Thomas, Chris, Wendy, and Allison

The real David.  Yes, this is an illegal photo...but everyone was taking pics!!  Even the lady who yelled at us for taking pics took one on her phone.  It is a massive statue and is amazing to see in person.  David is from the story "David and Goliath."  I could have looked at him all day (because it's a very nice sculpture:)) but with the kids, no such luck!

Santa Croce Church....holds the tombs of some great Florentines such as Galileo and Michelangelo

The view of Ponte Vecchio bridge.  

We found a bubble man!  We were making a very long trek (some uphill) to reach Piazzale Michelangelo for the best view of Florence and saw bubbles along the way.  The kids had a blast!

Very old bridge

Some sludgy turtles under the bridge.  I thought they were fake at first

We finally made it and the view was magnificent!  I liked Florence much better from up here!

Proof that Gran was there!

The kids had the most fun of the day (aside from the bubbles) in the parking lot!

I think I spot a grumpy cat

Florence was great to visit.  It was nice to see the David and the Vastines, but it definitely wasn't one of my favorite places.  It was very overcrowded with buildings to me....I like more open space I guess.  It's a great place to go if you love art and museums...with 4 kids, that is not on the top of the list!

She was pooped!