Florence where the Renaissance all began

Michael and Brittany in front of Ponte Vecchio

Sun bathers along the Arno River!!!

First come first serve

Typico verdure and frutte mercato

Byzantine architecture at its finest - St Annunziata

Brilliant frescos from the mid 1450's said to have started the Renaissance

Gritti Palace- home of the Medici family who encouraged the Renaissance

Il Duomo a notte

Palazzo Vecchio at Piazza Signoria

View of Florence from Piazzale  Michelangelo

Celebration of Notte Bianca - White Night to celebrate spring

Palazzo Strozzi where I had my coffee every day - much better than any Starbucks store

Dinner in Firenze- table window side

Venice - at one time the richest city in the world

St Marks square at night

A typical palace along the Grand Canal

The Bridge of Sign where prisoners were brought from the courts into the jail chambers

The Doge's Palace

View of the Grand Canal from the Bell Tower

A look at St Mark's square from above

Michael and Brittany on a gondolier

Piazza of Sienna where the famous Palio horse race is held twice a year

Beautiful architecture of the church of Sienna

MEMORIES OF MY 4 WEEKS IN MARSALA- NEXT IS TUSCANY

My good friends Giovanni and his son Dario - oh and the other guy is me

The final dinner at a place called SHIU SHIU which is known for grilled meats

You can see there are no rules on the roads in Sicily - people park in the direction that suits them!!

LA MIA CASA

Why plant any tree in the streets of Sicily - better to plant an orange tree which bears fruit

And the children can pick their snacks from the trees during recess!!!!

Passeggiata - as it is called in Italy - the walk or stroll through town. Marsala - a beautiful town with the sea in the background.

Meatball on wheels - gas runs about $9.00 a gallon and thus the reason for small cars - BUT this is taking it to far!!

In the USA I try to walk one hour a day - here is the view of my walk around Marsala for my daily routine

Beautiful architecture in the center of town

Chiesa Madre- literally means The Mother Church of town

George who every day filled the streets with his beautiful music  - Bellissimo

Typical shot of men congregating and talking

Passeggiata -Women walking arm in arm

Passeggiata -And its also common for men to walk arm in arm

Mercato di pesce - Fish market  -note the eel like creatures on top

MUSEO degli ARAZZI (TAPESTRY MUSEUM)

These exquisite tapestries depict such scenes as the capture of Jerusalem and the war fought by Titus against the Jews in a.d. 66. The tapestries are kept  in darkened rooms to avoid damage. Below you can read the history of the tapestries. They are so detailed you would think they were paintings.  You can get a better feel for the detailing if you double click on one of the pictures, then you can scroll through them at the bottom of the page.

  

Some close up shots of the tapestries