Brian's parents came to visit us in early September. Upon their arrival in Germany, we quickly packed them back up and whisked them away to the Italian countryside, where we soaked up the sun and traveled around Tuscany for a few days. We were met with beautiful weather, breathtaking views, delicious food, and some fabulous Italian coffee (my favorite part! :))... It was certainly a wonderful getaway! :)
We found a cute little agritourismo to stay in, by the name of Fattoria Le Case... How fitting is that?! :)
(For all of you who are uncertain as to what agritourism is, you can find some additional information here.)
The view of the agritourismo from our villa... Gorgeous! :)
Our little patio...
It was the perfect place to sit and have breakfast, while enjoying the view of the Tuscan countryside! :)
Such a quaint place to stay... :)
We also had a daily visitor...
This little guy was super friendly and absolutely adorable!! :) I tried to convince Brian that we should take him home with us as our Italian souvenir! :)
Our first day in Italy was spent wandering through the beautiful city of Florence...
Such a beautiful city!!
Julie and Richard were definitely enjoying themselves! :)
The Ponte Vecchio Bridge...
This bridge was built in 1345 and was Florence's first bridge across the Arno River. It is the only surviving bridge from Florence's medieval days, as the other bridges were destroyed in World War II.
Locks of Love...
Many couples attach locks to the railings of bridges as a way of symbolizing their love to one another. This can be found on many bridges and monuments in Italy. :)
The Ponte Vecchio...
Florence's most popular landmark... The Duomo...
(also known as the Cattedrale de Santa Maria del Fiore)
This Gothic cathedral was begun in 1296 and finished in 1436. It has the capacity to hold 20,000 people!
The entrance into the Duomo...
The cathedral is made of green, white, and pink marble... Stunning!
However, the outside is much more spectacular to look at than the inside... Here, Julie and I are standing inside the Duomo. There isn't much left in it as most of the statues and artwork are currently housed in the Duomo museum...
Brunelleschi's Dome...
The Campanile (i.e. bell tower)...
This is commonly called Giotto's Campanile. You can climb the 414 stairs to the top for some breathtaking views of the Duomo, its dome, and the city of Florence... Which is exactly what Brian and I did! :)
Halfway there... :)
Gorgeous!!
Brian on the top of the Campanile...
I (heart) Italy! :)
We made it! :)
Florence at night... I love all of the little "Ristorante" and "Trattoria" signs! :)
Florence at night...
I love this picture!
The following day we spent in the city of Siena...
Here is the Palazzo Pubblico e Museo Civico. You can climb the tower to see some amazing views of the city.
Richard and Julie standing in the middle of Piazza del Campo, Siena's main square, and one of it's most popular sites... The square is in the shape of a shell. The outer section of the square is covered with dirt twice a year, so that the Palio (a bareback horse race) can be held there... We literally missed this event by days... Ugh! :)
Siena's Duomo... Also known as the Cattedrale di Santa Maria...
Building was begun on this cathedral in the 12th century. It is an absolutely stunning cathedral! :)
The view of the dome from the inside...
Inside the cathedral...
I loved all of the black and white marble bands... It actually reminded me a little bit of Beetlejuice! :)
Amazing!!
Look at the detail... Imagine how long it must have taken to finish something of this nature!!
After our day of sightseeing in Siena, we stopped for a quick slice of pizza (Italian pizza... YUM!!) before heading back to our villa... :)
A Siena sidestreet...
Siena at dusk...
We spent the last day of our trip exploring more of the Tuscan countryside... We actually decided to venture further into the countryside when we came across a hiking path that led to a waterfall... So pretty!!
Julie and Richard at the waterfall... :)
The four of us... :)
Time for another photo op... We had to capture the gorgeous views from our hike! :)
It started off a bit foggy on the day that we left... So, of course, Brian went out and got some pretty cool shots of the area surrounding our villa... :)
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