Arrivederci Italy

Arrivederci Via San Gallo!!!
We are leaving Florence - Italy tomorrow morning and are going to Germany to visit my husbands family. We had a great time here and will be back to check out more of Tuscany...

This is the entrance to our house where our apartment is/was...

The entry hall.... The house was once a palace but I have to say that the apartments are very basic...

I will tell you more from Germany... CIAO, Sabine

Italian Tubular Wire Mesh Ribbon

You must have thought that my blog became all about traveling and being in Italy. It has not! I have been looking around for new ideas here in Italy. Unfortunately lots of stores are closed in August and I couldn't see as much as I liked. I finally found a store here in Florence which opened again Beaded Lily.

I bought some Menoni Italian Tubular Wire Mesh Ribbon there and I am looking forward exploring some new ideas at home.

Anniversary!

Hello!
We had our 13th Wedding Anniversary yesterday.

Since we are still in Italy (Florence) we rented a scooter for the day and drove through the countryside all the way to San Gimignano which is approximately 60 km from Florence.
We had a blast!!! The Tuscan countryside is beautiful and riding a scooter is soooo much fun...

Rome

Hello!
We just came back to Florence from Rome, Italy. Wow! what an incredible city. I have never been to Rome and it is breathtaking, amazing..... We only stayed for 2 nights but this is better than nothing at all. I know that we will be back.

The Colosseum of Rome… I couldn't take a closer picture because there were tons of people.

The Pantheon in Rome
The Pantheon is a magnificent ancient temple that was later converted into the church of Santa Maria ad Martyres. Dating from 125 AD, this is the most complete ancient building in Rome.

This picture shows me and Niki in front of the St. Peter's Basilica.

I have to say that I am not a very religious person (I was brought up Catholic and that is about it) but this was a very spiritual experience being inside the St. Peter's Basilica. I was very touched and it is the biggest and most amazing church I have ever seen.

Believe it or not - even Niki went inside St. Peter's Basilica and she was very sweet while being carried around.

Trevi Fountain at night.

I am tired now and will try to go to sleep soon. It is brutally hot here and there are lots of mosquito's. This is something not so great about being in Florence in August...But I am not complaining...

Ciao, Sabine

Piaggio Museum

Today I went to the Piaggio Museum in Pontedera. It is located between Florence and Pisa.

I took the train from Florence. I have been a fan of Piaggio for a long time. I owned a Gilera once and later I had red Vespa 125 Px. Unfortunately I had to sell it before moving to California. Now since I am here in Italy, I am falling in love again with Vespa or the Piaggio Ape 50. It would be great to own one of them...

Venice

We just came back to Florence from a 3 day trip to Venice. I love Venice, it is such a beautiful and breathtaking city. I have been to Venice a couple a of times already but it always feels new and exciting.


This time I also went to Murano. I have never been to Murano it was nice to check it out.

We stayed at the Lido Island in Venice and it felt really relaxing. The beach was right around the corner from our hotel. We had to take the boat to cross over to Venice, which is one of my favorite things to do.


Did I already mention that Niki is a big star here in Italy... Especially with all the kids....

Paper Mill - Cartiera Magnani

We went to a paper mill - Cartiera Magnani in Pescia/Calamari. The mill is from 1404.
We were invited to visit the factory and had a beautiful day there. They treated us so well with a delicious lunch and a visit to the production area. It was a very nice and relaxing day.

This is the mill today...

We all needed a little SIESTA after a delicious lunch!!!

1st day in Florence!

Hello!
I made it to Florence, Italy and it is great so far. I have been here before but that was 20 years ago and I can't remember a thing...
Yesterday we walked around the city and we had our first cappuccino...Yummy!!!

This is my husband Stephan with Niki.

Did I mention that I took my little dog with me. Niki - the world traveler!!! I am really pround of her because she took everything so well. The long flight and now all the people and the heat.

I bought a little bag for her and I carry her around whenever she gets frightened or nervous. That works out well.

Here are my first couple photos.

Duomo

Piazza della Signora

Ponte Vecchio

I will keep you posted.... Ciao, Sabine