Venice - Day 1

We checked right into our hotel on the Grand Canal and mapped out our strategy:

The train station was right across this bridge ... we are standing right outside our hotel with the trusty iPad in hand. We learned more then we thought we would on this trip thanks to Rick Steves and the iPad!

Each morning the breakfast was served right next to the Grand Canal!

Loved the tiny alleyways and buildings!

This time I found Venice to be much cleaner and more beautiful than the first time I visited circa 1998 ... maybe my expectations were lower?? Maybe its because I'm with my husband this time ... and I love him to pieces :)

Getting ready to cross the Rialto Bridge - this is only one of five bridges that crosses the Grand Canal and the Rialto was the first. It connected the political side of the city (Palazzo Ducale) with the economic center (Rialto):

A view of the Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge:

St. Mark's Basilica and clock tower:

Enjoying some vino in St. Mark's Square:

Part of the front facade was being renovated - still a magnificent sight though!

While we were there the Venetians were celebrating Festa Del Redentore. This festival dates back to 1577 and it celebrates the city's deliverance from a terrible plague:

It looked like complete Italian debauchery if you ask me! We had a great time watching the dancers out on the boats!

Every canal you looked down there was a little surprise :)

Me in front of a gondolier stand:

On our way to the Rialto Bridge we saw the Scala Contarini del Bovolo - it was an external marble staircase of a palace back in 1499.

Heading back to the room to call it a night :)

Wine Tasting in Tuscany

We took our second day in Florence to go out to the Tuscan countryside to do some wine tasting! It was some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen!

Our guide picked us up from the B&B and we headed out into the country:

Olive trees:

Grapes!

We stopped in a small medieval village before we got to our first wine stop:

**loved** the cobblestone roads and buildings!

The first winery we stopped at was Casa Emma, known for their Chianti Classico:

They gave us a tour of the vineyards and explained the grapes that they grew before taking us into the cellars:

There is no air conditioning in the buildings so the cellar is really deep to keep a constant temperature for the wine to develop:

They mix the varieties in the vats, and only the best of the best is reserved for the Classico!

After the tour we were able to sample some of the DELICIOUS wine! We even brought a couple bottles back! The olive oil they produce is the first time I have ever had olive oil that actually tastes like olives :)

The rooster is the symbol of Chianti Classico:

We stopped at another village for a wonderful lunch:

... on the road again ...

I thought it was awesome that my dad's old company was doing bio-tech research out here! We made the guide stop so we could take pictures of the Monsanto signs ... why didn't we ever get to move over here!?

Our fourth stop was at Castle Monteriggioni ... which was made even better due to the fact that this was Michael's "safehouse" in his Assassin's Creed video game :P He liked getting to see the sights that the game was based off of!

Michael's "watch-tower":

Once done at the castle we went to our last stop, a winery called Dievole. If we ever get back to Tuscany - I would stay at this gorgeous B&B!

They took us into the original cellars to begin with ... and fed us bread/olive oil and Chianti Classico:

They no longer use this area to let their wines develop because it gets too humid in here now:

This is the new cellar ... with the gigantic vats that mix the wine. Once the inside of the oak barrels are fully saturated, they will go in and shave the inside of the barrel to ensure the next batch gets the full flavor of the oak:

Lots of vino!

They paired this Chianti/Cabernet mix with some yummy cheese:

Once done in the cellars they brought us into their showroom and gave us some grappa:

We took ours outside to enjoy the scenery. I was not a fan of the grappa - way too strong!

Michael liked it :)

Look at how beautiful this place was!!

Our haul for the day ... and all three bottles made it home in one piece!

I was trying so hard to just savor every ounce of the countryside as much as I could!

Once we got back, we finished off the bottle of vino that Edo and Celia had given us in their garden. Celia was nice enough to bring out some appetizers for us :)

We walked, literally, next door and had a great pizza and calzone!

After dinner we enjoyed the garden with Edo, Celia and a couple on their honeymoon into the wee hours of the night. It was one of our most favorite evenings of the entire trip!