Ah Florence! (by Hiller)

We took an early train in to Florence to spend a day bathing in Renaissance history. Even though Florence hosts about 1/2 million people, it seemed extremely intimate compared to the vastness of Rome. The highlight of our day was viewing Michelangelo’s David. Michelangleo completed the sculpture at the age of 26 out of one huge piece of marble. This work established him as the greatest sculptor of his time. In recent years, a viewer tried to vandalize the sculpture so now they have a protective barrier around it. You can see on David’s left ankle where the repair was made. (They wouldn't let us take a photo of it). The Ponte Vecchio is the old bridge in Florence that has shops built in on both sides. It use to have fish markets, but the Medici family ordered the jewelers to relocate their stores on to the bridge to replace the fish markets. The Medici palaces were located next to the bridge and they would have to walk past the fish market every day. Since it was smelly, they did not like that! So out with the fish and in with the diamonds. A recent trend has been for young lovers to place a lock near a fountain and throw the key into the river to secure their love for eternity. (Listen to our guide Cynthia talk about this new custom on the video below). The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is the cathedral church (Duomo) of Florence begun in 1296 in the Gothic style with the design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed structurally in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi completed the dome without scaffolds, which was quite an accomplishment at the time. What a magnificent site!

Tom celebrates 54th birthday w/ cooking class in Tuscany (by Tom)

Saturday, we said goodbye to Rome and made our way to Tuscany. After a few wrong turns in our rental car, we found our hotel, the Villa de Piazzano, near the town of Cortona. The villa is wonderful and we have met many friendly tourists—mostly Americans, and, interestingly, mostly southerners (two couples from Virginia, one from South Carolina, one from Tennessee and another from North Carolina). The villa has a restaurant, overseen by Chef Gabrielle. In celebration of my birthday, we had a cooking class with her that is the highlight of our trip to this point. Gabrielle told us that cooking is her passion and it shows in her cooking lessons. Delighted that they shared the same name, she ordained Gabriel as her special helper.

We started in the garden, where we picked fresh lettuce, oregano, sage, basil and other spices and vegetables to be used in our lesson. From there we proceeded to Gabrielle’s kitchen, where we had a hands-on Tuscan cooking lesson. We cooked a five-course meal consisting of bruschetta with tomatoes and basil, ricotta-stuffed eggplant, handmade from scratch ravioli with a gorgonzola stuffing (I see a pasta making machine in my future), ginger honey pork tenderloin and finally a strawberry tiramisu. While the food was wonderful, it was Gabrielle’s manner that made the lesson an experience to remember. We were her only three students today (she never has more than 6 students for a lesson) and she gave us her absolute attention as teacher and hostess. All of us participated in the preparation. At the end of the class, she gave us a memento and the recipes we cooked today. We will be trying them out on some of you when we get home. What a wonderful birthday celebration!

Roman Holiday (by Tom, Hiller & Gabe)

We realize that up to now we have been taking in Europe in small bites, albeit very good small bites. Then we came to Rome and our small bites became an all-you-can-eat buffet. In every direction you look, Rome overwhelms you with its almost 3,000 years of history. Ancient ruins, narrow streets, fountains, monuments, churches, medieval and renaissance houses and hotels are in all directions. Here are some highlights:

Spanish Steps. We started our site seeing at the Spanish Steps, one of the many gathering places for tourists. We felt a bit like we were on our class trip, because all around us we saw American teenagers with their backpacks taking pictures and otherwise acting like teenagers (well behaved teenagers). Other than the persistence of the vendors trying to sell their roses, the Spanish steps are a great first place to see with spectacular views, lots of energy and overall fun. Almost at the foot of the steps is a fountain, the first of so many we would encounter in Rome—clearly something Raleigh needs to add on Fayetteville Street.

John Keats House. At the bottom of the Spanish Steps is a house one occupied by that famous Roman, John Keats. Actually the English Romantic poet Keats lived in this house a few months before he died there from tuberculosis in 1827. In the early 20^th century it was purchased and converted to a museum/memorial for him and Percy Blyss Shelly, who had some connection to Keats. In the Keats house, one can see the room where Keats died, furnished as it would have been furnished. This stop was a somewhat quirky interlude from the grandeur of the Spanish Steps and the energy of the street just outside the house. Add to the very long list of things I learned on this trip—Mary Shelly, who wrote Frankenstein, was the wife of Percy Shelly. Hiller had seen the movie, Bright Star, a few years ago, which was based on Keat's life. The docent said that the movie was tightly based on the historical records.

Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. We next found our way to the Trevi Fountain. It was designed by Nicola Salvi and completed in 1762. The 1954 film, Three Coins in a Fountain, brought renewed interest in this spot. The Pantheon, which means “All the Gods,” was built in 31 B.C. by Augustus Ceasar. We were amazed at the structure, which is considered one of the architectural wonders of the world because of its dome and concept of space.

The Vatican. The Vatican, in a word, was overwhelming! It is 1500 years of what has been the best of western culture. We could have spent a day at the Sistine Chapel (1508-1512) viewing the artistry of Michelangelo. It’s difficult to imagine the physical demands of painting the fresco on a tremendously high scaffold while lying down, but that’s what Michelangelo did. The dome at St. Peter’s Basilica, also designed by Michelangelo, was based on the design of the Pantheon dome. The church is designed to be overpowering, with its statues, frescos, sculptures, ornate artistic detail. St. Peter is recognized at the founder of the Catholic Church and is revered on every turn throughout the Basilica. We had a guide, named Franscesca, who took us on a 3-hour tour of the Vatican and pointed out the political, religious, and artistic high spots of this amazing collection of historical artifacts. Remarkable!

The Colosseum. Today we braved the crowds to get a glimpse of the magnificent Colosseum, which was built around 79 AD. We learned that it was abandoned for over 1000 years, with people removing marble and metals to use in construction of other structures. Today, it is the biggest tourist attraction in Rome, if not in Europe. We imagined the gladiators engaged in fierce matches, with the Emperor and thousands of citizens cheering them on. One guide told us that it was not unusual for the Romans to bring in exotic animals from Africa (lions and elephants) and have them fight—all for entertainment purposes.

Fun in Athens, Greece. (by Gabe Lee)

Today we visited Athens, Greece. There were three things I liked about Athens. The 1^st thing was the Acropolis. The 2^nd thing was a dog at the Acropolis. The 3^rd thing was lunch. At the Acropolis we saw the Parthenon. It is all pretty much still standing. It was built for the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom. There was another temple there built for Athena and Poseidon. Poseidon was the god of the sea. At the Parthenon I met a dog that loved belly rubs. I went up to pet him and he rolled over right when I got to him. So I rubbed his belly, and when I stopped he clawed and pushed at me so I would rub him some more. So I did. Then the next time I stopped, he stayed rolled over to show me he still wanted more, so I rubbed him some more. Then I stopped again and he still stayed rolled over. I decided to stop because he probably would have kept me there awhile. After visiting the Parthenon, we went to the National Museum of Archeology, where we saw a lot of ancient Greek art. Then we had lunch at a place called Yeppo. We ate cheese and spanikopita, a Greek salad, beef over orzo (rice dish), & fruit. I thought it was very good! We had a good time in Athens, and I think it would be fun to go back again sometime!!

Walking the streets of the ancient city of Ephesus. (by Tom)

While it took some imagination, we experienced the actual streets of the ancient City of Ephesus in the best-preserved archeological site from Roman times. While other archeological sites I have visited consisted of one or two rediscovered buildings in the space of an acre or two, Ephesus is a rediscovered City; the entire site is at least 20 acres and a square half-mile. We entered through the area where one of the old gates would have been located and were led by our guide through the layout of the City, which was a major City on the Aegean Sea. We walked through the sites of where the legislature met, through the bath houses, through the temples and the marketplace and through sites where houses located on Ephesus “main street” were once located (the sidewalks of the residences with the most amazing tile mosaic floor I have ever seen—the head of some archeologist must have been spinning when it was discovered). The highlights of the site are the ancient library (picture attached) and the stunning ancient amphitheater, where the Apostle Paul preached. This amphitheater seats 30,000 and is still used for concerts.The City was abandoned some time around 500 AD following a major earthquake,was eventually lost to the ages, only to be rediscovered in the late 19^th Century. It was exciting to imagine a vibrant city on this site, which is now ancient ruins.

Santorini, Greece--Yes, it is spectacular. (by Hiller)

I’ve heard references about the beauty of Santorini, Greece for some time, but nothing prepared me for the dramatic and ruggedly beautiful landscapes we encountered. We entered the island by tender boat, which was interesting in and of itself. Then we took a bus up to Oia, a lively tourist area where the view was breathtaking. This is the view that is most often seen in posters, vivid white cubed houses and churches with brilliant blue domes juxtaposed to even deeper blues of the Aegean Sea. We saw a black sand beach, ate traditional Greek food, and went to the highest point of the island, Fira--which is also the capital. We took a cable car down the mountain and returned to our tender boat. We definitely needed more time to explore!

Olympia--the site of the ancient Olympics (by Gabe Lee)

Today we went to ancient Olympia. We saw Zeus’s temple and his wife, Hera’s, temple. There once was a huge statue of Zeus that was about 38ft tall. It got stolen and taken to Turkey, where it was later destroyed in a fire. The temples are mostly ruins, but you could see some old columns where the temples used to be. We even got to run on the actual track where the competition was held. Back then the Olympics only involved track and field sports. We learned the winner of the Olympics received the gift of victory from Zeus represented by the goddess, Nike (the winged goddess of victory). Do you see where the athletic company, Nike, got its name?Then we went to a restaurant and had traditional Greek foods—lamb, baklava, and mousaka. My favorite was the lamb. We also watched a traditional Greek dance called Zorba. There was a lot of arm and leg movement that required coordination. It was kind of weird but I guess it was o.k. My mom and dad enjoyed it and when they asked my mom to dance, she did.

So our day today was good. It was cool to see the ancient ruins and old Olympic fields. Also to eat Greek food and I guess see a native Greek dance!