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Fasser Family Blog

Fresh News on the Fasser Family of Seattle, Washington

Italy Day 10 – Florence, Ufizi & Ponte Vechio

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We spent a great day in Florence on day 10. The weather was a bit more mild, we saw some new parts of the city including the Ponte Vechio and spend several hours in the Ufizi museum. I’ve always wanted to go to the Ufizi as it houses a huge amount of Renaissance art including Botecelli, Michaelangelo and more. It is a truly magnificent place to visit as the building itself is quite extraordinary. I only wish our kids had more patience and we had more time with a guide :-).

After the Ufizi, we spent some time on the most famous bridge in Florence, the Ponte Vechio. During Florence’s heyday, this bridge was the spot for gold and silver merchants. There is also a private walk way above the shops for city leaders, popes and princes to cross without mixing with the citizens. Enjoy!

Italy Day 9 – From Rufina to Florence

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Day 9 was a little sad as we had to be out of the villa by 10am (the morning AFTER a wedding!). I was up around 8am and finally rousted my family at 9am to get some breakfast and pack. Everyone was sad to leave the villa, leave Soanha and get on the road.

We packed the Alfa Romeo tight and headed out about 10:30am. The drive was twisty and turney per usual and no one was appreciating the road trip. Our original plan was to drive to a town along the coast and stay there for a few days, but once we got to Florence – we decided to return the car, get a hotel and check out this beautiful city. We stopped in a hotel near the train station (hotel Adler) to ask for directions and ended up liking the concierge (gold keys) and decided to stay. I went to find gas, return the car and we took the recommendation for a place for lunch. We had a wonderful lunch in a family restaurant.

After naps, we just spent time walking around Florence. We checked out the Duomo, saw some Hare Krisna’s, rode on a carousel and ate at an outdoor pizzeria. All in all, a lovely transition day and evening in Florence.

Italy Day 8 – Londa, Dicomano and The Wedding!

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Another beautiful day in Tuscany. With the wedding scheduled for later in the evening when it cools off, I took the opportunity for a morning run through the countryside. The first set of pictures are from my run as I saw country architecture and archways delux.

Later that morning – Michelle, Barb, Stuart and I took off again for a drive through the country. A winemaker had recommended a restaurant in Londa for wonderful regional food. We drove there (about 30 minutes from the Villa) but they were closed. We kept going to another town and recommended restaurant in DiComano. The restaurant was Roberto’s and was fantastic. Clearly run by a husband and wife team with the husband back in the kitchen and wife running the front of the house.

The wedding was in the evening and was fantasy like. After mingling around in the courtyard with everyone snapping pictures, Tim and I were put on video camera duty and recorded the entire nuptuals. The first segment took place in the small chapel with the photographers climbing all over the pews and around the service like Paparazzi. The second piece of the service took place in the area next to the church covered in Wysteria. The evening finished off with a wonderful meal and lots of toasts and drinks.

Italy Day 7 – Day Trip to Florence and The Big Dinner

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Michelle and I connected with Barb and Stuart to head into Florence for the day on the train to do some sight seeing and shopping. Florence is a really magnificent city and we only saw a little bit of it between the Duomo and the big public market.

In the evening, Greg and Lisa had a special meal planned with meat and grilling coming from a very well known local butcher. It was a lot of fun for me to watch a couple of pros work the grill and slice the meat. We at near the lower pool which has a spectacular view of the valley. It turned in to another late night by the pool with a water volleyball game and running around.