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SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | JANUARY 2022 9 By Theresa Berg, Resident In July my husband, Mike Hurlock, and I decided to travel someplace exciting! But where? Why not Italy? A week later, we booked with Nada's Italy Tours on an 11-day tour leaving in October. Their tours consist of 12 persons or fewer and their slogan is: "Tours for people who don't go on tours!" Our itinerary was Rome, Florence and Venice with a few medieval towns in between. Ah, the history, architecture, artwork, food, wine… and the best cappuccino! Where to start? Before the tour started, we ventured out on our own in Rome. We were immediately awestruck with the ancient ruins right in the middle of the city! Pinch me, are we really here? We later met our four traveling companions and knowledgeable Journey Director, Sabrina. After dinner on a terrace overlooking the city, we visited the Vatican Museums and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. On the next two days, the highlights were St. Peter's Square/Basilica, Roman Forum, Colosseum, Temple of Vesta (think Vestal Virgins), Trevi Fountain (we tossed our coins backwards), and Spanish Steps. We then headed for Florence, a picturesque smaller city. The top sights were the Vecchio Bridge (1345), the Gothic Florence Cathedral (1296)and the Uffizi Gallery. At the Uffizi, we were in awe of the famous paintings! Seeing photos of these paintings does not do them justice: Da Vinci's "Annunciation" (1472), Botticelli's "Primavera" (1477) and "Birth of Venus"(1486) to name a few. Next - the Middle Ages. We visited the Medieval hilltop town of San Gimignano with shopping for local crafts and a stop for tasty gelato. Then off to Siena, another Medieval town, famous for its twice-yearly horserace, an 800-year tradition. Siena is home to one of Italy's patron saints, St. Catherine. Her finger (!) and head (!) reside in the Duomo (Cathedral) there. That evening, we had a special dinner in the walled town of Monteriggioni (1300s). Most everything was produced locally : veggies, wine, T-bone steak, finished with "Holy Wine" and biscotti. Day Seven brought us to an historic family estate (late 1100s), "Castello del Trebbio", with its ancient underground wine cellars. There we experienced a pasta-making class and enjoyed a private lunch. Back in Florence that afternoon, we toured the Galleria dell'Accademia, seeing Michelangelo's David (1501) up close and personal! Venice was day eight where we were treated to an amazing water-taxi tour of the Grand Canal. There are no cars in Venice and no through streets, just lots of bridges and canals. The beautiful St. Mark's Square & Cathedral, Doge's Palace, and Bridge of Sighs (1600) were highlights. Our last day, we took a private water-taxi to the island communities of Murano, known for its glass blowing arts and Burano, with its brightly colored houses. The final evening was a delicious dinner on the Grand Canal ending with the quintessential tiramisu. Everything about this tour was first class: transportation, hotels and restaurants. We highly recommend this tour and the tour company. Italian Treasures