the rest of Italy DAY 23 24 25 26, 27 28 29

We absolutey fell in love with Tuscany!! So much that we let go of Florence and just enjoyed staying in the country and going to  Sienna for half a day that has equally as good of arts to see. 

After Sienna we just enjoyed staying in our villa and the gorgeous countryside of Tuscany. Each window we looked out of was like a painting and Natalia and Addi both agreed it was like a fairytale.

Stopped at Pisa on the way to Sienna  to see the only real interest there the leaning Tower of Pisa course.

In my last blog I had mentioned that Borys and I and kids just love Italy , well it stayed true for the entire trip. We actually said that if we were to live in Europe, Tuscany felt like a place in the  beautiful country that you could easily enjoy. Also Portugal' countryside as well, and land that felt so comfortable.

Although the realtly is that Europe is extremly expensive, so we are rarely  eating out, or doing costly tours.We really got soaked (literally)in Italy at the thermo baths, basically Hot springs, but 75 CDN for all of us.

We did a day trip from Tuscany to Assisi where we visted the famous cathedral where St. Francis has layed to rest for over 600 years. There was a real sacredness of this particular place, as you could see many nuns and Catholics making the pilgrimage from all over the world to see St. Francis. Even while I was in India they spoke of this enlightned man.  Also another site that had this feeling was St. Catherine of Sienna while we were there, she was one of the first women who's voice was heard by the primarly partriarchal Cathlolic  organization. Both of these individuals really stood for change.

Onto Rome..........What can one say, there are almost no words to describe such a City!!!  Every corner we turned there was yet another spectacular ancient site.

The Basilica was the one that really blew us all away. The Vatican City really is a city. In the Basillica  you feel like a very small little ant, It is Huge!! You can fit 90.ooo people in it.

The first thing we see when we arrive in the Baslicca is Michealangelo' famous sculpture of Mary holding Jesus  dead in her arms. It really had a moving energy while looking at it, very life like, and regardless of religious/spirtual you feel the loss of a child within this Mother.

We went to the Forum ancient ruines as well as the famous Pantheon (only wholly intact building in it's entirety) where the picture of the doors were over 200o year old and granite pillars brought over from Eygpt , how did they do this? Talk about man power.

The pictures start with Tuscany then onto Assisi, ending in Rome. Addi said he liked Rome the best of anywhere we went, especially the Basillica. We all liked Italy the best, the Italian culture is unto its self. Spain running close 2nd though, hard call!!        oh there closing right now, back in few hours for the rest of the pictures.................see you after Greece nap time........to be cont....in Rome 

ok im back, but not for long due to snail mail in Rhodes Greece, and crazy hours. Finish the rest of Italy in a few days, I also forgot the incrediable hillside village carved out of the rock in the mountain where about 15 people still live there. It is called Civita, just outside of Orvietto.Absoulutely amazing, but high up so a very cold day. 

Thanks Andrea so much for some of your suggestions of Italy, you were right it really was a must see in Civita.

So were leaving off at Assisi and Civita and Rome and Greece yet to come....  Zeasou (which means goodbye in Greek..............