2023 Florence/Tuscany

Breakfast at a namesake

We will continue our marathon of the extended tour of the Duomo and its environs next post. Instead I will tell you about going a local pasticceria across the piazza from the Duomo and Baptistery which was in our family name. Scudieri is the original derivation of my last name Scudere. My great grandfather changedContinue reading “Breakfast at a namesake”

A visit to the Baptistery or “the scaffolding Gremlin strikes again”

So, before we totally leave the Duomo, though we will be back, I do have a one of more fresco that I think will be of interest. I cannot do this justice but hell is in the lower left of the painting (Left, in Italian, being the word “sinistra” (from which the word “sinister” isContinue reading “A visit to the Baptistery or “the scaffolding Gremlin strikes again””

A day at the Duomo

After a day of truffle hunting it was time to step up to the fire hose and start gorging myself on culture. Don’t get me wrong, I truly appreciate culture and admire the ingenuity and genius that is typically incumbent with the generation of anything culturally significant. Having said that, while I do appreciate culture,Continue reading “A day at the Duomo”

Flashback: from ATL to FCO to Firenze SMN and how to find your hotel when Google Maps throws in the towel…..or not

Well the Saturday hike got called on account of weather in the for of Orange flag warnings for thunderstorms and heavy rain. Now as most of you know, hiking in the rain, while not my favorite thing to do, is also not something I typically shy away from when through hiking. I made the callContinue reading “Flashback: from ATL to FCO to Firenze SMN and how to find your hotel when Google Maps throws in the towel…..or not”

Shouldn’t we ask Jocko where we should go :-)?

Hello to all after wading through my usual 24 hours of jet lag, more about day one later, I awoke on day two not quite as right as rain but functioning fairly well all things considered. Thus, onto one of my hoped for highlights of the trip, the truffle hunt. It did not disappoint. ItContinue reading “Shouldn’t we ask Jocko where we should go :-)?”

Florence/Tuscany 2023

Hello to one and all! Another year and I would normally say another hike, but this year my trip, fortunately, is a little different. Given that this year’s destination is the place of the birth of the Renaissance, Florence, Italy, rather than making a through hike from point to point as is usually the case,Continue reading “Florence/Tuscany 2023”