Artimino, a Tuscan small town gem & Michelangelo’s David

Note that this is a post-dated blog from our Italy trip in April. We realized that blogging while traveling is very difficult and during the trip we started using Instagram and Facebook as a means to update everyone. However, we wanted to fill in more details about our experience there, and add some pictures as well. So the next few posts will be finishing up documenting Italy trip from April. We hope you enjoy it, and hope we’ll someday be able to help you plan a trip to this wonderful and beautiful country.

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Saturday, April 14th:

After a full day of Florence on Friday which included a business meeting and a private tour, we were all ready to just chill out for a day, and hang at our Airbnb which happened to have amazing landscaped grounds and included a basketball court. So while Susan went for a run along some picturesque Tuscan roads in the area, Chase and Steve shot a few hoops and just relaxed.

By late afternoon we headed out for a short drive to nearby Artimino, a small hillside village which was recommended by our host. This ended up being one of our favorite highlights of our trip. We had no real plan, we just went to explore. We saw breath taking views, strolled around this quaint village, had a cheese and meat platter with a fantastic bottle of red wine, and Harold capped it off with the best Gelato he has ever had (it had Ricotta in it, see picture below!). Sometimes, having “unplanned” time on the itinerary leaves room for surprises that end up making your trip special, and this was one of those times.

Check out a few quick video’s of Artimino

Oh the challenge of the selfie….and what a view!

On Sunday, we wanted to go back to Florence and see a few things we missed on Friday. Florence is one of those cities that depending on your love of history and art you could literally spend days exploring all the museums and sites. We wanted to make sure we saw Michelangelo’s statue of David, Piazza Michelangelo, and the inside of the Duomo. We were not disappointed, with the exception that Susan and Chase not being able to climb to the top of the Duomo (this is not accessible by the way) as we did not realize you have to get tickets well in advance if you are there during a busy season. The David was by far a top highlight of the trip. Pictures don’t do it justice, and the share size of it is amazing. When you enter the “hall” the David is all the way at the end, framed by an arched ceiling. As you walk down the hall, there are “unfinished” works by Michelangelo. He once said “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it. …” . These are examples leading up to his masterpiece, The David. Like I said, pictures don’t do it justice. A must see if you are in Florence.

**The “Director” getting Harold to pose and smile…again!**

Despite Susan and Chase being disappointed they could not climb to the top of the Duomo, the interior was massive and elaborate.

We capped off Florence by driving up the winding hillside just outside the city to the Piazza Michelangelo to capture some breathtaking views and visit the small church San Miniato al Monte. Although challenging at times, we were able to maneuver our van through the narrow streets and park very close to the church. Harold as you can see below loved the view! We enjoyed a cafe Americano (thanks to Susan hoofing it up the stairs) as we took in the view!