Villa Italiano

I arrived at the villa today about 5 PM after two train rides and a short bus ride. The villa is wonderful, actually better than expected. We have a lovely garden in the back with fresh herbs and roses. The villa sits on a hillside overlooking Florence. We can see the Duomo from the gate and from the upper floors of the villa. The villa is old world elegance but very comfortable. There is even FREE internet access, and you know my motto, "If it is free, it is for me!"

We, we being 9 of us, enjoyed a home cooked meal prepared by Oral and Christine (from Sweden now living in Austria) of pasta with two sauces, a lovely fresh salad, and biscotti. The villa is stocked with local wines (available for a reasonable price) personally selected by the owner. We managed to empty a few already.

Most of the group just completed a week of hiking in the Cinque Terra and have rented villas in France together the past two years. Although I am the new kid on the block (so to speak), I already feel like I am part of the group.

Sidebar: 1. The hot ticket at the Teatro Aligheri in Ravenna is "CATS", go figure.