Les Flâneurs: 1994

Sunday, June 26, 1994

Bellagio and Lago Como

[25-26 June 1994]

After dropping Dick and Dorothy off at the train station in Siena we drove north out of the city and Tuscany. Our goal was the town of Bellagio on Lake Como. After getting a bit turned around threading our way through the city of Como we drove the coastal road to Bellagio and found our hotel.

Overlooking the lake the Hotel Florence was a Karen Brown recommendation and we were not disappointed. The service was wonderful -- they even arranged for a mechanic to come and fix a flat tire for us before we left for our return to Zurich. The food in the hotel restaurant delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed strolling the hilly sidestreets of town. The one thing that occurred -- and I'm not sure it was a bad thing really -- was our first night we were awakened by a most dramatic and powerful thunderstorm over the lake. Quite the lightshow!

Oh, and we did cross paths we a couple on their honeymoon we met in the Boboli Gardens in Florence! and here we all in the Hotel Florence. A bit too coincidental, don't you think?

From Bellagio we drove our last leg of the trip to Zurich where we spent our final night of the trip in a hotel near the city center before returning to the United States and our new home in Vermont.

the Hotel Florence

Saturday, June 25, 1994

Goodbye to Siena and D & D

[24-25 June 1994, photos with date-stamp courtesy of Dick VandenBerg]

Our time in Tuscany came to an end way too soon.

For our last night the four of us drove into Siena to savor one final meal on the Piazza del Campo. Walking onto the piazza we got to see the preliminary setup for the July Palio. Fortunately, they hadn't started putting down the sand yet. . . Even though it was late even by local standards by the time we finished eating, there were still plenty of folks out enjoying a stroll on the Campo.

why was I confused?

a damn fine time was had by all

The following day we drove Dick and Dorothy to the Siena train station for their return trip south to Rome. Susie and headed the other direction, north to Lake Como and Bellagio.

Tuesday, June 21, 1994

Tuscan countryside and back to Firenze

[21 June 1994]

Since we didn't get enough of the tourist crowds and steamy streets the first time we decided to return to Firenze. This time though we spent much of our time on the lungarno, the "other" side of the river from the historic center of the city: driving to Piazzale Michelangelo for the views of the city and then on to Boboli Gardens and the Pitti Palace before taking one final stroll through the piazza Signoria.

classic Tuscany

view of Firenze from Piazzale Michelangelo

Susie and me

Dick and Dor

strolling the Boboli Gardens and the Pitti Palace

Dor enjoying one of the the arbor paths

And last but by means least, the spot on piazza Signoria where Savonarola was burned for heresy, two popular pastimes in the middle ages (heresy and burning heretics).

Sunday, June 19, 1994

Elba and San Galgano

[19 June 1994, photos with date-stamp courtesy of Dick VandenBerg]

Today was our longest day excursion of our two weeks in Tuscany -- a drive tothe coastal city of Piombino in the Livorno province and then the ferry to the island of Elba and its largest city Portoferraio.

The boat ride was uneventful, a gorgeous day to be at sea.

After landing we wandered around town for a bit walking the streets that Napoleon Bonaparte once strolled, concluding that there was little to do on foot besides explore a fortress overlooking the harbor. We sympathized with Napoléon for wanting to get back to the mainland.

On our return trip home we stopped at the abandoned abbey of San Galgano and marveled at the sword in the stone in the nearby small church overlooking the ruins.

Legend has it that Galgano was a fierce warrior who forswore his evil days, taking vows to serve rather than kill and main his fellow man. And to prove his point he jammed his sword into a large stone, proving he was special indeed and worthy of sainthood. The sword is clearly visible today, under glass in the floor of the church.