Travel Corner - Italian Adventure!

The Pantheon in Rome, Italy

with Lisa Blair

The Senior Center’s most recent trip to Italy was about as wonderful as it gets. The weather was perfect, and the countryside of Tuscany was everything you see in the movies. We explored vineyards and truffle businesses as well as places that specialized in the creation of olive oil (of course!). We had the opportunity to make homemade pasta, and now every one of the 26 travelers are experts! We got to taste a variety of Italian cuisine and explore historic sites and amazing architecture. Rome was buzzing with the celebration of the 25-Year Jubilee event and the untimely and unfortunate death of the Pope. The crowds were chaotic, but we were all aware that we were participating in a historical event. It was a trip that won’t soon be forgotten. For now, chao Italy! 

Lisa took nearly 1,000 photos on this bucket list trip to Italy. We've selected some of our favorites to share with you in the gallery below.

Tuscan countryside

View of Tuscany from our villa

View of vineyard in Tuscany

Tuscan countryside

Appetizer prior to eating pasta at Tenuta Torciano San Gimignano

Tuscan courtyard

Tracey, Charles, Candace and Jay learning to make pasta at Tenuta Torciano Vineyard in San Gimigano

Contemporary metal sculpture outside the entrance to Volterra, Tuscany

Streets of Volterra, Tuscany

Piazza dei Priori in Volterra, Tuscany

Piazza Duomo in san Gimignano

Monument to the Fallen of the First and Second World Wars, Piazzale Montemaggio, San Gimignano

Judy, Sue, Bruce, Bill and Tamara at our farm-to-table dinner at a local Tuscan farmhouse

Centuries old door in Tuscany

Well-worn street in Tuscany

Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistry in Pisa)

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Leaning Tower of Pisa

John The Baptist statue atop the Pisa Baptistry

Interior of the Duomo St. Mary, Pisa

Streets of Tuscany

Streets of Siena

Siena Cathedral

Piazza del Campo, site of Italy's most famous historical horse race, the Palio di Siena

Jo enjoying a glass of blue bubbly, Tuscan vineyard

Beautiful view of local vineyard near Florence

Panoramic sunset view from a local vineyard near Florence.

David, Michaelangelo's famous statue in the Accademia Gallery of Florence.

The Ponte Vecchio, a medieval stone arch bridge over the Arno River in Florence

Our Premier World Discovery tour guide, Larry and incredible bus driver, Claudio, with Lisa Blair.

The entrance to the Basilica di Santa Chiara in Assis.

Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and Sacro Convento in Assis, Italy

The Arch of Constantine in Rome

Arch of Constantine, Rome

The Spanish Steps in Rome, connecting Piazza di Spagna at the base with the Trinita dei Monti church at the top.

Column of the Immaculate Conception, Rome

Busy street in Florence

Pantheon in Rome

Lisa & Gina outside the Colosseum

The Colosseum in Rome

Inside the Colosseum in Rome

Panoramic view of the interior of The Colosseum