TracysTravels: Italy and Assisi

TracysTravels: Italy and Assisi: " Assisi is located in the province of Perugia in the Umbria region and has many wonderful churches including the Basil..."

TracysTravels: Italy and Florence

TracysTravels: Italy and Florence: "Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and the province of Florence. It is located 278 km or 1..."

Italy and Florence

Florence is the capital city of  the Italian region of Tuscany and the province of  Florence.  It is located 278 km or 173 Miles north of Rome.  It is a city known for its wonderful art and architecture as well as shopping and is close to some wonderful sightseeing in the Tuscan hillside where wineries and cooking schools beckon.

I travelled and stayed in Florence for 3 days and in this time was able to wander the streets stopping at the Ponte Vecchio to window shop, visit the food markets, soak in the art and history and visit a wonderful winery in the Chianti region which was one of the highlights on this trip.

Florence is easily reached by train from Rome with frequent trains running  directly between Rome Termini Station and Florence Santa Maria Novella Station.  Once in Florence it is easy to get around on foot with alot of the main sightseeing to be done around the centre of town.   
Firstly a visit to the beautiful Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence is a must and this is free to enter, the bell tower nearby is a steep climb and a fee is charged to enter with a queue ahead of you before being able to enter.   The dome from the Cathedral is often seen from many rooftop apartments around Florence and is a well known sight.

Next was our visit to the Uffizi Gallery, I have been twice to this wonderful gallery and there is so much beautiful art and history to be seen, this can take a number of hours to really value and appreciate what is there so allow yourself plenty of time.  Instead of joining the queue to enter which took 2 hours on a cool and rainy day you would be best advised to pre-purchase your tickets so you can jump the queue saving you valuable sightseeing time.

The other very special gallery we visited was the Museums of Palazzo Pitti and also within walking distance of the main square.  This was a wonderful museum to visit not only covering the beautiful art created for the Medici family but also jewellery, silverware, porcelain, costumes and even coaches and of course the Boboli Gardens which were magical to wander around all part of the Medici family residence.  Our visit was in the later part of the afternoon which was uncrowded and allowed plenty of time to move around and admire the many works on display, this is a must do on your stay in Florence.

 

Down to the Ponte Vecchio which is lovely bridge spanning the Arno River dating back to Roman times.  There are many shops that line the sides of the bridge and have been there for many many years although the bridge has been re-built a number of times, once  butcher shops lined the bridge but now they are filled with jewellery, clothes, art dealers and souvenir shops.  This is a fascinating place to visit and watch the trade taking place around you with lots of hustle and bustle as people pass by crossing over the bridge.

For a great stop at a fresh food market where you can pick up fresh bread, cheese, olives, meat, wine, biscotti, fruit and vegetables is the San Lorenzo Mercato Centrale. This is located not far from the train station  between Via Nazionale and Via S Antonino and is colourful, lively and full of italian passion, just perfect for your picnic in the tuscan hillside.

Enjoy your visit to Florence........

http://www.uffizi.com/

    

Italy and Assisi

 

Assisi is located in the province of Perugia in the Umbria region and has many wonderful churches including  the Basilica of San Francesco D’Assisi.

I have travelled to Assisi twice and have loved the wonderful ambience that it offers within the hilltop medieval town.  The first visit was in 2003 with my family and we based ourselves in Assisi for 4 weeks.  This allowed us to explore not only Assisi but the regions surrounding it. 

 The train travel from Rome Termini is very easy and takes about 2 hours changing only once at Foligno where you change lines for your trip to Assisi.  Once you arrive at the train station Assisi/S.Maria degli Angeli, the local buses take you  to the top of the village where you can walk down the cobble stone paths to the main square.

Having stayed in the town for 4 weeks this allowed us to explore without having to rush each day, we were able to visit areas nearby like Perugia, Spello, Spoleto and Lake Trasimeno all by train.  There were many wonderful food, wine and cheese shops to buy our produce from as well as markets each week.  Shops selling ceramics, leather, clothing and religious souvenirs were plentiful. 

Both times my visits coincided with the yearly Calendimaggio Festival held each year in May.  This is a wonderful festival covering days of activities with beautiful medieval costumes, decorated homes and shops, music and food to celebrate this exciting festival.  It can also be a very busy time in the town of Assisi with streets closed off and a little difficult to move around, but if you love the idea of seeing history played out in front of you and the colouful richness that goes with this tradition join in for a few days.

Some other great adventures to do whilst staying in Assisi would be a visit to the The Basilica of St. Francis, the ancient castle of La Rocca Maggiore taking you through long dark passage ways peeking out through the arches until you reach the top with wonderful views over Assisi and Umbria.  One of my favourites is the little church ( the Porziuncola chapel) inside Santa Maria della Angeli just at the base of Assisi near the train station, this is fascinating to see and such a peaceful, serene moment  to sit inside the chapel used by St. Francis as the base of his Franciscan order.  

On my second visit I stayed at the Hotel Umbra which was near the main square, very central to everything and yet very quiet with a wonderful courtyard to enjoy a glass of wine.  This was a lovely Hotel and I would recommend a stay there. 

I hope you enjoy your visit to Assisi.............

http://www.assisionline.com/assisi

www.hotelumbra.it

 

 

Holidays Abroad.......

I love travel, I am passionate about everything to do with travel, the planning, booking and exploring the internet for loads of ideas.  Having travelled to lots of special places I would like to share some of those journeys with you.  Some of the wonderful countries I have visited so far have been.............

Italy, Switzerland, America, Tahiti, Fiji, Singapore, Hong Kong, a cruise around the Caribbean Islands and of course holidays in my wonderful home of Australia.

A field of pots in Tuscany

Throughout the blog I would like to take you to some of the lovely places I have visited, share some of the  stories and  photos so you can enjoy my journey as well.

A work in progress.............