June 2015

The first day is all about getting to the destination still in possession of all luggage and a modicum of good cheer. We meet our travel mates at Minneapolis-St. Paul airport for the ceremonial checking of the bags and frisking by the TSA. Two and a half hours, and we are in Toronto for a…

After a day of rest and recovery, we are ready to explore some of the many villages that make up the Territori della Valle Del Serchio. The driving remains challenging and scary, but luckily, the men like the adventure and the chance to go fast around sharp turns. First stop is Barga, considered one of the…

Our day in Lucca was filled with many nice images, but Pat was won over by the number of people who primarily travel by bicycle. The old city within the wall is closed to most vehicles (except for residents) so bicycles are a preferred form of transport. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors and vintages –…

On this day of sunshine, we are able to successfully wrestle ourselves out of bed, take our showers, and make our way to Lucca for exploration. Not far from Florence and Pisa, Lucca has somehow escaped the masses of tourists bound for those two other places. Lucca is surrounded by a wall which dates back…

Today, we leave Casa Duetto for good, and we are sad to say goodbye to our amazing view and quiet evenings in the Apennine ridge. We discover we have a set of orphan photos, snapped on this phone or that, and collected here as a reminder to ourselves of what life is like at the…