with Colleen. Then we went to a nearby restaurant for a delicious pasta seafood dinner.
player for our enjoyment). We rode through Venice for about 50 minutes,
down many small canals, then all five gondolas were side by side in the
Grand Canal, as we were being serenaded by a fine tenor. It doesn't get
much more romantic than that!
where Colleen pulled out paper cups and
two huge bottles of her favorite Italian wine.
What a perfect ending for a perfect evening.
We slowly walked through the square,
passing three restaurants that had a small
orchestra playing for the people sitting at
their outdoor table. We didn't pay a cent to
listen to their beautiful music!
to walk all over the islands, enjoying
the sights and shops of this unique
city. Of course, we also enjoyed the
world's best gelato ice cream
several times that day. During the
day, we ran into other members of
our group who told us about a
concert that evening. It was a string
quintet that played in a church near
our hotel. We sat in the first row and
felt privileged to hear their music so
"up close and personal". Our
enthusiastic applause got us two
encores!
we came across a group of
men, actually a chorus,
performing in the square.
arrived at Il Crociccho, our "farmhouse villa" in Regella. (about
one hour from Florence). It was a beautiful big building with
large rooms, surrounded by farmland, gardens, playground,
and swimming pool. We ate dinner at tables on the lawn.
These Italians love to eat and we soon learned why.
