TheCalabrias.com

If I had to summarize our experience of Florence in a single word, it would have to be “OVERWHELMING”. Florence’s City Centre must have the highest concentration of art per square meter in Italy. At every turn you make, you will come across some incredible piece of art. It is truly quite remarkable. To really [...]

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Cortona is very small, very hilly, and most of all very safe – which has been great for the kids. They are really enjoying being more independent and doing things on their own. In a way, it reminds me of many small Brazilian towns where everyone knows everyone, kids roam freely, many times playing soccer [...]

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We spend this week mostly around Cortona, and we had been fortunate to have several relatives come to visit. We have been joined by Roger & Bev; Tina, Jody & Joseph; and Carole & Family. We are having a great time! Since I’m starting to fall way behind on my posts, I won’t be able [...]

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Arrezo is the largest of the Tuscany towns we have visited so far, and despite its “city” status, it does not lack in personality. The city was heavily bombed during World War II, and one can definitely notice a more modern architecture. Nonetheless, I was equally impressed with its rebuilding and restoration efforts. Arezzo has [...]

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This past Saturday we visited another two beautiful walled cities: Pienza and Montepulciano. They were both very nice. Pienza was quite small and very quaint. It was the birth place of Pope Pius II of the Piccolomini family. Being the Pope, Pius renamed the town of Corsignano to Pienza, and he commissioned the architect Bernardo [...]

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Today, we joined the Art and Landscape Architecture students to a trip to Carrara. As I’m sure you know, Carrara is internationally famous for its many marble quarries, and it is especially renown for the high quality of its white marble pieces. Many of Michelangelo’s, Leonardo Da Vinci’s, and Bernini’s best known sculpture were done [...]

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