Days 30-32. Bentornato

On route back to the north, we stop at the fascinating town east of Rome, Tivoli. Much loved by those on their 18^th Century Grand Tour, Tivoli is famous for its garden and especially its waterfalls. Recent improvements by the Italian National Trust allowed us to walk around, down and past the natural and manmade flood mitigation falls.

Our second stop was Umbria’s stunning town Orvieto, perched on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff (nice wiki description). At the centre of this small stonewalled town is the huge and magnificent white limestone and green basalt striped cathedral, which dates back to the 13^th century. The gold and artwork on the outside are staggering, the inside as described by Wendy is marble, magnificent and very empty.

Near Florence we find our accommodation for three days, a villa in Tuscany. Villa il Poggiale is a 16^th century Renaissance family home now a tasteful guest house. We explore local villages, mingle with the locals at markets, discover more history and of course eat. 

 

An unexpected highlight occurs as we are driving to a village north east of Florence. The Navlady tries to direct us through the middle of the city but we turn her off!  Detouring on maps and prayer we end up at the carpark near Piazzale Michelangelo with a panoramic view of the city and Duomo. At this point the first miracle occurs – we find a parking spot. Then a second miracle occurs- the car park is free (unique in Italy)! So we treck down the hill and across the river to spend the afternoon in Florence. Wendy, (the micro planner) remembers instantly the treasures missed, when we were in Florence for two days in 2008, so we explore the Medici Pitti Palace and soak up the sun in their extravagant backyard- the Bobili gardens.

We loved the south of Italy, but we feel the Quadrio northern Italian heritage whispering Bentornato (welcome back).