Forte dei Marmi, Cinquale and Viareggo

The first tourism poster I saw outside of Rome! It was hard to find. The poster was on the side of an apartment building in the adds.

This is the market in Cinquale. It had just about anything someone would ever look for. From Food to craft supplies to clothing.

Hundreds of people were there, each one looking for something unique. There were so many shops too!

The hardest part about being at a market like this is trying to find the best price. I bought something at one stand and saw it for a cheaper price at different price. In order to get the best deals you have to be a local and know the prices.

The prices were all very reasonable at the market.

Handbags were a market must. It seemed as though every other stand sold handbags. Every vendor wanted us to believe they had the best price. It is hard to tell if the hand bag was made of real leather or not. I decided to not take the risk of buying a fake one and waited until going to a store.

A theme park was at the center of the market. There was a program that looked as though they had a child drop off area. They would let the kids play for a few hours while their parens went shopping.

The theme park was very Americanized. All of the prizes seemed to be things I would be able to find at Walmart. The boxes and instructions were in English.

Above the race car track they had license plates from every American state.

A kid enjoying his day on the race track!

The market also had a butcher that sold just about every animal from the sea. I don't think I have ever seen an octopus at Publix or any other store like that before.

The fruit at the market! It looked and smelled delicious. I bought cherries, they were a great snack for the day.

A man selling paintings. Some were the originals and some where copies of famous pictures.

A vendor selling every type of house supply imaginable.

The vendors I found the most odd were the ones selling under garments. I don't think I would ever buy anything from here and I found it weird that people were. I guess it is a cultural difference.

These are some of the craft supplies being sold at the market. There was a wide variety of crafts being sold.

The first view of the beach!

This beach was different that I am used to. It fully of umbrellas and chairs! They were already set up when we got there. I guess people don't usually bring their own.

The water was a little chilly but I had to put my toes in!
Below is a picture of Viareggo! The food was really good!

Carrara- Mable Caves

The mountains in the Carrera region are all made of marble. This is one of the first up close views. The bridge is how the marble used to be transported before current technology. This is where the Michelangelo would come for his marble. He would come here to hand pick the blocks of marble. One example is his Pieta, it is currently on display at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Once in the marble caves we were able to get a better understanding of how the marble block are extracted. The only marble coming from this region in the white and grey varieties.

The floor, ceilings and walls were all marble. There is no other elements in the cave.

This is a tractor that is used to remove the marble from the caves. Each block of marble weighs several tons.

In order to be in the caves we all had to have our hard harts on. It was very cold in the cave around fifty degrees Fahrenheit. 

An example of how exact they have to be when extracting and cutting the marble. The excavators have to have it down to a science to ensure the caves do not collapse!

This is a cut out of the Virgin Mary and Child. It happened around Christmas time one year and has become a shrine to the cave workers. It was not created on purpose, a block was stuck and they had to do all they could to remove it. This was the result!

This is the Valley of Michelangelo. It is amazing to think they have been extracting marble for hundreds of years and still can with out running out.

The marble caves in the background.

Always wanting to take unique pictures. Riding the bulls in Carrara.

A picture of the city from up in the mountains. I could see the ocean, it was such a beautiful sight.

Bolgheri- Di Vaira Vineyard

Welcome to Bolgheri! After being on the bus driving by several vineyards I finally arrived at the Di Vaira Vineyard. It was a beautiful day for a tour! This is a picture of rows of grape trees.

The scenery was gorgeous! I would have never imagined the vineyard to be like this. The Bolgheri area was has some of the most beautiful vineyards on the world. 

These are the grapes in the beginning stages. They still have a few months before they can be picked and be made into wine.

Enjoying the day and tour of the vineyard. The dirt in the background are actually vines that have just been planted and will be ready with in the next three seasons.

The process of the wine being made. Each of these cost around €7,000. They have to be replaced every six years of so.

These barrels have to be replaced every 3 years and cost €750 each. I would have never thought a barrel was so expensive. Our tour guide told us that the barrels are essential for the taste of the wine to be just right.

This is the how they label and fill the bottles. For such a small vineyard it is not necessary for them to have a larger and more complex system.

These are the the bottles ready to be shipped to different locations!

An example of the Superior bottle. This is the best wine that is made at this vineyard. It cost around €28 for the regular sized bottle at the vineyard but was around €45 at the market!

Bolghieri

-

o   The menu was in English

o   There were more tourist that Viterbo

o   The shops were open later

o   Not many people at the vineyard

o   So many vineyards how do they set themselves apart?

o   The vineyard is self sufficient

o   They put their all into it.

o   The first showing of how the whole family is involved in a process of the business

o   They are trusting of each other and it is passed down from generation to generation

Viterbo- Villa Lante, Cattedral di San Lorenzo and Bosco dei Bomarzo

This is the first view of Villa Lante. It is a villa where the Cardinals of the catholic church lived during the sixteenth to eighteenth century. My favorite part of this fountain is the large Pegasus in the middle.

Monica and I enjoying the beautiful day in front of the Pegasus fountain!

A close up with the University of Central Florida mascot! Have to show my UCF support.

These are the beautifully manicured gardens. I have never seen anything like this. I would have loved to see this in its glory days when the cardinals and popes strolled through the gardens.

I loved the fountain in the middle of the garden. I thought it was funny how the angel was shooting a gun and water came out of it. I have never seen anything like it before. I would have also never guessed that is something that would have been at a villa where the cardinals lived.

This is a full view of the lower gardens. I can only imagine how much time is spend on the manicuring each week!

This is a fountain that works without any machinery. It is solely working with the water pressure coming from the water. The fountain was also once linked to an organ so it would change with the music.

This was a sculpture at the end of a large table. The table was one the popes and cardinals ate at when they had visitors.

This is another fountain. I was amazed with the amount of fountains in the garden. They were all so beautiful. It makes me think where they got all of the money for to create this. It must have cost a lot of money not only to create these works of art but also to upkeep them.

The innovation that was used in the creation of the garden was superb. This water stream was not only gorgeous but a creative way to power the fountains on the lower levels.

Monica and I at Villa Lante with the water stream and the gardens in the background.

This is a funny picture in the grotto. I always love taking silly pictures! I really enjoyed Villa Lante. I liked how many of the places that I was taken to were things I would normally not see on a trip to Italy. The professors did a great job at finding the most beautiful things in Italy that were off the beaten path.

The Cattedral di San Lorenzo was the next stop in Viterbo. These are the arches of the Cathedral. The blue sky made the pictures turn out so pretty! Mom will love getting the blue in the picture.

Monica and I at the arches. It was scary getting so close to the edge. It is definitely not for people with a fear of heights! 

Monica is so brave! She tried the tripe that was on the menu at lunch. I would have never! She said it tasted good, I would never have been able to get over thinking about what I was eating to enjoy it.

The monster at Bosco dei Bomarzo. The Bosco dei Bomarzo is a place the price had made as a weekend retreat. The prince wanted to impress his friends and other royalty from around the world.

Monica and I being rebels! We took a picture in the monsters mouth.

Rome

                One of the largest disappointments for me happened while we were in Rome. I was very disappointed in the preservation of the monuments. I thought they would be cleaner and better taken care of. I would have never thought they would have let cars so close. I believe the building would and could be better preserved. There are monuments that are all around the world that are cleaner and better taken care of. The pyramids are much older and I believe they are in better condition. I was also shocked that the Coliseum was used for the firefighters to practice on. 

                Rome was also a very dirty city. I came to Italy thinking they would have the same standard of cleanliness as we do in the United States. The bathrooms often did not have soap and seemed to be rarely clean. The streets were also very dirty. I would have thought that there would be more pride for the capital. There was also so much graffiti in the city, this takes away from the building and the scenery.  Some of the other things I noticed about Rome was that the main industry is tourism. I could tell this because there were several tourist information booths and most places were there to serve the customers. Most people in Rome spoke English, or at least enough to get them around. The menus in just about every restaurant were also in English or had English.