Italy - Florence

After leaving Porto Santo Stefano, we headed to Florence for 7 days. We stayed in an apartment in the heart of the city, about two blocks from the river, on the fourth floor of a four-story building without an elevator. Lots of steps to climb each day. It was a nice place, very well done inside with a kitchen, bedroom, and two lofts, but not nearly as large and luxurious as our previous pad.

Here's a shot of Max in the fireplace, his favorite hangout spot.

Italy - Pitigliano

Today we ate at our favorite seaside ristorante in Porto Santo Stafano: Il Bottegone. It's tucked away around the back of the island where there are several vineyards and very nice houses in place of tourists. After lunch we headed to Pitigliano. The scene approaching Pitigliano is unlike anything I've ever seen. (Click here for a panoramic pic.) The entire town sits on one big volcanic rock. As you can see, this place is old. The basements of the houses here are carved out of a rock foundation that dates back to the times of the Etruscans. And I thought my basement was scary.

I couldn't stick around to see much as a delicious bike ride from Pitigliano up to Manciano and back down to Albinia was calling my name, but Jaymi and Max wandered around and took some photos of the cemetery. There are also cave-tombs beneath the town that house dead folks, which we may drive back to see tomorrow if time permits. Death seems to be the overarching theme of this town. I guess when your hood is a few thousand years old it fills up quickly.

Italy - Max Enjoying the Sea

A shot of the kid enjoying seagulls and boats.

Italy - Manciano

Today we ventured further up the road to Manciano, a hilltop town that looks like the hilltop towns you see in travel books on Tuscany. There must be a lot of these towns here: castle or church at the top, with a maze of narrow, zig-zagging cobbled streets that lead up to it. There isn't an apartment in the entire town that doesn't have a killer view of the valley below.

(Left: Random apartment with a balcony that overlooks the valley leading up to Manciano. I could retire here. Right: Jaymi and Max wandering up one of the skinny roads. Eventually we reached a church at the top.)

The winding road from Albinia to Manciano begs to be ridden (we saw several cyclists making their way up), so tomorrow Jaymi and Max will drop me off at Manciano as they continue on to the next town, Pitigliano. I can't wait...

Italy - Buona Mattina!

Good morning from Italy! Il bambino is in a good mood today...

Italy - Cycling in Albinia

Tuscany is home to some of the best cycling in the world, so we're traveling with a good friend: my bike. The Sci-Con travel case has performed as beautifully as it looks, is easy to maneuver, and (contrary to popular opinion and my own intuition) fits snugly in a station wagon with five bags, a baby and a stroller. This morning I unpacked and drove to a little farm town called Albinia, 30 minutes out of Porto Santo Stefano. The ride was relatively short, about an hour, but now that I have a little experience I plan to ride most days.

Today's highlights: Agriturismo upon agriturismo in gorgeous rolling farmland; angry bike-chasing Italian wolf/dog with apparently nothing else to do; discovering the Back to Start feature of my bike GPS, which is perfect for cycling unfamiliar territory in an unfamiliar country; and the tail 7 miles of my ride in the afternoon rain.

Italy - Porto Santo Stefano

It's Monday. We've been in Italy a few days now and are having a relaxing time, mostly lounging around and sleeping while everyone gets used to the time change. (Max likes to wake up at 2am, ready to roll.) Our condo is very nice and spacious, with beautiful views of the town and the sea. The attached pictures of a rainy Porto Santo Stefano were taken this morning from our balcony. We go to sleep to sailboats and wake up to sailboats! (Click the photos for a larger version.)

Los Angeles

Some photos from our trip to Los Angeles. (This one of Max relaxing atop the Getty Center.)

We stayed in West Hollywood in a quaint little neighborhood of gay men and little dogs, just down the road from the Viper Club on Sunset. It was a nice break from the cold. Highlights: Sun, In-and-Out Burgers, walks with the kid, a chance boardwalk encounter with Paris Hilton & The Simple Life trailer (we left before the fun started), and the Getty Center.



Left: One of several buildings that comprise the Getty Center. If you haven't been to this place it is an architectural must-see. We spent about 3 hours, which was enough for one visit but not enough to see the entire place or to browse the museum.

Right: Getty Center detail. I happened to notice this slanted cut and snapped a photo. Didn't see another block like it...

I've posted a full set of pictures to Flickr (if you don't have a friends/family login ask me)