26th May Val and Cheryl are up and jostling with the crowds to be early off the ferry and cab rank for the Ancona station. We make the 8.15am train to Bologna but without porta rizervazioneCheryl plays musical seats all the way. We are misdirected re our changeover for Firenze and have a serendipitous half hour with probably the best coffee we have tasted in our travels. We finally get the hang of those validating machines and arrive in Firenze to negotiate our bus to Imprunetta a winding ascent to Imprunetta and our welcoming hosts at Bellavista. We take a walk around (and up and down) this lovely small town in the Chianti hills to the Chiesa and terracotta fabrique. We enjoy rooftop dining in our warmest weather yet and typical tuscan cuisine. Great!!
Next day we decide to explore by bus/foot other chianti hills towns , including the famous Greve' with it's macelleria brimming with every type of Italian meat imaginable. We agree our 2 Dads(with farming/smallgoods history) would love this. A cooling break- it reaches 37C then a mad dash following the local butcher to catch the last bus back from Strada in chianti to Imprunetta.
We bus back to Firenze and find our retreat at Sante Nome di Gesu monastery stay. We are now becoming expert at juggling our baggage, money belt operations and ourselves over hills, dales, steps and cobblestones.
We are overwhelmed by the famous art at Accademia today Uffizi (and David) next day and love the Mercato centrale. We even find our way back from a nighttime operatic concertby most entertaining pianist and soprano.
Back to the train and on to La Spezia where exhausted(hot one day, raining nextand head cold coming on) we catch a cab up that precipitious climb to rejoin Marcelle and Nola in Campiglia. Well done Val and Cheryl(still talking) wiser, stronger and most of all not lost.
