Author: Tim Graham

Engineering disaster to five beautiful towns

Early morning roller board pull to the train station we took the first train to Pisa on our open 2nd class tickets.  Quiet quick ride, we store our bags at the bag check in Pisa station.  We are only here for a couple of hours and that will give us time to see the one site and a lunch.  The actual name is Tower of Pisa but because of its unintended tilt we have added Leaning:)  Poorly engineered in the 12th century the lean began during construction and increased even more after until being reinforced years later.  We did as everyone else was doing and created a funny scene trying to push pull or in Justin’s case, ‘take a charge’.

  • Jena and Cameron holding up their end
  • Taking a ‘charge’
  • Please do not stand on the rails:)
  • River running through Pisa

Lunch was really a great little breakfast at this coffee shop in the University of Pisa campus.  English breakfast with an English menu.

Back on the train to La Speiza, then get our two day Cinque Terra passes so we can ride the trains between towns as well as use the hiking paths.  Train was packed but when it opens out of the tunnel and the beautiful Ligurian Sea is first spotted as we stop in Riomaggiori you get the immediate attitude change we were looking for, relaxing and at ease.

  • 6:00AM Hike to the top then over the four cities to Montarossa
  • Riamaggori
  • Vernatza
  • Corniglia from the top
  • Vineyard hike to the top
  • Many steps top our destination?
  • Manarola at sunset
  • The view from the top of the rock-Corniglia
  • Corniglia
  • Stairs and ramps to Corniglia
  • making walls in the Cinque Terra is an art.

We trained it to Monterossa for a swim as our hotel host said our cove was a little rough and only rocks, no sand.  Warm water and a nice beach gave us that refreshing dip in the sea to relax and unwind before dinner.  No changing after our swim, just a simple drying out then trained to Corniglia and climbed the long staircase of thirty-three ramps and three hundred eight-two steps.  What a beautiful picturesque little town on the top of a rock overlooking the sea.  We strolled through the tiny streets and happened upon a nice Taverna to have a drink and some food.

Coming back to our home, Manarola, we ventured out to the point to take the obligatory photos that you see in all the postcards and advertisements for the Cinque Terra.  With the shadows and sun setting this town is especially colorful.  We met up with a family from Michigan and had a nice chat while watching the sun set on a magnificent day.

Day 2 Cinque Terra, Cameron, Justin and Dad choose to head up the 1000’s of stairs, 6:00AM. What a great hike to the top and the view was amazing, we will use that photo for the house collection! Up and down we arrived and departed the last four towns; Monarola-Cornigula-Vernatza-Monterossa. Meeting Jena and Kellie at the last stop, 9:00AM and time for breakfast.

Rome through Tuscany to Florence

Early morning rising, clean up the apartment overlooking the market square, then taxi to our rental car office. Not sure if it was being hurried, halfway through our European vacation or just so excited to see the Italian countryside but Jena left her backpack in the taxi. FIND MY IPHONE NOW! Tracking her iPad, Cameron and Jena took off on a sprint, then a run flooded by a jog, almost 2 miles to where the taxi was waiting for his next fare, there was the backpack:) What an exciting morning, its going to be a great day in Tuscany.

Jena found us an awesome location for a Tuscany countryside cooking experience. Jule’s Kitchen, we were greeted by Jule’s herself and brought into her beautiful kitchen. She taught us about Italian spices, pasta technique and most importantly to enjoy the experience. Ravilo from scratch was a family favorite.


Wanting to add some dynamic accounts of our visit here are a few videos of some things we created and cooked.

Once we had our meal prepared and a little fun for photos, we took the meal outside with a delicious Tuscan wine.
Jena making the first pasta dough for ravioli’s
Justin gets the tough job of needing the dough

Heading to Florence, Jule’s had a tip for us. We stopped at the local Olive orchard for some Extra Virgin Olive Oil to take home. I think its going to be tough to get the 2 gallon one home but I bought it anyway:)

With the afternoon complete we left the countryside for the Arno River town of Florence. We will drop all our belongings at the next AirBNB then take car back. Our next stop will be via train.

Today, Tuesday July 10th, we took advantage of earlier registration and had a VIP tour of David and the Duomo. Meeting in the middle of Plazza San Marco, near the statue, our tour was the first to get into see David, no one was around so we got the best photos. Our tour guide was amazing, funny and informative, the very best.

  • Early entrance gives us a clear view of this amazing statue and its history
  • Mary Magleden
  • Justin pondering the existence of David

Dive into the art and architecture of Florence we slipped into the famed Accademia Galleria before the crowds, arriving at Michelangelo’s David without the bustle of others. We floated through the remainder with intrigue and awe in the history we were witnessing. Next was a special access to the terraces of Santa Maria del Fiore – Florence’s premier cathedral. (You know, the red domed beauty in every iconic shot!) Piazza del Duomo where a pause at the Baptistery displayed a set of bronze cast doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti, coined the “Gates of Paradise” by Michelangelo. Multiple pictures and time to view. To cap our time, we skipped the line to climb the dome experiencing this incomparable piece of architecture, and taking in the surrounding beauty of this incredible Italian city.  Florence. It is here the incredible views over the Italian city sealed our growing assumptions about how this city has long inspired the great artists of Italy. Our tour guide helped us relive those times through stories and anecdotes. Selfies are not always the best so this time we had another roof top climber take our family.

We have taken several other walks of Italy tours during our time in Italy, but our David and Duomo tour with Angelo was by far the best! Angelo really made the whole experience a 10 from start to finish, he was knowledgeable – like all of your guides – but what set him apart was his passion and his storytelling ability of historical events in a way that were relatable and informative. The 3 hours flew by, and we didn’t want the tour to end we were enjoying it so much! We credit our great experience 100% to our awesome guide!!

  • View from top of Duomo
  • Felt like we were discovering some new underground passageway
  • The cathedral ceilings are so intricate
  • Jena has a way of finding some great foodie locations
  • Built very close to the Roman crossing, the Ponte Vecchio, or Old Bridge, was the only bridge across the Arno in Florence until 1218. The current bridge was rebuilt after a flood in 1345. During World War II it was the only bridge across the Arno that the fleeing Germans did not destroy. 
San Lorenzo Market was the main leather market. We browsed our way through from one end to the other, each of us collecting and bartering for a leather good to bring home.

Delphi – The Sacred Precinct

Leaving the Dolce Attica Rivera was difficult, such a beautiful Aegean Sea resort.  Our shuttle driver dropped us back at the airport where we are renting a car for three days and collecting Justin from his African adventures.  Trouble with the ATM created a slight delay but nonetheless we got on the road, after packing our little ‘LEON’ station wagon with more suitcases than recommended.

Jena is a great navigator, even found us a great little cafe on the way to ancient site of Delphi.  What an awesome authentic place to eat a few Greek salads and Kebab’s.  Little to no traffic interrupting our catching up on Justin’s climb and safari.

Following a seasoned blogger we choose to visit the ‘Dhelfi’ site in the afternoon, once the tourist busses had left.  Walking amongst the ruins gives you an opportunity to envision what this really was thousands of years ago. Climbing the Sacred Path we passed the Monument of the Admirals and were amazed at the completeness, although reconstruction has happened with many of them, of the Treasury of the Athenians. Mathematically constructed the Polygonal Wall of irregular shapes is intact and has withstood earthquakes and time. It is covered in inscriptions and many refer to the emancipation of slaves, as this location was one of only a few that could make it official.

The Temple of Apollo, the God of Music who slayed Python here at Delphi, is somewhat visible with the floor and columns. On the architrave it reads (we are told that as it is in Greek) ‘Know Thy Self’ and ‘Moderation In All Things”. Those are two great ideals to live by even if they figured that out thousands of years ago and many still struggle the understanding of these wise messages.

As the paths winds up the hill we are distracted by different looking insects, an almond tree (Justin tries a raw almond) as well as fig trees.  All new to us but equally entertaining. The ancient architecture is very interesting including the aquifer system or maybe just a gutter:)  The theatre is magnificent, we cannot go beyond a rope but told the acoustics are awesome. Many people just sitting here and staring and its glory. Onward to the top through the small pine trees to a banked seated stadium 178m long. These seats too are off limits so we ad-libbed our runner’s stance.

We talked and envisioned how this entire state may have looked back then as we walked down the path. While fascinating, it takes a great deal of imagination to truly take in all that this place was about. The names alone will make you spin; Apollo, Python, Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, Marathon, etc.

Following our historic visit we climb back out of the hills to the sea. Staying in a small little sea town, Galaxidi, certainly Instagram worthy and a must stop if you visit the ruins of Delphi. We were greeted by another of the most wonderfully nice Greeks and escorted to two rooms overlooking the bay, absolutely gorgeous. A downfall perhaps was the mosquito bites we accrued only because we wanted to keep the doors open to the sea as a peaceful lapping put us to sleep.  Around 2:00AM we exchanged the closed doors for the AC, still a few little critters remained in the room:(  Our hotel, The Galaxa Mansion, was the best.  Beautiful views, comfortable beds and a hot shower that literally fills the bathroom (don’t leave your cloths on the floor or the toilet paper in its place).

Breakfast had all the best Greek favorites.  This was the first time I had yogurt that was truly ‘Greek Yogurt’, it is not what you buy in Fred Meyer!  Very deliciously smooth, great with honey, fruit, granola or just plain.  Fresh squeezed orange juice sitting under a lemon tree really brings out that healthy feeling.  A couple eggs made to choice, by the way an omelet is another way of saying scrambled and fried.

On to the Ancient City of Olympus.