ABC for Tuscany
 

So our vacation in April is complete...

A=Arezzo

B=Bellissima

C:
Chianti

D=David (statue of)

E= Etruscan coast

Well of course, F is for Firenze. Florence!

G is for Gimignano (San)

Hermitage of Rosia

Aw, I was just gonna start one for Florence! (A for Arno, B for Barghello...) But Tuscany should be easier.

First, G <i>HAS</i> to be for GELATO!

I is tough -- Italy? Informazione?

Marilyn, you think &quot;<b>I</b>&quot; is tough? What about &quot;<b>J</b>&quot; for Pete's sake?? I don't think there's even a &quot;J&quot; in the Italian alphabet.

Playing with google again.
Are any of these close?

Jacurso
Jelsi
Jenne
Jerago con Orago
Jesi
Jesolo
Joppolo
Jovencan

How about Jesolo - I had a good time at Lido di Jesolo while visiting Venice!

I know, Betsy! I was so stumped by J I went and looked in the index of my Tuscany guidebooks -- not much!

How about J for Jesuits?

Well, every time I get to go to Tuscany, I Jump up and down for joy.
My Jealousy of those there overwhelms me.
I Jay walk all over the cities.
When I do some of those steep hikes my knees turn to Jelly, maybe I should Just take one of those Jiggling old busses instead.
Maybe I'll rent a Junior Suite in a nice hotel in the city.
January is probably the worst month to go to Tuscany. But June is beautiful, and July is hot, but nice.
Next time I go, I think I'll pick up a big Jar of olives, after listening to one of those little Jazz groups in Siena.

Sorry I've been such a Jerk with this one.

K is for Katarina-the Sienese woman who told us to eat at Il Toro in Siena-It was wonderful despite the brusk service!

L for Lucca- the walled city. I named my cat after this lovely place

L is for Lucca, yet another place we're trying to fit into our already-crowded itinerary.

M: Montepulciano...the first, but not the last by a long shot, that we got our rental car stuck between buildings. Thank goodness for the car insurance!

Thanks, folks! Just after hitting the post button, I remembered we'd stayed at the hotel <b>J</b>olanda in Santa Margherita. Checked my Italian 101 textbook, which indicates &quot;there are 21 letters in the Italian alphabet,&quot; and words having the letters j, k, w, x, y &quot;appear in words of foreign origin.&quot;

M is easy: Montepulciano, Montalcino, mezzoluna, miele, melone.

and Monterrigioni and Massa Maritima.

Are we stuck on N? How about Neptune Fountain?

N is for Nebbiolo--the noble grape
j

Oltrarno?

Olive oil!

P for Pisa and Pienza

Pienza, pizza, palazzo, piazza, prosciutto, pecorino!

Are we stuck again? How about San Quirico?

R---- Ravello, ah Ravello, rucola, risotto, risi, ricotta, renaissance, riva schiavone, (vino)rosso

S = Siena, Santa Croce, San Gimignano

Ravello? In Tuscany?
T: Tavarnelle

U= Uffizi Gallery, Paolo Uccello

V=Villa, VAT, &amp; vineyards
((c))

W=Waaaaaaaaaaa :(( I don't wanna go home!

I'm adding a V for Volterra!

I'm (figuratively) day late and a dollar short, Marilyn. How about: quanto, quando, quarto, questione?

With apologies to those who picked Lucca as the &quot;L&quot; word, the only true &quot;L&quot; word in Italy is and always shall be Limoncello.
((H))

OMG Tom, how <i>could</i> we have forgotten the big L? Grazie for setting us back on the right path!

I'm sure those who picked Lucca picked with their hearts. I picked from the other big &quot;L&quot; word...my Liver.

And remember, as someone so eloquently said, &quot;It s better to be a good Liver, than to have one.&quot;
((H))

OK, I'm going to get picky now.

God forgive me, I'm not a limoncello lover -- would rather sit and drink a bottle of maple syrup if I wanted a sugar fix that bad. But what does Limoncello have to do with Tuscany? That's particular to the Amalfi Coast. I guess you can get it some places in Tuscany, but it sure isn't representative of that area.

Picky, but of course correct as always, Patrick. Since I first had limoncello in the US and then began to drink it in Italy (in Tuscany and Umbria), I forgot that it really comes from another region. Well, we'll always have Lucca, dear. Not to mention the Leaning Tower, the Loggia, and Lorenzetti's fabulous art. :-D