Betsy, thanks for the Ribollita tip. I'll try it -- kale is easy to find. Sadly, we have a shortage of farmers markets round here because of a limited growing season ...the farm stands run from strawberries, corn and tomatoes through pumpkins and Christmas trees, and that's pretty much it. (I get pangs of envy when I see all that is so readily available in cities like NY and LA!) Good thing is that it focuses me on cooking what is seasonally appropriate, which is a Good Thing.

Oops, wandering OT here -- sorry, Tom! Now back to the subject at hand...

tom you sound like a pistol - how does your wife keep up with you? If you ever get divorced and don't marry the Italian wife - could I propose to you?

Still lovin' this...thanks, Tom!

And, please sign us up for the next departure of Tom's Tours. I like your style and admire your tirelessly upbeat and game group.

Happy travels!

Great reading! As one who travels Italy often, I can say you are almost always on the mark.
Thanks.

Finally! I found a website that shows the Molino or Mulino di Quercegrossa. They spell it differently on their brochure and on this website. In any event copy and paste:

http://www.agriturismo.regione.tosca...arch2?code=730

It shows the hotel (our room was the balcony on the left in the photo - reception area is on right also on second floor). I knew this had to be somewhere on the web. I wish they showed the swimming pool complex. It also shows the room ( I told you it was small).

Mathieu, glad you could join the tour (that damned work will kill you), and Peeky, thanks for the marriage proposal, but as I found out on this trip, I better just stick to one wife. It makes life easier.

I will try and pump out the rest of this over the weekend for those who remain on the tour. And remember two more important rules of Tom's Tuscan Tours: No Separate Checks! Drink Lots of Vino!
((H))

Tom,thouroughly enjoying your trip. I am still on board Tom's Tuscan Tour, always split dinner checks down the middle and drink my fair share of vino or vin, depending upon where I am.
Judy

Loving this report, Tom. I too loved the restaurant at Lamole. So much we went back a second night. Fabulous meatloaf.

Regarding Karen Valentine - whatever happened to her? Wonder how she's aged & if she's still so darn perky!

cobbie, Karen Valentine did a recent TV movie with John Laroquette about a couple whose three daughters all get married at the same time. I never liked her (way too perky for me!), but have to admit that she has aged pretty well and isn't quite as perky as she used to be.

<b> LUCKY DAY THIRTEEN - WHY DO MEN HAVE NIPPLES, WEARING COSTUMES, LUNCH IN YET ANOTHER HILL TOWN AND HOW MUCH IS THIS PLACE GOING TO COST IF WE COME BACK IN TWO YEARS? </b>

Mary and Tracy were at the breakfast table sobbing uncontrollably, complaining that I made them walk too much :((, Kim was throwing a tantrum over his croissant being too hard :-@ and I was threatening to leave these whiners behind at the Il Mulino. #-o

I was so sick of these people that I downed an entire bottle of Campari before breakfast. ((D)) Oh sorry, that’s Barb’s post. :S-

After a nice sleep, we enjoyed cappuccinos outdoors overlooking the beautiful vineyards surrounding the Il Mulino. Not as exciting as my lead, but boringly true.

Tom’s Tuscan Tours was in relax mode before hitting the “Big Three”, so after breakfast we headed out by the pool for some relaxing reading time. While the others concentrated on convoluted novels, I delved into my new book, “Why Do Men Have Nipples?: Hundreds of Questions You’d Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini.” The title alone was longer than most books I read, and the book now shares a prominent spot in the Tom and Tracy guest bathroom.

The day was beautiful, and we were the ONLY people who were enjoying this little slice of Chianti heaven. Although we had brought trunks and swimsuits, we quickly adhered to the new Italian terminology of these clothing items. They were now known as our “swimming costumes”, which it was stated would be apropos for pool activities.

As Kim and I tried to figure out how much the swimming complex had cost, we also realized that if we came back in two years, the price of this place would probably be double. “Still, a good bargain,” we said.

Boy, that reading can make you hungry, and damned if it wasn’t time for lunch. We hopped in the car and made the ½ hour drive to Monteriggioni (hill towns, nothing but hill towns). This town, dubbed “The Crown of Italy”, has some ramparts, a nice piazza, restaurants and a church, the Santa Maria Assunta, where Mary could dip her hand in holy water again. It has a population of 60, who must all work at restaurants.

We had lunch on the patio of Il Pozzo, which has a very nice and secluded position a little off the main piazza. Since I really didn’t down a bottle of Campari before breakfast, Tracy and I shared a bottle of Prosecco, while Kim and Mary went the beer route (although not rally a big beer drinker, the beer in Europe is so much better than it is here). Lunch was good, and I had to try the strawberries with shortcake dessert. No, I really did.

We walked around the ramparts after lunch (like that was going to help take off any weight), got back in the car and became slugs out by the pool for the remainder of the day (still, nobody else taking advantage of this…amazing!).

I came out in a sleeveless tank top and stupid hat I had bought for the trip. Kim was taken aback by the fashion statement I was making, while the women just laughed. “Dear God, what is that?” Kim said, shielding his eyes like a vampire at dawn. When the blog goes up, and people see me in this outfit, I fear the marriage proposals made to me in some of the replies will be quickly withdrawn.

We again had more wine on the patio (the Lamole di Lamole was delectable) and it was back down to our restaurant for dinner, where we once again sat next to the friendly Canadians. Dinner was good, the wine delicious and cheap, and, best of all, nobody cried or complained. Another Tom’s Tuscan Tour rule: There’s No Crying On Vacation!”

We congratulated ourselves for the find of the trip. If anyone is contemplating staying here, they do have a couple of apartments for families (I think the cost is only 110 euros for an apartment). The menu is in Italian, English and German, and we were told that they do get a good clientele from both Great Britain and Germany.

We needed a good night’s sleep because tomorrow we were going to drive into Firenze, a place where in previous trips I have nearly killed nuns, bicyclists, street vendors, locals and tourists alike with erratic and dangerous driving, including backing up down a one-way street. Florence, here we come!

Oh yeah, here’s the answer from the book: “Although females have the mammary glands, we all start out in a similar way in the embryo. During development, the embryo follows a female template until about six weeks, when the male sex chromosome kicks in for a male embryo. The embryo then begins to develop all its male characteristics. Men are thus left with nipples and also with some breast tissue.”

Tom’s Tuscan Tours: Fun AND Informative (By the way, so is the book).

<b> NEXT: AN EARLY WINE BREAK IN GREVE, THE DANGEROUS DRIVE INTO FLORENCE, OUR FIRST IRISH PUB AND THE HOSTESS FROM HELL </b>
((H))

<b> DAY FOURTEEN - AN EARLY WINE BREAK IN GREVE, THE DANGEROUS DRIVE INTO FLORENCE, OUR FIRST IRISH PUB AND THE HOSTESS FROM HELL </b>

Break’s over! It’s back on the road to Firenze, with a slight detour in Greve. Greve is a cute little place located right on The Karen Valentine Highway, after parking, we made a little excursion around the Piazza Matteotti, Greve’s main piazza.

There is a statue in the piazza of Greve’s favorite son, Giovanni da Verrazzano, who in 1524 was the first European to sight New York Bay (even though Henry Hudson gets most of the credit). The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in Brooklyn is named for him.

He also discovered Cape Fear in North Carolina, however, showing his dark side, he kidnapped a small child on that trip.

Karma can be a bitch, however. Da Verrazzano met a rather ignominious end. While exploring Florida, the Bahamas and the Lesser Antilles, he was met by some unfriendly and hungry natives, who, not being on the Atkins diet, devoured the intrepid explorer. Whether they enjoyed a nice Chianti with there meal is not known.

Anyway, I was in search of an Internet caf&eacute; because in my lethargy at the Il Mulino, I had inexplicably forgotten to email for directions to our next hotel, the Tourist House Ghiberti. This is tour director error number one, especially when driving into a city as complex to drive in as Florence. Unfortunately, the server was down at the only place where they had a computer.

What to do in this situation was easy; sample some wine. After taking pictures at the butcher shop (Macelleria Falorni, which was founded in 1729 and is now run by the 8th generation of its descendants), we walked a couple of blocks to Le Cantine. They advertise that they are “the biggest wine store in the Chianti Classico region,” and who were we to argue the point?

We paid our money at the counter, were given a card, and it was off to the vino races, sampling Chianti, Brunello and even olive oil. We helped the local economy by purchasing some wine and headed for the deathtrap known as Florence city streets.

We used Kim and Mary’s International cell phone to call Claudio for directions. Mary jotted down the directions. As we headed over the bridge, we were all ready for our appointed jobs. I felt like Captain Picard (or Kirk, depending on your Star Trek affiliation).

Number One (Tracy) had here eyes peeled (ouch) looking for any street signs (never easy in Florence). Data (Mary) was relaying detailed information given by Claudio. Worf (Kim…well he doesn’t kill people like Worf, but Star Trek didn’t have a map reader that I remember) was telling us the streets we should be passing and when our appointed street should be near. Myself? Well, I had the easy job. I just had to drive. However, had we been killed or killed any pedestrians, I knew the fault would lie with me.

We actually were on the street of the THG, and we made a quick stop to ask a local whether we were near the hotel. She said “Avanti, about 100 yards ahead on your left,” and in about 100 yards, there it was. We rang the bell, Claudio helped us with our bags, and we were safely at our hotel. One part of the Florence driving journey was complete without incident.

We looked at our rooms, which were spacious and had computers (by the way, to show how nice Kim and Mary were about the rooms, they let us pick at every hotel which room we wanted since I had made the reservations). Now it was time for Claudio to give us directions to drive and drop off the rental car.

Tracy gave me the rental car papers and Worf (oops, Kim) went with me to drop off the car. I had driven about 75 yards when I remembered I had put the papers down on the bed and not retrieved them (tour director error #2). Kim ran back and Tracy was waiting with the papers. When Kim got back to the car, he said, “Tracy just wants you to know that you’re an idiot.” I don’t remember Riker ever telling Picard HE was an idiot. Oh well.

Kim had this baby mapped out perfectly, and we made no wrong turns. Outside of nearly getting creamed by a huge bus, there were no major incidents. The people at EuropCar fortunately did not have our final bill (see Gubbio and Gas), so we could ride out the rest of the vacation in ignorant bliss of what that charge would eventually be.

The Tourist House Ghiberti is a terrific find in Florence, and thanks to the people on the board who had written about its virtues. It’s only a couple of blocks from the Duomo, and across from the Santa Maria Novella Hospital. The double paned windows meant there was little or no street noise. The bathrooms were spacious and there was a nice breakfast that you could enjoy on the small outdoor patio in the morning. And the price is inexpensive for this quality in Florence. Four big thumbs up for THG! Oh hell, let’s make it eight thumbs up!

This was Tracy and my fourth trip to Florence and Kim and Mary’s second, so it was easy finding our way around. We go to the Uffizi (which, I think is vastly overrated…sorry) and we did not have tickets to the David, which we had all seen before. We did want to go because of the restoration, but the line was too long each time we stopped by, and nobody really wanted to wait.

After doing some window-shopping and buying some scarves, it was once-again the cocktail hour. Inexplicably, we picked an Irish pub (you haven’t visited Florence unless you haven’t visited an Irish pub). Hey, drinks are drinks, and we all thought it was pretty funny to be in Italy and drinking at an Irish pub.

Back at the hotel, I had my usual 300 – 400 e-mail messages regarding Viagra, but one message stood out. My San Diego Padres were one game closer to clinching the National League West, even though they would be in last place in the National League East.

Before I had left, I had been given the recommendation of the Trattoria Z&aacute; Z&aacute; in the Piazza Mercato Centrale. After convincing everyone that this was not run by a Gabor sister, we walked over to the piazza. The place was crowded, and a hostess who was grumpier than Scooter Libby after he was indicted greeted us (well, greet might be a stretch). If looks could kill, we’d be dead now. She said there were no tables outside and sat us down at an inside table, flung what must have been menus in our general direction and walked away to snarl at some new guests.

It only took us a few moments to realize that we need not patronize the Z&aacute; Z&aacute;, and we departed. I am sure our hostess missed us as much as we missed her.

We walked back toward our hotel and had dinner at Caf&eacute; Dant&eacute;, or something close to that. Fortunately, there was no inferno. We were not all that hungry anyway, and the dinner was relatively unspectacular. However, even this place had a dish that would be enshrined in our Italian Food Hall of Fame (which will be posted at the end of the trip report). Kim had chicken in a yellow pepper, butter sauce that was incredibly tasty. I also enjoyed by gnocchi with blue cheese.

As we were ready to go to bed, Tracy started coughing like Mary and my other wife back at the Piccolo Oliveta, and we had reservations for a big-ticket item tomorrow. She didn’t have chicken for dinner, so I went to bed safe in my knowledge that at least she didn’t have The Bird Flu.

<b> NEXT – LEAN TO THE LEFT, LEAN TO THE RIGHT, NO CHICKEN SANDWICHES, SOME DEAD MEDICIS AND, “OH NO, NOT ANOTHER IRISH PUB!” </b>
((H))

Maitaitom, I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying your trip report, but of course everyone is! The waitress in Florence with the attitude. I have always found more &quot;attitudes&quot; in Florence than anywhere in Italy. No doubt regarding the number of tourist, you think?

I remember one time my husband was buying beautiful and expensive silk ties for male family members in Florence. The sales clerk helping him was quite cheerful etc. A very elegant and beautiful lady. As my husband was signing the credit card slip for the purchases he said to her &quot;your English is beautiful&quot;. She pulled herself up (all five feet of her) glared at him and snarled &quot;only the English I need to sell things to the stupid tourist!&quot;. Well so much for that pleasant memory, LOL.

I must say that most Florentines are beautiful people and I do understand their getting weary of the tourist especially in the historical center. But I also know how they moaned and groaned after 911 when tourism was down.

Now, more about your trip please!! Hopefully Tracy did not become ill?

Tom, you truly have me laughing so hard my stomach hurts! I love reading stories like this ... I can't wait to get back to Italy in May! Can't wait for the rest ...

LoveItaly, she was really the only unpleasant Italian person we encountered on the trip. I think she was an equal opportunity grump to tourists and locals alike.

By the way, I was just looking at the flier I got at Il Mulino, and there are SEVEN total pools there.
((H))

Thanks for posting the website for Il Mulino. When you get to posting your photos I sure hope the pools are included.

maitaitom, you should write a tv script.
This is better than what's on these days.

&quot;When you get to posting your photos I sure hope the pools are included.&quot;

Kim, Tracy and I all got some great shots of the pool at Il Mulino. They will definitely be included.
((H))

I am so loving reading this report. You tell a good story, while giving us incredibly useful information.

Thanks so much for taking the time. It's good to read a post about friends traveling well together. It really is attitude, flexibility, and humor that gets all of us over the bad spots.

I'm sure your friends appreciate not only your planning abilities but your talents as trip chronicler. What fun to have all of this to look back on!

Thanks again.

cw

Just wanted to let you know that DH and I are still loving every minute of this report :-) I especially appreciated TWO installments on my birthday - so thoughtful ;-)

Well, I was going to tell that funny Peeky to take a number (and an Ambien per Barb); if she had been reading carefully she would have known that I already professed my interest in you (and I learned about sharing when I was &quot;wife number two&quot; on the last trip to Europe, where one very tolerant husband put up with 4 women, so Tracy has nothing to worry about of course!).

However, you had to go spoil everything with that comment about the tank top and stupid hat. Hmmmm.

Still loving the trip details! Next time you are in Greve, go 10 minutes outside of town to the teeny little town of Montefioralle and eat a fabulous and fun meal at La Castellana. I still drool over memories of &quot;typical pork cooked in the typical way.&quot;

Many thanks for posting the website for Il Molino!

Having had our plans for Asia deflected - for the moment- by the bird flu, we are eagerly looking for alternative destinations for next summer. You are certainly influencing us in the direction of Italy!

Love your sophisticated yet gentle approach to travel! What fun! I vote this the best report for 2005!

Just caught up with the last few chapters, Grazie muchly!
Pronto pronto with the next one please!

I forgot to ask: where does one sign up for Tuscan Tom's Eastern European Adventure? I might be done paying college tuition by then. The one left in college had her own excellent adventure in the Czech Republic and Croatia a few years ago and we think it's our turn.

<b> DAY 15 - LEAN TO THE LEFT, LEAN TO THE RIGHT, &quot;ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?&quot;, NO CHICKEN SANDWICHES, SOME DEAD MEDICIS AND, “OH NO, NOT ANOTHER IRISH PUB!” </b>

This was the morning that I had pre-reserved an 11:40 am climbing of The Leaning Tower of Pisa. The plan was for the four of us to take the 8:27 train from Florence that got in to Pisa at 9:30. At 7 am, I realized that there were only going to be three of us, since Tracy had the Mary/Alexandra cough (though not nearly as bad).

Tracy decided to relax for part of the day in an attempt to nip her illness in the bud, so she decided to stay behind. “I’ve been to Pisa and can live without it.” Since there was still a week to go on the trip, she thought it would be a good idea, and, as it turned out, it was.

One of my idiosyncrasies (one of many) is that I am a freak about not being late. I tend to get to places too early, but I figure it’s better being too early than too late. Fortunately Kim and Mary know that about me, so they noticed that, as we were having a cappuccino at The THG, I was getting a little antsy about departing for the train station to get our tickets and make the train (although I think Kim likes me to sweat just a little bit for amusement).

We walked (briskly) to the station, and, of course, we got there early (sorry K&amp;M, you were right). We got the tickets, but I had forgotten that the train station sometimes plays pranks with overly time-conscious travelers such as myself. 8:10 (no track number). 8:15 (no track number). 8:20 (no track number). I know that the trains run on time, so where do we go? As usual, my worries are stupid since we have plenty of time once they announce the track number.

Two years ago, Tracy and I had driven to Pisa, which is why I decided on the train. On that journey, Tracy and I drove through the maze of streets in Pisa following phantom signs to the Campo dei Miracoli. It was a miracoli we ever found it. I didn’t have a good impression of Pisa on that trip.

On this trip, the train arrived at 9:30 and it was an easy 20-minute walk to the Campo dei Miracoli. When not trying to negotiate one-way streets and nearly maiming pedestrians, one gets a different perspective of a place, and my thoughts about Pisa are a little different now. Pisa wasn’t so bad after all.

The last time we walked in, all the booths selling Leaning Tower crap kind of cheapened the experience, so I warned Kim and Mary to just look at the Campo and imagine how beautiful this whole area was before tourism. We walked by a restaurant where a bird had crapped on a guy’s shirt on our trip in 2003 (ah, some memories just never leave you), and we were in the Campo.

I brought the printed proof of receipt to the ticket offices of Opera della Primaziale Pisa and they gave us our tickets, and we all bought the combo ticket for the Duomo and the Baptistery. The interior has a neat Pisano pulpit and a large baptismal font. We were told that, if you count the statue on top of the Baptistery, the building is actually taller than the Leaning Tower. Useless trivia, but good cocktail party fodder.

Then we visited the Duomo. For some reason, we got obsessed with finding “Henry’s Tomb”, the tomb of Emperor Henry VII (whoever he was), which was one of the pieces that survived a 16th century fire that destroyed a lot of the Duomo’s art works.

Near a 14th century pulpit (which obviously survived the fire, too) is a bronze lamp that, according to legend, favorite Pisa son, Galileo, started staring upon one day at Mass (obviously bored by the length of the service). Just like me after a few bottles of Chianti, the lamp started to sway back and forth. This is supposed to have given him the idea for the Pendulum. Since then, some know-it-all Pisans have argued that the lamp was cast in 1586, a few years after his discovery, but we went with the original Galileo story.

We still had some time before the big climb, so we decided that we needed more caffeine and downed a cappuccino. It was then time for the climb to the top of the Torre Pendante, and I had forgotten about Mary’s fear of heights.

Mary, like myself, is more a Type A personality, meaning we tend to yap a lot. Fortunately, our respective spouses are more the B variety and usually just shake their heads as we banter on. Today, Mary, feeling a little uncomfortable as we started the climb upward, began bantering…with herself.

I must admit, it was an odd feeling listing to one side or another as we walked around and around. I was right behind Kim, and we could Mary talking a blue streak, singing songs and just staying busy talking about nothing in particular. I said, “Kim, who is she talking to?”

He was laughing when he said something like, “Oh, no one in particular.” Our spouses did a lot of laughing, although they were usually really laughing with us…weren’t they?” Well, we made it to the first landing with no problem.

You could see, where if it was slippery, there are a couple of places with any kind of misstep, you could pull a Kim Novak in Vertigo and become a minced Pisa Pie. Fortunately, we safely made the top of the tower, Mary was calm (sort of) and we took some fantastic pictures. It was cool to look across at the difference in height, but unfortunately that differential didn’t show up that great in the otherwise terrific photos we took.

Just before noon, a voice came over the speakers saying in various languages that the bells are going to ring, it’s going to be real loud and don’t be so scared you fly off the tower. They were loud, and we are still here to tell about it. The tour is limited to 1/2 an hour, and the groupings are limited to how many people who can go each trip.

ALERT: Read the signs before you go that say “no backpacks and purses.” They mean it. Mary had deposited her purse, but a couple of people with daypacks obviously did not think the signs were intended for them and did not heed the signs.. They did not make our tour, and were not in the next group (probably full). I don’t know if they ever made it up to the top, but they are strict about that detail.

We made it to the station for the 1 pm train (after a gelato stop) and were back in Florence a little after two. Kim and Mary went off on their own, but I went in search of the greatest chicken sandwiches on the face of the earth at Caffe Giacosa, off the Via Tornabuoni.

This was Tracy and my fourth visit to Florence, and these morsels from heaven are the tastiest, freshest little sandwiches ever made. We have them every time we are here, and this seemed like a nice opportunity for me to do something nice for my wife. I thought, “Tracy will say I am the greatest, most considerate husband on earth (well, she could lie) when I bring these back for her.”

To my horror, they were sold out. Panic set in, because we only had one day left in Florence and had dreamed about these sandwiches from the time we got to Italy (sure that’s weird, but damnit these are GOOD sandwiches!). “We usually put them out at 11,” the woman said. I made a mental note that we should not forget to be here tomorrow morning at 11 am. Remember, however, I am the guy who put Super Gas in a Diesel.

Back at the hotel, Tracy was feeling better (even without sandwiches) and had even washed some of our clothes so we didn’t have to look like transients by the time we reached Venice. That afternoon, the four of us went over to the Cappelle Medicee to see the tombs of the dead Medicis. When I visited this museum in 1996 with Tracy, there was some bizarre fashion show going on and the entire inside was full of Christian Dior crap (sorry fashion people, I’m more into dead bodies and stuff). I was looking forward to seeing the place uncluttered.

So, of course, when we get inside we see that the whole place is under scaffolding, and some of the statues have been removed for renovation. It was still interesting, but not great.

We walked across the Arno to the district of Oltrarno where we have purchased historical pieces of art before. Luckily, we didn’t see anything we wanted, so after the four of us window-shopped, we looked at our watches and said (all together) “Cocktail Hour!”

I heard Kim laughing, and knowing that neither Mary nor I had not bantered for minutes (ok seconds), it could only be one other thing…he had found another Irish pub.

Yes, soon we found ourselves drinking Campari, Guiness, Jack Daniels and Scotch (not all in one drink fortunately), at Irish pub Numero Due. We met some guy who, after hearing we had gone to Pisa, said he was an engineer, and proceeded to tell us that a number of tourists fall to their deaths from the tower each year. We weren’t drunk, so we really did not believe his accounts, because I think hordes of tourists falling to death from a famed landmark would make the news. Our second cocktail made the story no more plausible.

We walked by the Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco and made reservations for dinner later on that evening. We then crossed the dangerous Ponte Vecchio. No, not dangerous for pickpockets but by the plethora of bling-bling shimmering its blinding glare toward Tracy’s eyes (and fingers and ears). At this point, I was feeling the bridge experience would be cheaper for me if I was pick pocketed before she could find earrings, a necklace or ring that called her name. Fortunately, neither happened, which meant we could afford to spring the cats when he arrived home.

Later that evening, we walked back over to Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco for dinner. The place was busy. I was the lucky recipient of the night’s best meal, a fantastico veal chop. We had been fortunate enough to enjoy numerous delicious meals on this trip, and tomorrow would arguably be the best we would encounter (at least, in hindsight, it was my favorite). It was also one of the most fun.

<b> TOMORROW – GALILEO GIVES KIM AND MARY THE FINGER, A MUSEUM OFF THE BEATEN PATH, THE ELUSIVE CHICKEN SANDWICH, RACING FOR THE SUNSET, MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT OF THE TRIP
AND
INTRODUCING DAN AND LINDA SHARING TRAGIC (AND FUNNY) STORIES OF A SUNKEN CAMERA AND THE MOST EXPENSIVE FISH IN THE WORLD </b>
((H))

Ooooo, love the title for tomorrow!

What? I have to wait till tomorrow for your fav restaurant. My guess is it is the one in Lamole.

Now the plot has really thickened!! :)

I've put 11 am at the Caffe Giacosa on my hit list for next summer.

I've just started researching Pisa. Is it easy to get tickets for the climb?

Kopp,

Yes, it is very easy to reserve your Leaning Tower tickets online.

Here is website:
http://www.opapisa.it/boxoffice/index.jsp

They will ask for your passport number. Pick a date and time you want to go, and they will send you a confirmation.

It costs 17 Euros per ticket online. You have to be at the Opera della Primaziale office near the tower about an hour before your scheduled time. Bring your confirmation, and they will give you tickets. About 10-15 minutes before you go up, go over to the TI if you need to check your purse, backpack, etc.

Have fun, and save a chicken sandwich or two for us in Florence.
((H))

Really enjoying your trip-are you a professional writer??
My DH is also an early person. His elementary school principal called to ask his mother to keep him home until the staff actually arrived. We tried telling him the wrong time for one party but I gave it away by not nagging him that we were too early!

&quot;What? I have to wait till tomorrow for your fav restaurant. My guess is it is the one in Lamole.&quot;

Ah, that was the CONSENSUS #1, but not mine, although it was a very close second. My favorite restaurant was in Firenze and it is.......
((H))

Naughty boy. This is like reading the Da Vinci Code, but with a lot more food and wine.

Donco, your story got a laugh out of me. I have the opposite problem. My fiancee, his son and a few other members of my family are always late so I just tell them an earlier time.

Sometimes it works and they arrive on time!

Gail

I'm still waiting for your next installment. I hope all the gushing and fawning over Barb's story hasn't deterred you from continuing the account of your Odyssey. I'm finding it most entertaining and informative. Please continue!

maitaitom,

Thanks for the link. I've had to bookmark and calendar it as you can only make reservations 16-45 days ahead of the scheduled visit. Last time I was there you couldn't go inside, so this will be great fun!

Yeah, thanks for the link. I was also wondering how to make reservations for the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Looking forward to another chapter of Tom’s Tuscan Tours. Just what does that chicken sandwich have that makes it so delicious?

Unfortunately it has been a very bust couple of days, but will post next installment in a few hours when I get home from work.

Simone, the chicken sandwich is really very simple. Lettuce, mayo and chicken on the freshest little round pieces of bread. It sounds like any other chicken sandwich, but for some reason, it is just incredibly delicious (and it's not because we love Florence, although it doesn't hurt).
((H))

Maitai: My fav restaurant for dinner was also in Firenze and it was....&quot;GARGA&quot;. On Oct 11, 2005. Second Fav was in Siena, &quot;San Desiderio&quot;, a super lunch,10/5/05 and Third was also lunch 10/12/05 in Chiusi, &quot;La Solita Zuppa&quot;, run by the &quot;Soup Nazi&quot;. We didn't get to many places recommended by Fodorites because of many reasons, mainly that we couldn't find them and my husband said: &quot;Let's find our own great places&quot;. He won, and we found good and bad cafes.

Okay, Tom, we are counting on the continuation of the trip. As much as I enjoyed Barb's epic mis-adventure, it is nice to read about a journey where everyone got along so well. (I think your group's wine consumption could have something to do with that??)

&quot;Okay, Tom, we are counting on the continuation of the trip.&quot;

I am just waiting for Dan to call me back and tell me the exact name of the restaurant where he had the most &quot;expensive fish in the world,&quot; which he said he would do shortly.

Everyone on our trip remains close friends, and they are actually &quot;reading&quot; along without fear I am saying anything behind their backs. Kim is very busy, so he sometimes falls a little behind in the report. I talked to him a couple of nights ago, and he asked, &quot;Where are we today in the report?&quot; When I said Florence, he replied dryly, &quot;Great, did we have a good time?&quot;

We all got along so well together because laughter truly is the best medicine (well, at least better than a wine and Ambien combo). And yes, any trip, any where, any time, is better with wine.
((H))

Cin cin!