Cioccolato Paradiso



Perugia is one of the most impressive medieval cities we have visitted so far, with its' massive medieval buildings, colorful medieval characters, and mysterious medieval customs.

 





But nothing was medieval or mysterious about the Euro Chocolate festival that we visitted last weekend in Perugia.





 Chocolate was...

EVERYWHERE....


...and so was Sophia, with her camera:

 

There were chocolate ipods and chocolate batteries,

.

chocolate playing cards,

 

There were chocolate rulers,


and chocolate kebabs.





chocolate eggs,




chocolate hand towels,




chocolate table lamps,

and chocolate meats and cheeses.



 



  



  
  



Chocolate was beautifully designed and






beautifully wrapped.

 

                                The girls climbed a chocolate bar,

heard music played from a chocolate record album,

                       made friends with chocolate ravioli and
                       snuggled up with a hot cup of chocolate.

                   They looked through chocolate binoculars and
           rode high above Perugia on a chocolate ferris wheel.



We couldn't disagree that Perugia is....



a chocolate paradise!



A Tale of Lucca

 

A favorite way for us to explore our new home in Tuscany as a family is by taking day trips. Like  most things in Florence, the bus station is just a walk across town.



 

Lucca is a typical town in many ways,



but unusual in that it is one of the only cities in Tuscany that is still in tact, unharmed by bombing or war timedestruction.



.

 



The girls enjoyed the locals who gathered that day for a "Fare Trade" expedition,

 


and  the new friends of Lucca who welcomed us to town! 

 


 

Lucca is a slow and quiet Tuscan town, a great place to take out our sketchbooks

and pay attention to the beauty around us.

               

The original wall ramparts of Lucca keep a type of park along its' perimeter, ideal for biking and walking.

 

It's harvest time all over Tuscany, which includes festivals and celebrations in most every town, 

including the chestnut festival, which we had right here in Lucca!




 


 





 





To the Beach



A few weeks ago, we were inspired by a sunny September in Italy and headed to the coast, spending two nights in Monterosso, the last in the string of sweet, small towns of Cinque Terre.





We took the day to climb up and over the hillside to Vernazza, the neighboring town. Along the way, we met a grape farmer selling his crop for 1 euro a bunch. Yum!




The trail went straight up at times,



and stretched out to show wonderful vistas and the town below,



Vernazza!





until we arrived at our destination,

 


The buildings in Cinque Terre are painted with warm, earthy colors and designs.




Each town is unique and tucked into the hillside.



The girls loved the climb and raced ahead of us.

Joe finally caught up on the way back,

but I stayed back to enjoy the walk, the lemon groves,



and sunset view.




The reward came at the end of the day for Sophia and Josephine, who loved the swim in the Mediterranean Sea!