Italian Friends

Today we went to Lucca to visit our Italian friends Antoinette, Marco, Mattia, David and Francesco who we met in Sienna. They live on a farm on the outskirts of Lucca with fruit and olive trees, hens and a pool. The kids were in heaven with so many toys to play with and had a ball!

We had a feast for lunch in their garden with pasta,  a BBQ and typical salads from the area.

Lucca is known as the city of 100 towers and is surrounded by 12m high walls. They were built in 1504 to defend Lucca against its arch-enemy Florence. The walls are so wide there's a lovely path on the top for bike-riding / running/ promenading. Historically Lucca was one of the region's most affluent towns because of its silk trade.

We had a terrific day thanks to our friends' wonderful hospitality.

David, Mattia, Alex and Charlie EAT WATERMELON

Outside the walls of Lucca

Puccini was born and lived here

San Michele in Foro 

Torre dei Guinigi (oaks sprouting from the top)

View over Lucca from Torre dei Guinigi

Under the Tuscan Sun!

We've found a very relaxing campsite high in the Tuscan hills amongst the vineyards and olive groves with great views over the valley.

We explored the lovely village of Vinci (birthplace of Leonardo) and they even put a bit of music and a show on for us! The kids had a great time doing some rock'n'roll in the park to 'Dennis and the Jets'. We had probably the best roast chicken and pizza ever.

We went back to Vinci the following day to go to the Leonardo Museum which featured replicas of his models and machines. He really was a genius and hundreds of years ahead of his time. His studies on optics and his anatomical drawings are amazing. He also designed bridges, towns and cities, built cranes and scaffolding to aid construction of the domes on churches, was fascinated by flight and designed a helicopter and built war machines such as steam powered cannons and tanks.

The restaurant at the campsite had been recommended and did a special 'Tuscan Menu'. It was our wedding anniversary and we thought we'd have a treat! I asked what the 'Tuscan Menu' was today and was told 'a surprise'. The gnocci with walnut sauce was delicious, the fungi risotto was fantastic but then I was presented with a plate of pigs stomach!!!!! Mmmmmm....

View of Vinci

Miss Charlie Ward

Poppies

Shapes for Prep D from Charlie

The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Today we went to Vinci (in Tuscany) which is where Leonardo da Vinci was born (da Vinci meaning from Vinci). He was a famous painter (he painted the Mona Lisa), scientist and inventor. We went to a museum which had a lot of models of machines he had designed, for example, a diving suit, the bicycle, tanks and a crane. He also did lots of work on 3D shapes.

I am loving all the yummy food in Italy, especially pizza and gelati! I'm missing all my friends in Prep D, it sounds like you're having a lot of fun at school!

Love Charlie

I love pizza!!!!  (and gelati)

A sphere at the top of a church

A hexagon (tile in the Vinci museum)

A cube (model in Vinci museum)

Triangular pyramid

What shape is this?

The main tower on the castle is a rectangular prism.

The trip so far

This is map of the trip so far. We are currently near Florence in Tuscany.

Sienna

We've arrived in Tuscany!! Ready to enjoy life under the Tuscan sun, sample some fine vino and olio (olive oil) and pretend we're in 'Stealing Beauty!'

The landscape is breathtaking, rolling hills with olive groves and vineyards and dotted with hill top villages.
Our first stop is Sienna, famous for it's beautiful shell shaped Piazza del Campo where a bare-back horse race is held twice a year (Palio). The horses race three times round the piazza, there are few rules, with jockeys whipping each other as well as their horses. The race is so fast that riders often fall off and a riderless horse can still win the race! We climbed the 503 steps to the top of the Torre del Mangla, (1340) a skinny bell tower with magnificent views over the city.

Of course there was time for gelati in the piazza then off to examine the Duomo, a spectacular Romanesque-Gothic zebra striped cathedral.

Alex and Charlie made friends with Mattia and David, two Italian boys  at the campsite and had great fun in the pool having water fights.

Alex and Mattia

Torre del Mangla

Piazza del Campo

View over the city from the top of the tower

A she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus whose son Senius founded Sienna

Duoma (1136-1382)