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A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 12, When in Rome, Time to Go Home

Grabbing shade at Monte train If it’s Monday, it must be time to head to Rome. A bit of a sore knee made a run a lousy idea so I went for a walk instead. We were pretty much packed from the night before and we kind of knew that this would be the close to final packing as we had very limited time in Rome for such things.Breakfast was… Read More »A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 12, When in Rome, Time to Go Home

A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 11, Monterosso!

Morning in Monterosso Al Mare The day began with a rooster crowing at about 6:30. I guess even the rosters sleep in in Italy. My job was simple: get up, get dressed, and hit the run down the hill. Monterosso is actually two places, Monterosso and Monterosso Al Mare. The first is South of Al Mare and a little smaller. That’s where our hotel was situated. While smaller than Al… Read More »A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 11, Monterosso!

A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 10, Hello Coastline!

Chiara’s Car Fully Loaded Note:   You will notice that Blogger began acting up halfway through this post (not wrapping text around pictures). After completely wasting 30 minutes trying to cure its actions, I just gave in. Hope it’s not too annoying.It was time to say goodbye to the Villa and head for the coast. I confess to looking forward to the move mostly because the villa, while wonderful, was boring.… Read More »A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 10, Hello Coastline!

A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 9, Lucca and my Mission

Cover me, I’m going inthru the Lucca Wall It was Friday (I didn’t miss this one). It was our last full day staying at the villa. I was on a mission.The day we walked the streets and shopped the shops of Lucca, we had seen some wonderful handmade pottery that nicely depicted the Tuscan countryside. This morning, I was going to combine two of my favorite things: running and doing… Read More »A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 9, Lucca and my Mission

A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 8, Firenze and Kevin’s Bag and Fish

“All Aboard” Today (Thursday) had three events on tap: a good run in town, a day trip to Firenze (Florence), and the second catered meal.The run was simple. I took the shortcut into town, spent most of the time running the flat streets of Camigliano, and came back via the long uphill road part. That road gets amazingly narrow at times and seems safer to run than it does to… Read More »A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 8, Firenze and Kevin’s Bag and Fish

A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 7, Siena

Two cute kids at Piazza del Campo The Flexi-plan became fully functional again today as it seemed that everyone had their own idea for how to spend the day. For Linda and me, we decided to take “Chiara’s Car” to Siena.Siena was first occupied by the Etruscans sometime between 900 and 400 BC. It has a long and somewhat checkered past. Far enough from Rome to be seen as a… Read More »A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 7, Siena

A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 6, Lucca and Me

The Walls of Lucca Unguided trips come in three types: the free for all, the tightly run ship, and the flexi-schedule. We were on the flexi. John had planned a few excursions and made them pillars of the itinerary, but at the same time there were some days that were wide open for individual variation. Today, Tuesday, was open.For most everyone, this meant a day to sleep in (wait, I… Read More »A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 6, Lucca and Me

A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 5, Lucca and Puccini

The narrow road to town When this trip first came on the radar, I had one thought: opera. After considerable research, it came down to two words that go together SO well: Lucca, Puccini. SO, it was on and today, Monday was the day.My morning began with a run down the hill into town and around. Two things about this were important. 1) The town is cute with maximum charm… Read More »A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 5, Lucca and Puccini

A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 4, Who’s Lost?

The Villa My non-international experience got the best of me this morning. I awoke at 5:45, pretty normal for me. I made my way to the living room (which was the wifi room as no other rom provided a very strong connection) and waited for Blane. Our loose plan (although it seemed pretty tight to me) was to go for a morning run together. So, I waited. I paced a… Read More »A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 4, Who’s Lost?

A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 3, Rome is For Runners

Piazza del Popolo Somehow when you jump time zones, time disappears. And somehow, I lost Friday. I’m sure it was a good day, I just feel kind of bad that I have no recollection of it (unfortunately, that may become a more “normal” happening  as age creeps in).So upon awakening at what we will describe as “my normal time,” I am off to take on a real run in Rome.… Read More »A Trip to Italy (and maybe some runs) Part 3, Rome is For Runners