Andrew and Rachel's Wedding

The day of the wedding was beautiful and sunny in Portovenere, Italy. The hotel staff told us how lucky we were to have such great weather--it had previously been cold and rainy, and was supposed to rain the following day as well. Lucky us!

We started the morning off with a three hour boat cruise, leaving from the Portovenere harbor and sailing up the coast, past two more towns along the Cinque Terre trail that connects the 5 towns along the coast.

Chels and I on the cruise

Beautiful view of the Portovenere harbor as we were leaving. The castle ruins where the wedding was held are located in the upper middle of the picture, sitting just above the town and shops.

View of castle from the water

Such a romantic place for a wedding!

We stayed at the Grand Hotel Portovenere (the pink and white building), and we were all lucky enough to have rooms with balconies and the gorgeous views!

Lauren, Rachel's friend from Michigan, with Chels and I on the cruise. It was lovely to meet Andrew and Rachel's friends. They had 6 couples who came along to help them celebrate!

The Tobys on the cruise

Adorable!

The original Tobys and the new Toby daughter-in-laws

Riomaggiore, closest town to Portovenere on the Cinque Terre trail

The aqua color of the water and the colorful buildings in the background is so gorgeous

The adorable couple on their wedding day

Proud big sister Chelsea

So happy for Rachel and Andrew!

Chels and I at the castle after the ceremony, there were wonderful views!

Chelsea and I at the post-ceremony cocktail hour, out on the hotel's patio overlooking the harbor

Bride and groom, looking radiant and relaxed. 

The Tobys at the wedding reception. What a great day!

Orvieto, Italy

 Barry, Cindy and I did a day trip to Orvieto the day before we left Tuscany to head to the coast for the wedding. Orvieto is located in Umbria, and sits up on a hill 1,000 feet from the valley floor. The town features a beautiful gothic cathedral, Etruscan caves, and an old well (wait for it).

Duomo in Orvieto was built in the 14th century

Beautiful gothic facade with four pillars, each telling a different biblical story: Creation, Tree of Jesse, Old and New Testament, and the Last Judgment stories

Mary and Jesus

Nave of the Duomo

Stunning paintings in the chapels

Mary in the Chapel of the Corporal

It's amazing how old these paintings are, yet how beautiful and intact they remain today

I liked the bronze angels on the doors exiting the cathedral

Cindy and Barry entering the Etruscan caves. The Etruscans lived and founded Orvieto, prior to the Romans arrival, whom killed and eradicated the Etruscan people and culture. 

Map of the Etruscan caves. Each hilltop home had access to these caves in ancient times, where they would store food, wine, and pigeons and other livestock. Some 2,000 caves have been discovered, only a few hundred explored. There are believed to be more of the medieval caves yet to be discovered.

Castle viewed from atop Orvieto. It has now been turned into a hotel.

View of the valley from the old Orvieto city walls

Another view of the valley from the city hilltop

Model of St. Patrick's Well. Commissioned by St. Patrick in the 16th century to hold off the Romans, having a sustainable water source was a big priority for the city. The two spiral staircases had a one-way traffic flow--you go down into the well, and then you (or your donkey, if you're lucky) comes up the other side carrying your water.

Cindy peering through one of the many windows of the well

The well is 175 feet deep and 45 feet wide. Pretty big accomplishment for the 16th century!

Portovenere, Italy

Hello family and friends,

It's been a few days since I've posted, as the internet service has been spotty. We arrived in Portovenere on Thursday afternoon. Andrew and Rachel's wedding was Friday, we had beautiful weather! It was a gorgeous wedding, we had a blast and are so happy for our brother and new sister-in-law! Can't wait to share more photos next week.

Panoramic shot of Portovenere from the harbor

Cindy and I at lunch on the harbor

Chelsea and Barry at lunch

These are a few preview photos from my cell phone. Most photos are on the camera, however Chels and I are traveling for the next few days and I forgot the camera USB cord at the Villa. Stay tuned for updates and more posts in a few days.

Chels and I have arrived in Florence and will be here for the next few days, then on to Venice for a night. Back to the Villa on Tuesday, and will upload photos then. 

Arrivederci!

Citta della Pieve

Tuesday was a quieter day. Andrew, Rachel, the Davidsons and a few friends went to Rome for the day to explore and file paperwork at the consulate for the upcoming wedding. So soon, can't wait!

The rest of us had a free day to explore the town closest to the Villa, Citta della Pieve. Barry, Cindy, and I walked into town yesterday late morning to do some exploring and pick up some groceries. As a group, we've been struggling to get into the shops and restaurants when they are open. Many close mid-day for a few hours, and on Sunday the grocery we intended to go back to never re-opened. Silly Americans getting used to "Italian time".

Inside the Citta della Pieve Duomo

Famous Citta della Pieve artist Pietro Vannucci, aka il Perugino. His image is a source of pride in town and is found all over the city. This tile was on the side of a building as we strolled along the cobblestone streets.

View from the edge of the city. Neat to see how the cities are built up on hills with surrounding walls, which were built to protect the city from intruders. 

Map of Citta della Pieve

Panoramic view from the edge of the city walls

Steps up through a residential part of the city

I love the vertical gardens and rooftop or balcony gardens. There are no backyards in the city, so residents have to get creative with their green spaces.

Private homes have miniature statues of Santa Maria (some include Mary as well as Jesus) over the doorways into the home. They are quite beautiful and unique.

The smallest street in Italy, Vicolo Baciadonne. Rumor has it that a feud between neighbors whom did not want adjoining homes created this narrow street in between.

Also called the "kissing street" as you could lean out the window of one home and kiss someone in the other. Picture above is of Barry walking through ahead of me, quite the squeeze through!

Another image of the street. Barry joked that this is the only street in Italy you feel confident walking down that you won't get run over by a car or Vespa!

Me and Barry in the Vicolo Baciadonne

 
View of the bell tower

Another Santa Maria altar 

Barry, Cindy, Chelsea and I went out to dinner last night in Citta della Pieve. I accidentally ordered a 1/2 carafe of wine, instead of a glass. Oh well, more wine is a good problem to have!

Cindy took this picture of me with the enormous pizza I ordered. Chels and I each ordered a dish and planned to share, boy were we stuffed! The food is so delicious, we're all hoping we still fit into our clothes for the wedding on Friday!