Happy Easter 2014!

 Our Ballerina Bunny

 Dyeing Easter Eggs

 Alleluia! He is Risen!

 Candy for Breakfast, Yum!

Bunny Cake for dessert!

TUSCANY!

We arrived in Tuscany late Saturday night and awoke to beautiful sunshine and gorgeous views from our villa.  We took a tour of the local town and shopped for groceries.  The closest Tuscan village was just a few minutes away, so we took advantage of it and hiked a little before heading back to make dinner.

 The village of Peccioli.

 Art is everywhere!

 We had the opportunity to pray and reflect on a beautiful Sunday.

 The Church had small museum and a reliquary with ancient religious items.

 Vineyards lined the drive up to our Villa.



Florence

Our first big stop in Tuscany was Florence.

We knew it would be hard to see everything we wanted to, especially with a six year old who crumpled in despair and cried "another Church!" at the Duomo, but we did manage to see more than we expected.  Florence is gorgeous, and with the exception of the battery dying in our van at the end of the day, (we will be thanking God for many years to come for the kind American lady who spoke Italian and came to our rescue!) we had an unforgettable vacation.

Galileo's tomb inside the Duomo.

 Outside the Duomo

 Ponte Vecchio

 David and I

 Jody found the same Gellaterio that he had eaten at as a student on tour in Florence nearly thirty years ago!  It was still just as good as he remembered.

 Piazza Signoria

Statue of Neptune

  Tuscan restaurant for a fabulous lunch!

 Salute!

Duomo (Santa Marie del Fiore)

Lucca

Lucca began as a Roman settlement.  Christianity came here early and it's said that the first bishop was a disciple of Peter.

 

 The pizza was amazing and, like gelato, we ate it everyday!

We usually ordered it "da porta via" (to go) and ate it in one of the beautiful piazzas.

 

 

The archangel Michael stands ready to flap his wings on top of San Michele church (which he did occasionally due to pulleys attached to the back!)

One of the many amazing statues around the city.

 

 Who doesn't love a carousel ride?

 Daddy sure loves it!

 Aaargh! How did I get stuck with these two drivers!?!

 

Biking around the city walls was the kids' favorite part of the whole trip.

Separate Roman, Medieval and Renaissance walls that surrounded the city were combined by Napoleon's widow (he had taken a liking to Lucca after invading Italy) to create a park that surrounds the city and provides gorgeous views of the Lucca sights.

 Beautiful girls!

 Eating in a café within the old Roman Amphitheatre in the heart of the city.

 Standing in front of Porta San Pietro, one of the gates entering Lucca.

Posing in front of the ramparts that surround the city.