Italy

We saved Italy for last, staying at a renovated farmhouse in northern Tuscany, then a few days in Florence and finally to Santa Margherita by the sea for down time.  Leaving Switzerland tomorrow morning, this is a last minute post before the miles make this memory beyond meaningful reach.

The Duomo and Bell Tower balanced by the Palazzo Vecchio anchor the Florentine "skyline." 

This Genovese cake (after the port city of Genoa) was HUGE.  Traditional Italian cuisine seems to prefer the bold and simple.  This bakery was in nearby Santa Margherita.
The main cathedral in Siena was astounding. Black and white, horizontal striped marble throughout the interior.

From the cafeteria terrace of Florence's Uffizi Gallery.

The gated doorways of our apt in the farmhouse made for prisoner and dungeon play.  Our farmhouse villa had a dog whom we promptly named, "killer dog." Sorry to report that the craze for owning dogs that can kill people is present in Europe, too. 

"Leather, leather, everywhere." Name that tune.  Florentine leather is renowned, but the markets made it hard to sort out the authentic, ie quality of grain, where I heard every sort of animal hide mentioned as absolutely THE best kind. antelope, camel, lamb, etc.  Then I heard antelope was illegal and a term now used to describe the finest lambskin, ie as though "antelope."  While trying on a "camel" jacket, the vendor suddenly struck a match and held it against me to prove (I guess) its fire retardant quality.  I was impressed when one vendor grabbed a jacket and wrung it out like a chamois (we had a brief rainstorm).

Something about this Leonardo - the Annunciation; it became a personal favorite. 

We recommend the above, Fun in Florence, breaking down key art sites by patterns, shapes, color, and simple history. 
Hydrangea blooms in the Santa Margherita hotel grounds. By contrast, Florence had few public places or park benches to just sit and take a break. Not easy with kids.  14% fewer tourists compared to last summer, due to the euro.  Many Europeans now take their holidays at cheaper locales - former eastern bloc countries - and skip traditional Italy, but fewer Americans this time, as well, though still a favorite.

I REALLY liked the gelato - served with such flair.  One stand made a fantastic watermelon flavor; there was even a seed in my cup!  Sad to report though that they have limited the number of flavors you can stack onto the cone.  I used to fit 5 flavors onto a single-size serving.  The chocolate was almost pitch black.
The sea was a bit rough for the Mediterranean, but the children enjoyed the rare wave action.

Pesto is a Genoa dish, served with green beans and potato in the sauce.  Jack could eat pasta breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Most days he got got 2 out of 3.

This braided roll made a lovely template.

This merry-go-round had a Pooh with a tail attached that the children yelled and screamed for.  Catching the tail won a free turn. Great gimmick.

Clever postcards that outline famous paintings for children to color in.

Lunch with the Millers.

Dinner with Guernaldo, a retired chef in Florence, who came to our apt and gave cooking lessons (more like demos): full menus served and cleared AND cleaned! Warm seafood salad, wild boar fresh pasta, grilled rosemary steak, and flourless chocolate cake. 
The boys did fine with museums and churches, as long as we gave breaks and prepped them for things to see and find, like a treasure hunt.

Olive groves outside the apartment.  Locals press their own oil - the fresher the better.

Except for a few spots, the beaches tend to be gravel, not sand; sheltered, little coves - all flanked with umbrellas, deck chairs, eateries, and mostly Italians. Marconi transmitted the first radio signal from our hotel terrace.  Never learned why one street was named Via Antonio Gramsci, as I could not trace any history between the Marxist theorist and the seaside city.  

There is this enchanting blend of history - Roman steps climbing the hill behind our hotel are still in use - with good food and beautiful vistas.  Undoubtedly owed to zoning laws, European cities are often set in a bucolic landscape, compared to American urban centers; so it's not just the comparatively older civilization, but also the proximity to greenness that marks these countries.

On the other hand, if you're talking representative democracy, then America is probably the one with the deeper history; most of Europe (and Asia) being the new-kid-on-the-block.