Joel Steen is Jim’s nephew, son of his next older brother David and wife Lynn. Joel and his wife Lacey live in Denver Colorado and they take full advantage of all that the area has to offer seemingly hiking and tandem biking almost every weekend and participating in local running clubs during the week. Needless to say they are both very fit making it impossible for us elders to keep up with them but we still have a lot of fun and activities to share with them. They have visited us previously in San Diego and Amsterdam and we have visited them multiple times in Denver. We are now absolutely delighted to welcome them to Florence and Tuscany.
Searching for our front door on Piazza Strozzi just below our living room window.They arrived on May 14 after flying overnight from Denver to Rome. They then took the train from Rome to Florence and then walked from the station to our house. They did take the elevator to our fourth floor flat but after that it was always up and down the 110 stairs.Their first and second days in Florence were spent doing tours and hikes.On the third day they rented a car to see some of the Tuscan and Chianti countryside. Joel was an excellent driver navigating the meandering narrow country roads like a local while the rest of us sat back and enjoyed the breathtaking scenery. Our first stop was Certaldo Basso which has a well preserved medieval car free upper town called Certaldo Alto that can be accessed either by a 90 second funicular ride or by walking up steep winding historical cobblestone streets.Joel and Lacey opted to walk(of course) but we took the funicular.
Hop in for the ride in this video and up we will go..This charming town which is situated between Florence and Sienna has beautiful views of the Val d’Elsa countrysideWhat a gorgeous day we had for this tour.The medieval atmosphere makes you feel like you stepped back in time.This serene red brick village is refreshingly void of the massive crowds of tourists. This is Palazzo Pretoria with the historic Vicar’s palace where you can tour the damp dungeons and walk up the tower. We did not do any tours here as we were anxious to move on to San Gimignano and Sienna.Our first glimpse of the famous medieval hilltop town of San Gimignano. Entering through the portal San Giovanni, visitors walk up a fairly wide well paved thoroughfare lined with medieval houses, wine shops, and artisan boutiques. Collegiate Church of the town has wonderful frescoes.Sadly and surprisingly we did not climb any of the towers here.The charming streets are very steep and winding.It is however teeming with tourists.This is the AirBNB where we will stay with our son Jason and family who will be our last guests in Italy.We climbed these stairs and were rewarded with spectacular views.San Gimignano is known for its well preserved architecture and iconic skyline of 14 surviving towers, earning the nickname of “Medieval Manhattan”, the original 72 towers symbolized the wealth of powerful families.
Musicians serenade you as you wander this World Heritage Site.Laundry Day.Last stop on our day trip out of Florence was Sienna where we enjoyed a short but very enjoyable stay. Joel and Lacey climbed the tower of the Sienna St Catherine Cathedral after a tour of the church which we had done previously with Philip & Phyllis..And so ends our long day trip out of Florence. On their last day we had lunch at Trattoria Omero and our friends Gilda and Fulvio joined us. Lacey and Joel had eaten here earlier in the week when they stumbled upon it during a long hike.This was the view we had from our table at the restaurant which is an historic family-run restaurant in the hills above Florence known for it’s captivating views of the city as it transforms into the Tuscan countryside. It serves traditional cuisine, and has a cozy atmosphere. Famous actors and celebrities such as Helen Mirren, Gwyneth Paltrow, Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Burton and Marcello Mastroianni have dined here. We highly recommend this Trattoria if you are ever in Florence.Gilda and Sandy took a taxi back to our apartment while Joel, Lacey, Jim and Fulvio walked back.We waved them goodbye as they stood in the Piazza below from the same window we saw them arriving. Thank you Joel and Lacey for another wonderful week together. We do not see you often enough but when we do it is always special.♥️
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