Italy: Tuscany and Venice memories
October 27~ November 4, 2001

The recent MSU Alumni Assn. tour to the Tuscany region of Italy was fabulous. We had glorious weather most every day and thoroughly enjoyed touring the medieval hilltop towns of Arezzo, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano and Montepulciano ending with a quick tour of Padua and then a day and half in Venice. Click on the photos below to go to separate series of pages for each town or subject noted. Photos by MSU Alumni Association, copyright MSU Alumni Association, 2001.
A couple mothers in Arezzo chat while their children ride a merry-go-round in one of the city plazzas.	Florence's Ponte Vecchio, one of the oldest surviving bridges in Europe dating to the early 1300's. We had a wine-tasting and dinner in Radda in Chianti country.
180 degree shot of the Piazza della Signoria from in front of Florence's Town Hall, aka Palazzo Vecchio, overlooking the Fountain of Neptune on the right and a number of statues, the most famous being the statue of David by Michaelangelo.
The profile of Castello di Gargonza is striking against a sunrise. This was where we stayed while touring Tuscany.
A villa on the outskirts of Sangiminano, a hilltop castle city that boasts 13 towers.	The belfry of one of Sangiminano's towers.
One of Europe's grandest squares, Siena's Piazza del Campo where an annual horse race festival, called the Palio, attracts thousands and passionate fans.
Siena's Duomo as seen from the Mangia Tower at night.	A young boy scoots over the elaborate inlaid marble of the Duomo of Siena.
Montepulciano, one of my personal favorites, happened to also be one of the steepest climbs as you can see here.	Here's where we had lunch in Montepulciano.
Venice's Gran Canal as seen from the Rialto Bridge.
The Tuscan countryside was wonderful. Here's a few snapshots from the bus as we traveled.	Miscellaneous photos including this one of our guide with boyfriend Giovanni are in this series.
Photos by MSU Alumni Association, copyright MSU Alumni Association, 2001.