Upcoming Trip!

During Thanksgiving, most people have days off, as it's a Federal holiday. However, as we discussed last year, Germany doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, so everything is open! This year, Joe and I have signed up for a trip scheduled by the base MWR (Family & Morale, Welfare, and Recreation). We're going on a 4 day trip to Italy! I've included our itinerary here since we'll be keeping our activities cheap in the run-up to the trip.

Day 1: Departure from Germany

Day 2: Pisa City Tour

We will stop for breakfast at a highway restaurant. After breakfast, we will arrive in Pisa for our city tour. The tour includes a stop to the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. Free time will be provided to ascend the leaning tower or to visit other sights Pisa has to offer. Sights in the city worth visiting include the cathedral, botanical gardens, museums, Piazza del Duomo, Museo del O’Pera del Duomo, field of miracles, treasuries, and the baptistery. After a nice relaxing lunch, we depart Pisa for our hotel in Gragnano, a small village near to the city of Lucca for some needed rest and relaxation. Dinner is served in the hotel.

Day 3: Montecarlo Hiking/Fortress Tour, Lunch/Wine Tasting, & Free Time

After breakfast, the hotel director will take the group on a 5km hike from the hotel to the town of Montecarlo. We will hike through a scenic landscape of oak trees up to the village and the medieval town fortress. The trail then takes us further into Montecarlo at a local Fattoria. A wine tasting is included during lunch. Afterwards the bus will depart for free time in Lucca.

Day 4: Florence City Tour & Free Time

We will depart our hotel after breakfast for the Renaissance city of Florence. In the morning during our city tour we’ll see the city’s highlights by bus from the outskirts, and then walk its medieval streets by foot. We’ll see famous Ponte Vecchio Bridge with the homonymous Palazzo as well as the largest Franciscan church in Italy, Santa Maria Croce, which is considered to be the burial site of some of the most influential Italian people from history, art, and literature. Also impressive is the Palazzo Vecchio in the Piazza della Signoria with the replica of David by Michelangelo. Other attractions include the octagonal Baptistery dedicated to the patron saint of Florence, San Giovanni, and the Palazzo Medici Ricardi. Free time will be provided in the afternoon to purchase souvenirs, or visit a museum.

Day 5: Lucca Tour, Market visit with Chef, Olive Oil Tasting and 4 Course Dinner

Today, a special experience awaits you. The hotel chef will take us to Lucca to shop for the ingredients for our 4 course Tuscan dinner. The Lucca fruit and vegetable market is well known for its Tuscan food. Our hotel chef will explain his purchases, and you have the opportunity to ask questions and maybe suggest an ingredient he should buy for the 4 course dinner. In the afternoon, there will be a brief tour of Lucca. During our tour, you will see the impressive Piazza del Mercato, where a Roman Amphitheatre was located. Also worth seeing is the Piazza San Michele with the Church of San Michele in Foro and the Palazzo Pretorio. In the late afternoon, we take our bus to outskirts of Lucca for an olive oil tasting.

Day 6: Return to Germany