Linea by Louis Dell'Olio

[Seka]

Oil paintings purchased from street vendors in both Venice and Rome remind me of my travels.  If you enjoy art - you can find beautiful pieces - inexpensive - and as they are not framed - the artists roll them up and put them in a carrying tube with a strap so you can carry over the shoulder.  I had no issue bringing them home.  In Venice, the artists were in and around the Piazza San Marco.  In Rome, the artists were all along the top of the Spanish Steps.  

[flgirl2]

A maryjane shoe like Clarks A298009 should work for walking on all those Italian cobblestones.

[Sammijo10]

You know Flgirl, I tried on a pair of Abeo's in a nearby Walking Store almost identical to that pair of mary janes..  The were much more expensive too!  I'm going to search other sites for the Clarks you mentioned as they are sold out in my size here.  Thanks for confiming my style choice! 

[flgirl2]

Cinque terra is an interesting area, worth seeing, and close to Tuscany.

[Sammijo10]

Seka, what a wonderful idea!  And so much better than refrigerator magnets!

[Maxine49]

Hi, Sammijo.  My first question is: are you driving from Rome to Tuscany? It's an easy drive.  If so, I suggest you stop in Montalcino to sample the Brunello.  Go to any of the wonderful restaurants in the town's center piazza.

I don't know where your villa in Tucany, but if you are near Siena, do try to visit the Cathedral (it is stunning in black and white stone) and then the Piazza del Campo--the town center---which is now a world heritage site. The best place for people watching.  In the evening, families do the evening passeggiata--which is a stroll around the campo, arm in arm.  If you are lucky, you will see groups of young men from their contradas (neighborhoods) doing the passeggiata and singing beautiful songs.

More tomorrow..........

[Barbara in Virginia]

If you are planning a day trip to Florence, I would recommend going to Fiesole, up in the hills above Florence, then taking the bus for a short ride into Florence.  It has been a looooong time since I have been there, but the views from Fiesole are spectacular.  There is a museum there as well as some beautiful churches.  This is where the very wealthy (think the Medicis) had their "country" homes and today is where wealthy Italians still live.  If you saw the movie "A Room with a  View" , Fiesole is where they took their outing to the countryside. There are highly rated restaurants there, both moderately priced as well as fine eating.  Hope they will leave my link to the Trip Advisor listing here, but if not, just go to Trip Advisor Fiesole, Italy.  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187896-Fiesole_Tuscany-Vacations.html

[6kids]

Sammijo, your trip sounds amazing! While you are in Tuscany you may want to plan a meal at one of the local farm/restaurants. I was in Tuscany about two years age and had dinner at a place called Fattoria Poggio Alloro. It was probably the best food I have ever eaten and the farm itself was beautiful.
Have a fantastic time!

[Sammijo10]

Ok, Linea Ladies, I'm doing some choosing and eliminating on my Linea olive and black travel wardrobe, I have two Linea black midi skirts - one in rayon/span and one in whisper knit. I've allocated ONE black skirt. Given the time of year - October - which one goes in the suitcase? 

Edited Monday: I've been digging into my closet archives and decided to pack a Linea black ponte pencil skirt (from probably at least 5 years ago when I was working!) instead.  I was surprised it still fit! Since I'll be limited in shoe choices and one is a black comfort ballet flat, those shoes look better with a pencil skirt and tights than the midi skirt - I'm barely 5'3", so the longer skirts without heels make me look like I'm standing in a hole. The pencil skirt works better with both short and tunic style tops whereas with a midi/long skirt, only shorter tops will work.  One problem solved!  

Limiting my packing wardrobe to 16 major pieces is not as easy as I thought it would be.  It may seem silly to start this early for a trip in October, but I want to see if I need to add anything with enough time to do so. 

Thanks to all for the suggestions. Keep them coming! Yes, we will be driving from Rome to Florence and then on to Venice - will drop the car off there and then spend three days in Venice and fly home from there.