Christmas card 2009

Happy holidays from the Settle family.

Florence

First stop in Florence was a great pub to enjoy the Piazza Della Signoria.

The Arno


The Duomo





Piazza della Repubblica

On the Ponte Vecchio.

The Italians did not like photos taken of the art. As you can see I snuck in a few:) David is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I think it is one of those things that you have to experience to understand.

We took the train to Lucca for the day.

They happened to be having a flea market that day.

Views from Boboli Gardens.

The best wine bar in Italy is right behind us!





We ended up spending hours here with Zeno:)

Wine & olive oil at the Fattoria Di Grignano estate.







Then off to a cooking class at a beautiful hilltop villa

Paris day 3

We packed as much as we could into our short stay in Paris. This is a long post:)

We started the day at the Rodin Museum.










Then on to the Musee D Orsay. It is the most beautiful museum I have ever been in. The use of natural light and the staging of the exhibits is beyond compare.









Notre Dame













Off for a walking tour of the city. We stayed in Rue Cler, a quaint neighborhood we felt right at home in.



















We made it to the 2nd tier of the tower and walked down. It was freezing!!!!