10 Days In Italy = Tons of Photos

Hello all,
Now that we have returned, time and internet access has allowed the upload of all the photos taken on the trip. However Picasa has limits so a second account had to be created to upload the rest of the trip. Here are the two links to all the photos...

Day 1- 6: https://picasaweb.google.com/102595021903155164186
Day 7 -11: https://picasaweb.google.com/101517981921849566061

Enjoy!

All Flights Lead To Home

Well it has been a long day but we have landed in Montreal safely and are boarding the bus to home. All of us had a wonderful time and created memories and friends that will last a lifetime. Thanks to all who made this trip possible.

All Roads Lead To Rome

Well like all good things this too must come to an end. We started the morning with a buffet breakfast and then back to the centre of Firenze (Florence)for some more shopping, shopping, shopping. Leather jackets, leather purses, leather boots...You think they sell leather around here. Some great deals were made today. Traditional Florentine pizza was on the menu for lunch, then on the buses to head back to Rome for our final night in Italy. The four hour drive took us back through the mountains and olive groves, right to the Da Meo Patacca for another fantastic Italian dinner while we were serenaded by a three piece guitar band singing traditional Italian folk songs. After dinner it was back to the hotel we began in for a small "last night" party before bed. We'll be up for breakfast early and off to the airport for the long trip home.


Photos to follow

Jewel of the Renaissance

After a late night send off to our Italian friends, we woke to have a late breakfast which is just as well as the weather was an off and on light rain. Then it was time to load the buses (again) and off to Firenze (Florence, which is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance). The three hour drive took us through the mountains, by hill-top towns and olive groves. Once we arrived in Firenze it was straight to the Galleria Dell'Accademia which houses Michelangelo's "David". Another brilliant sculpture out of a single piece of marble. We then departed on a walking tour of the center of Firenze which included the massive domed cathedral called Santa Maria del Fiore or the Duomo. This is an amazing piece of Florentine architecture. We then broke free for a couple of hours to roam the many shops, restaurants and markets in the city centre. Some great buys can be had here if you are a skilled bargainer. We then boarded the buses and set off to our hotel for the evening. In the same grandeur of the sculpture we had just seen, the Michelangelo hotel lived up to it's name. The best hotel yet and they fed us a wonderful Florentine styled steak with risotto. After the meal there was a couple of hours of down time then off to bed for another day in Firenze.

Ducka You Head, Lowla Bridgeda!

What a breakfast buffet! It blew the Rome hotel away. After last night's concert, the orchestra was invited to the Prefect's palace. He is the head of all police/security in the region of Molise (that is probably why the police closed the road so we could get the buses close to the palace). We toured the palace and he gave Mr. Gomez an Italian flag. Once again, load the buses and off to the next town...Terni. That is if we could find our way out of Campobasso. Narrow streets, round-abouts and one-way streets created a bit of turmoil for our poor bus drivers, but nothing more so than a low bridge that we could not fit under. Two very large buses, backing up into some very short tempered drivers who wanted by. Lets just say lots of honking horns were happening, but boy can those guys drive a bus. Once out of Campobasso in the rain, it was a quiet sleepy five hour drive to Terni. Just enough time to freshen up, then off to dinner. Mmmm Italy has good food. After supper, off to the concert venue for another reheasal and concert. This place was interesting...No way to get backstage from the audience except over the stage. This made for some crazy logistics. The musicians played wonderfully again despite the sweltering temperature in the building. Back to the hotel to have a short farewell party for our Italian musicians who have been on tour with us. Gratzi Lorenzo! Gratzi Fabio! Gratzi Alessandro!

Over The Mountains And Through The Tunnels To Campobasso We Go

Sorry for the delay but we did not have internet access in Campobasso last night.

We started the day with a buffet breakfast and straight to checking out of the hotel and loading the buses for a four hour drive to Campobasso. Once we arrived, we checked into a charming hotel that had GREAT food but no hot water in the showers. The Vice-Premier of the Molise Region greeted us at the hotel and sponsored a luncheon for us. Then off we went for a short walking tour of the town, over to the concert hall (which we performed in that evening), to a local museum that housed the history of the Molise people, and up the hill to the church and castle at the top. Don't need a stair-master in this town, just go for a walk. Back to the hotel for another four course Italian meal then off to the Teatro Savoia for rehearsal and the concert. A very old but beautiful hall. Some local dignitaries attended the concert and we presented a Canadian flag to them. The musicians played very well, but due to some speeches and gift giving, the concert ran very long and it was straight back to the hotel for bed.

Ready, Set ... Go

Well after a couple of days of fine tuning this well oiled machine, we finally came to the start of the race. We started the day with a nice breakfast (no rush today). A couple of hours of individual practice time or leisure time followed then a lovely buffet lunch. After lunch it was time to load the buses with all the equipment and a van with the harp. Parco della Musica was our destination. It's a gorgeous hall where we saw the symphony on Saturday night. Once we arrived we unloaded and went straight to rehearsal on stage. What a different view from the stage! The concert began at 5:30 where the OYO started with Rossini's "Overture to Semiramide", then Elgar's "In The South". After our two pieces the Juni Orchestra (Italy's National youth orchestra) played three pieces. Then the two orchestras united on stage to perform Verdi's "Overture to Nabucco". What a performance! After the concert the OYO and the Juni went to Crile - Cucin ai Parioli for some really good pizza. Both orchestras mingled and had a wonderful time. Back to the hotel to pack and get a good night's sleep as we head off to Campobasso for our second concert tomorrow.