I had a very happy Thanksgiving in Prato, Italy this year. Prato is a town in Tuscany, not far from Florence.
One of the things I like about Prato is how old it is. There is a lot of history in this town. The photos below are of a castle that was built at least 1000 years ago…
…and a place to see movies outside as well.
Inside the castle walls you can see the water cistern, a crucial feature for survival that needed to be protected from the enemy.
And windy, stone staircases…
and windows designed for shooting arrows at the enemy safely.
Luckily for this bird, there are no enemies today.
I like the top of the castle walls.
And I like checking out the surrounding buildings from there.
I also like the new Prato.
can you see what this is made of?
Somewhere in those mountains lived the turkey (tacchino) we ate for Thanksgiving.
We went up into the hills to pick the turkey up and I saw lemons growing.
In the summer, this porch would be shaded by grapevines. Grapes and olives are grown all over Tuscany.
One of the churches in Prato is called San Stefano and it has some beautiful murals painted on the walls inside by a famous painter from the Renaissance, Filippo Lippi.
The church also has a porch on the side (designed by Donatello) from which a religious relic is displayed several times a year. The holy item is reported to be the actual belt worn by Mary, mother of Jesus.
And now for a mini Italian vocabulary lesson…
And can you read this graffiti? It says “I love scuola” – can you guess what that means?
I leave you with Merry Christmas wishes!
Hampstead Heath, London
Oh, I so want to go there! And are those knitted ornaments on that tree?
I’m really enjoying checking in on your travels. I like how detailed you are and it probably helps that you are also a Social Studies teacher. I may never travel to Europe so, this is really great to see it through your eyes.
Yes, we have snow. I don’t think you’ll have a white Christmas but I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a great New Year!
We miss you!
PEACE,
Anne
Are those knitted mini sweaters on that tree? really? Hope you had a great Christmas?
Happy New Year girlfriend!
Hope your trip to Disney was fun with family!!!
At least now snow…we now have a storm coming
that is expected to last two full days, at a slow pace!
I am doing okay, but the cold air does not like my lungs
at all! I might make it 10 mins outside before I start a coughing fit…not fun.
Hope you are all well.
Take care.
Nancy