July 3, 2026  

A Tuscan Interlude

Although this blog is about our adventures on Far and Away, we took a vacation from our vacation to head to Tuscany for a memorable family event.  After making sure Far and Away was safe and secure at the maritime museum dock with our new friend Peter Horton looking after her, we flew to Florence, where we met up with Jack and Eugenia. After a short walk around the city and a visit to the museum at the great Duomo, we drove to a small town outside of Sienna. Eugenia's parents, Hector and Cristina Lostri, wanted to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary and his 60th birthday by renting a large Tuscan house, Torre Palazzone. They invited twenty friends and family for a weeklong celebration called 100 Anos de Festejo. And celebrate we did! We were so honored to be invited to this international event. Most were old friends of Cristina and Hector from Buenos Aires, all of whom spoke Spanish but spoke varying degrees of English. The two of us spoke English and some Spanish, and the parents of Luca (the boyfriend of Eugenia's sister Flor), spoke Italian but hardly a word of Spanish or English! But everyone's kindness quickly bound us together as a group. 

It was a pleasantly hot week in Europe. We had long, late breakfasts with incredible tortes, fresh fruit, pastries, and cappuccinos under the shady wisteria arbor. We headed off each day in a convoy of cars to a series of hilltop towns and villages, wandered around, and then had lunch together before more exploring in the afternoon. We usually got back to Torre Palazzone around 6:00, had a cooling swim (Nico and I would then have a nap) before gathering for a festive dinner, usually with a theme - white night, costume night, the renewal of the vows celebration, Hector's birthday party, and sombrero night. The first night we watched the Argentinian World Cup match, and other nights there would be charades, dancing, or games until 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning. In addition to all of this, we were lucky to be able to spend so much time with Jack and Eugenia.

The entrance to Torre Palazzone through the lavender fields

The courtyard gate and main tower

Our room was at the very top of the tower!

The courtyard. The main kitchens were on the left, and the guest rooms, common rooms, and guest kitchen were on the right

The view from our tower room

Our table under the wisteria arbor, set for breakfast

Every day there was a new, amazing torte waiting for us

Our chef, preparing the bread oven for pizza night. She got it going six hours before dinner, and it was an extremely hot day!

Preparing the pizzas

Luca's parents arranged for a local winery in Puglia, where they live, to bottle rose and white wine for the celebration. Eugenia's sister, Flor, designed the label. She is an architect and lives in Milan with Luca .

The pool, which we were very grateful for in the heat.

The field of sunflowers on the property. As the sun moved overhead, the flowers turned towards it.

The bees loved the lavender and sunflowers. The fields were buzzing. In the evening, the powerful smell of lavender wafted towards the house.

We took a trip to the Antinori Winery. The family has been making wine for over six centuries in the Chianti region. The winery is in a 50,000-square-meter building that is mostly invisible because the vines are planted on top of it. It cost approximately 130 million dollars to build. 

Paloma, Eugenia's best childhood friend, Eugenia and Flor, at the winery.

The Duomo in Florence. I turned a corner, and there it was - an incredibly beautiful sight.

Nico, at the Ponte Vecchio. He spent half a semester studying here in the '70s and hadn't been back since.

Sienna. This is the Campo where the famous horse race is held each year. Neighborhoods compete in an emotional, terrifying race on uneven ground and tight corners.

San Gimignano is a city of towers. Families in the 1300s tried to show their importance by building the tallest tower. At one point, there were 72 towers, but now only 13 remain.

The biggest surprise was San Gimignano's Duomo, which had the entire story of the bible covering all the walls in incredible detail. Despite all the years, the fresco colors were bright, and the pictures themselves seemed modern.

The main plaza of Montepulciano. Every hillside town seemed to have a duomo and a civic building with a huge tower. Jack, Nico, and I climbed to the top of the tower among the giant bells. A kid was up there, too, and he gave one of the bells a great clang, to our astonishment.

The main plaza of Greve in Chianti.

A small hilltop village called Montefioralle.

No tourists in Montefioralle. Jack bought a small sculpture from an artist there.

Pienza

Lunch in San Gimignano

Gelato was a must on these hot days

We saw so much art. We enjoyed visiting the small town museums. 

Nico found a Caravaggio.

It was not all old! We saw a fantastic Salvador Dali exhibit in Multipulciano

The views from each town were breathtaking.

The drives through the countryside were equally fantastic.

This spot looked so beautiful that we stopped and found it was a Benedictine monastery open to the public. It had a garden with ducks, chickens, and bunnies.

The view from Multipulciano

Our wonderful hosts, Cristina and Hector

The whole group on the first night.

White night!

A bit fuzzy, but it was about 2:00 AM, and we had been dancing. Just the women danced.

Cristina and Hector renewed their vows. Eugenia and Flor each gave a heartfelt speech, and then Hector and Cristina addressed each other. I couldn't understand all the words, but the passion was clear.

It was a very emotional time

Masquerade night
 

                   

                                                                            Hat night

                                                         Lots of wonderful memories

We just had the nicest week sailing the coast south of Oslo with our nephew Philip and his children, Lillian and Philip. I met Philip and his family at Logan Airport, and we flew over together. They stayed in Oslo for the night, and I went ahead to meet Nico, who was waiting at a maritime museum dock in Horten, a 40-minute train ride south of the city. Philip's wife, Susan, remained in Oslo and was going to travel to Bergen while we sailed.  There was a music festival going on in town, and boats were rafted up - everyone was swimming and partying. When Philip and the kids arrived the next morning, we toured the museum and especially enjoyed going in a small patrol sub. A veteran volunteer was staffing it, and it turned out he was a former commander of this type of sub, used to patrol Norwegian waters and keep an eye on the Russians. We had a very thorough tour and learned a lot about submarine operations and life for the 20 crew members on board. Then, in the small world department, our guide mentioned that he had a sailboat designed by a Maine architect named Roger Long. Roger is a friend of Nico's!

After that, we set sail for Hanko, an island about 15 miles south. We docked at the Royal Oslo Yacht Club dock. The island was the former summer home and hunting lodge of the late King of Norway. He was a big sailor, as is his son, and the club is a center for 6, 8, and 12-meter sailboats. His house was very simple, as are most houses here in Norway. We walked around part of the island, admiring the homes and gardens. We encountered a rock cliff in the center of the island with a bolted climbing route. Nico wished he had his gear, which was on the boat.

Next stop was the town of Stromstad, located in Sweden. A new country for Far and Away! We tied up right on the quay and enjoyed watching people passing by. Philip took us out to dinner, and we enjoyed a Swedish dish of hake, mashed potatoes, and tiny shrimps in a creamy garlicy wine sauce with dill. In the morning, we enjoyed delicious Swedish pastries filled with cardamom along with our coffee. On board, we have tried to introduce local favorites such as pressed cod roe caviar in a tube, WASA crackers, pickled herring, brown cheese on toast, and of course, chocolate. The kids hit the snack aisles in the market and found Salt Scum, an extremely salty licorice. They had a contest to see who could eat it with a straight face!

Flying the Swedish flag for the first time

The next anchorage was on the island of Munson. We have tried to show Philip and the kids a variety of places on their short cruise. This one was a shallow bay on a rocky island approached by a tortuous route through the rocks. SO MANY ROCKS. They went ashore in the dinghy and had a swim and a hike. Although I have been calling Philip and Lillian "kids," they are not. Lillian will be a sophomore at Colby College, and Philip is in high school. They were very quick learners and soon were steering and competently helping out with all aspects of sailing the boat.

We have had some good sailing!

Our anchorage

I think they get some wind in the winter here

Wild pansies on the rocks

Last stop was the picturesque village of Skjaerhalden, where we hiked amongst the foundations of 13th-century fishing huts and the glorious gardens of summer homes. 

Philip and family headed off by bus to reunite with Susan in Oslo, while we took advantage of the marina to do laundry and much-needed painting of the boat's brightwork. We sailed north a few miles to an anchorage that had the narrowest entrance. It is very nerve-wracking to travel around these unfamiliar waters. Most people in the anchorage tied right up to the rocks, but we didn't dare. We anchored, but we were still right next to some rocks. We put out two anchors just in case.

Now we are back in Horten, tied up next to the navy destroyer. We went to Oslo by train yesterday to see the ship Fram that carried Anmunsen to the South Pole and then the Kon-Tiki Museum. We wandered the amazing modern waterfront and went back to the restaurant, The Salmon, where I went last year. I've been dreaming of their fried salmon skin with creme fraiche and salmon caviar, so I was happy to have it again. We went to the Munch Museum. He was an amazingly talented but highly disturbed individual.

Off to Italy today - but by airplane. We are leaving Far and Away at the dock. A new friend is looking after her as we leave for a week to join Hector and Cristina Lostri to celebrate their 40th anniversary and his 60th birthday at a villa near Siena. 

Hosta Luego!