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