The Birmingham Community House has just published it's summer catalogue ad in includes a number of new tours and travel destinations. What's the difference between a tour and a travel destination. A tour is more "up at seven national museum at eleven" and a destination is more of an experience to be enjoyed.. Treasures of Tuscany is more of the latter. Like the Community House's trip to the travel destination of the Amalfi Coast you stay a one convenient hotel, (which prevents suitcase reshuffling) at and then travel to near by attractions on a daily basis. If you are familiar with the movie Under the Tuscan Sun and think Tuscany may be a good place for romance or to forget one, the single supplement is only $261 dollars over the the rate for couples. The over all price of $2599 includes airfare some meals and tours to the attractions is also quite reasonable.
If you want a certain cachet with locals you can tell them that the author of your 185th favorite Travel Blog (the one you are reading now) was in Florence in the summer of 1967 when the effects of a late 1966 flood (which did more damage to the City and it's art treasures that all of World War II) were still being dealt with. The flood has not been forgotten in Florence and when you go you may hear stories or be shown the high water mark. Two news reels are depicted here. The above is in Italian and even features a partial narration by Richard Burton (speaking or reading Italian) The one below is a news real in English.
How did I hit upon Florence ? When I was growing up the usual sticking points involving adolescent and parents were usually best resolved by dispatching the former to some exotic place in hopes that something might rub off. Florence struck me as an interesting but more of an acquired taste. At the time I was rather tasteless and acquiring such a sensation did not seem immediately likely.Two decades later when I met my wife she said she went to Florence after graduating from College and it was her favorite Italian City. I talked about the flood. She asked what I thought of the rest of Tuscany. I remember asking "You mean there is more ?"
Indeed there is and over the years I have found that many places benefit form a second or even a third visit. Especially with old or new friends from Community House. This trip to one of the most renowned Art Centers in the world has an added benefit. It spares you the indignity of having to ask "the rest of what ?."
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