December in Italy

The Christmas spirit has held up despite several days pouring rain and the cloudy skies.  There are Christmas lights that drape overhead on many streets throughout Florence.  See photos.  There is also an Austrian Christmas market that graces Piazza Santa Croce.  They sell typical German/Austrian foods and all sorts of goodies from Nutella crepes, hot wine, spice, artisan crafts and these star shaped paper lamps that I have been dying to buy.

  

We also had the opportunity to visit another winery.  This one was the Marchesei di Frescobaldi.  We won this winery trip because we were part of the largest group to participate in the Corri la Vita (run for life for breast cancer research.)  Despite a brief bus accident between our bus and a colleague of mine and a short stint of hail...the day was lovely.