Via Italy Tour '98 Story: Lenore Lieberman Paintings: Barry Lieberman

Anticipation was great as we prepared to depart from JFK October 3, for a 14 day tour of Italy. It is called "The Best of Italy Tour" starting at our first major stop in Venice and ending in Sorrento..Takeoff----Landing and 'Here we are in theVenice Airport and it was raining!' Our tour guide Giovanna greeted us and many other tour members milling around. There was lots of confusion, baggage, noise and water,water, water. But we got through it and we followed Giovanna to the 'water-taxis'.

	Title: Venice Canal -Sold- Year: 1998 Medium: Mixed Media-Pen & Ink w/ Illustration Markers Size: 10" X 7" Comments: From the protection of a cafe along side the Grand Canal we clicked our glasses of vino and toasted to our love in romantic Venice. Regular Price: $390 -- Value Price: $350
"That will take us to the Hotel Saturnia" and so 14 of us cram into the 8ft. cabin of the small water taxi and we are wisked off to our hotel. We will spend 3 days in Venice, a colorful city, alive with lots of busy people. Here we meet many new friends as we wade through the rain viewing many charming parts of this 14th century city-state. The small canals interlacing the buildings divided by a Grand Canal, all of this is traversed by boats, especially the romantic 'gondolas'. Many shops, hotels, cafes and restaurants border the canals. Artist: Giamberti ,P'tiore Title: Gondola's of Venice Year: 1998 Medium: Watercolor Size: 9" X 6" Regular Price: $50 -- Value Price: $ 45
	Title: Tuscany Hillside- Awarded Merit Certificate Year: 1998 Medium: Mixed Media-Pen & Ink w/ Illustration Marker Size: 10" X 7" Comments:The picturesque hillsides of The Tuscany Region keep us completely spellbound as we pass through many tunnels and towns on our way to Florence. Regular Price: $330 -- Value Price: $300
If only we had 10 pairs of hands to capture the beauty that was all around us.We make stops in Padua and Bologna with a most wonderful repast in a wine cellar--Fantastico!! The art to be found in their famous basilicas is just amazing. The city of Pisa is our next stop, all to see the famous 'leaning tower'. It is truly greater than the pictures, as our very perky guide Christina dedicatedly shows us the Church and Baptistry in the pouring rain. Her wonderful personality and knowledge just made the rain almost disappear. On to Firenze. Artist: Brooksby, Angie Title: Wheatfield Medium: Oil Size: 6" X 4" Regular Price: $50 -- Value price: $45
	Title: Synagogue d' Florence Year: 1998 Medium: Pen & Ink Size: 10" X 7" Regular Price: $330 -- Value Price: $300 Comments: 60 minutes to sketch a most intricate Moorish styled Synagogue. It was a wonderful feeling finding a church of your own in a foreign land and such a beautiful one.The beautiful green copper dome is very lovely, capturing within it the gold, green, brown filagrees. A busy place, but our deep thought and concentration keeps us to ourselves.
Our arrival in florence, a City of hustle and bustle, many cars and even more mopeds and bikes. The Star Hotel Michealangelo offers a a fine nights sleep, and then up at 7:00AM for our visit to the Academia. Our guide is Marizia, with quite a formal training in the works of Michealangelo. As you can see his knowledge of hands, muscles, veins is quite expert. The Baptistry and Santa Croce in 4 colors of marble, is a site to behold. But, there is always time to go shopping 'leathers' for gifts. Artist: Barry Lieberman Title: Hand of David Medium: Photograph Size: 10" X 8" Regular Price: $17.50 --Value Price: $15
	Title: San Gimignano Year: 1998 Medium: Mixed Media--Pen & Ink w/ Art Markers Size: 10"X7" Regular Price: $300-- Value Price: $270 Comments: Our 1st really sunny day gives us oppurtunity to enjoy a lunch at a sidewalk cafe. Our thoughts return to the lovely dinner dance held in the Villa Vivana. Wonderful food, wine, and dancing. What a site, Lenore and Joe(the honeymooner) doing the 'Macarena' all alone on the dance floor! What a spectacular night. San Gimignana a small mideval town perched high on a hill, with small winding streets. Then onto Siena, a ride thru farmlands, we view curious collections of drooping 'Blackeyed Susans. "They look so sad" as if they were sorry to see the summer over. In Sienna we imagined the horses racing around the piazza. Our dinner is a real celebration -14 bottles of wine at our table for 8.
Our 'Road to Rome' takes us through more beautiful countryside views. Rolling green hills, tall cypress trees surrounding stategically located farm houses. Oh so beautiful! More sunflowers but less black eyes. Artist: Eleonora Rotini Title: Tuscan Hillside Farmhouse Medium: Watercolor Size: 3" X 3" Regular Price: $50 --Value Price: $45
	Title: Torgiano Disks Year: 1998 Medium: Mixed Media - Pen and Ink w/ Art Markers Size: 10"X 7" Comments: Intrigued by the 'wheeled disks' inlaid into the small piazza and also found in front of the main Cathedral of Torgiano. We enjoyed a wine tasting at the 'Osteria del Museo'--Red, rose,& whites-with little crackers. It just keeps getting better & better! On to Assisi where we view the scaffolded upper church, the ceiling of which collapsed in a 5.8 earthquake 1 year ago. Our friends Eileen & Joe had visited the basilica just '1' day before the occurence! A beautiful view was beheld as we enjoyed luncheon at a well located hotel. That beautiful rose field was breathtaking,and no thorns. Then it was 'Nappy-Nappy' time on toward Roma. Regular Price: $450 -- Value Price: $405
Our hotel in Rome is very nice and we prepare to meet, our only relative living in Italy, for dinner at a very happening bistro the "Cuchon Pavioli". Joyce and Gianni were already waiting when we arrived, and we felt as if we were being entertained by the 'social star of the Roman world'. She is so flamboyant yet charming and Gianni agreed with all she told us. Her knowledge of where to shop, eat, go, etc. were voluminous. We were armed with all we needed to know about Rome. Artist: Crisi, Marcello Title: Floral d' Roma Medium: Oil Size: 11" X 9" Regular Price: $75 -- Value Price: $67.50
	Title: Piazza Silvestri Roma Year: 1998 Medium: Mixed Media-Pen & Ink w/ Art Markers Size: 10"X 7" Regular Price: $350 -- Value Price: $315 Comments: We meet our Vatican tour guide 'Nora' a very proper woman with perfect Italia-American diction and a small scarf. She is able to position our group 1st into the Sistine Chapel on a Saturday. What an incredible thing to be alone inside the Chapel with the 'works' of Michealangelo above us to view in private (+42). The chapel is not what we expected in size, it is much smaller than other churches we had viewed, a Chapel. But the scope of the art within this space is fit into its space in perfect mathematical form and the details of the artwork is overwhelming and unbelievable!

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