On Sunday, we packed up and undertook a more modest double connecting train ride from La Spezia to Lucca in Tuscany, our new base for 4 nights. We now know many of the (common) tricks of using the Italian rail system, although I’m sure we don’t know them all.
Lucca is a beautiful ancient Roman town, established hundreds of years BC and boasts the only still-intact complete city wall in Italy.
We spent the afternoon strolling through the small and narrow (almost car-less) streets of the old city. Our hotel is an old and elegant regal establishment, situated at the epi-centre. Our room faces onto a public square where a huge temporary stage (and gigantic loudspeakers) has been erected to host the series of summer concerts here. Luckily we missed Duran Duran who had performed the night before we arrived and the next concert is not scheduled until after we leave.
On Monday, we took a 30 minute train ride to Pisa where we explored the city and went to the famous tower. We photographed it from all angles (except vertical) and reflected on our last visit here, some 35 years ago.
On Tuesday, we went to Florence by bus (approx 50 mins) and were rather disappointed as the city is right now at the peak of the tourist season and it was like a feeding frenzy with hardly an inch to spare anywhere. Street hawkers, sidewalk stands and an impossible crush of people meant that our visit was more of a chore than a pleasure. I think that other tourists are a nuisance to us genuine tourists.
On Wednesday, we went on an organised tour to Siena and San Gimignano. Despite the presence of a “reasonable” number of tourists, these were delightful towns to visit. Siena, a medieval city with a long history BC, has the most impressive town square facing the town hall in all of Europe and one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Italy. San Gimignano, being much smaller, has only one main street (all lined with gift shops), two towers but boasts the two best gelato outlets in the world. We tried them both (including the recommended Cinnamon flavour), but couldn’t separate them.
Food? Whilst we miss the French bread and cheeses, we are relishing the pizzas and coffee in Italy. Each country to its own.
This ends our sojourn in Tuscany and we head off to the big smoke of Milan tomorrow (Thursday).
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| Sue livening up the main square in Lucca |
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| Our humble lodgings in Lucca |
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| Things aren't really as white as they appear here in Pisa |
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| No shortage of leather belts in Florence |
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| The magnificnet Duomo in Florence. Pity about the tourists |
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| Ponte Vecchio in Florence - all that glitters is sold from here |
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| The splendid cathedral in Siena (includes works by Michaelangelo inside) |
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| The main square in Sienna - they hold a horse race around it twice a year |
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| The boring countryside of Tuscany |
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| Sue took a shine to this man in San Gimignano - would that I be so lucky |
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| Having difficulties holding onto one's gelati |
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| It was worth the 10 minute queue |
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