Today's tour was a trip to the hilltop medieval town of Volterra made famous in the recent "Twilight Series books" of Stephanie Meyer. Never saw any vampires. Winding cobblestone streets not over run by tourists. It was mostly constructed in the 12th and 13th century.
This was about a 45 minute drive from the villa and took us through some rural areas of the province of Pisa. More farming than vineyards.
We arrived at the walled city at 1030h and started to explore the steeply graded streets within the city walls. This was the third day of Chris's "Vertigo Tour" so we made our way to the town's main square and took a tour through the museum and ascended the tower. This was a bit more sedate than yesterday as most of the climb was via an elevator. Only 65 steps at the top although you had to time your arrival to avoid the bell gong which occurred every 15 minutes. Great views of the city. Chris was less dizzy than the previous two days.
After descending, we were treated to some street performers. Interesting display. Think I saw the same act at the Renaissance Festival in Boca Raton last year.
We took a tour of Palazzo Viti, an old palatial residence with an excellent collection of local and oriental pieces.
From here we walked to the Roman Theatre, dating back to the 1st century BC. Nineteen rows of seating and a bathhouse.
We stopped for a lasagna lunch before wandering some more of the streets.
We returned to the villa around 1600h and enjoyed a nap and swim by the pool before being sent for cover as another thunderstorm approached.
Lightening was all around us but no big rainfall occurred. At around 2000h we ventured out for supper and by sunset, the storm dissipated and we were able to enjoy another fabulous Tuscan supper.
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