Pisa and Lucca

Our initial plan for today was to visit Cinque Terres and hike some of the coastal trails. Last evening, we were researching some of the information on the trails and found that most were closed due to some severe flooding in the area a year and a half ago. It looked like maybe only a few kilometres had been reopened so we decided that a three hour drive wasn't worth it. 

Even though not highly recommended, we decided to venture to Pisa to see the leaning tower.

The identification of the need for geotechnical engineering...

We tried to get tickets for the Cathedral but the line up to buy the was an hour long ... Not worth more than a five minute wait in my view. The exterior looked good but if you look close the nearest corner is suffering the same problem as the tower.

The Lonely Planet Guide mentioned a few other areas in Pisa to explore away from the crush of tour groups and souvenir vendors so we quickly took that route. Some interesting sights.

We stopped at an Italian equivalent to a Subway for a sandwich. Only difference was the toppings and the availability of a cold beer on a 33C day.

Earl afternoon we drove to nearby Lucca, an upscale medieval walled city populated with some high end shops.

We were one week late to see Bryan Adams and one week early to see Neil Young, two Canadian performers.

Lots of beautiful people riding bicycles. I wonder if the platform shoes have pedal clips?

We stopped at one of the interesting oval shaped squares to enjoy a cold beer. Here is a panoramic view of about 1/3 of the facade.

Another interesting street performer...

We had a brief look in the Cathedral, old, from the 10th century but not as elaborate as others we have seen.

The drive home was another challenge with a number of missed turns etc.

Late day showers again then a humid sunset.

Tonight we decided on a light meal in the apartment. We bought a few ingredients and cooked fresh omelettes with some of the olive oil our landlord in Split had given us and some of the vegetables provided by our landlord in Tuscany. (We also had some of his Chianti).

I took out the tripod and took a few night scenes of the area ...

Volterra - Wednesday July 17

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. 

San Gimignano

We have been staring at the skyline of San Gimignano since arriving and decided that today was the day to visit. We got there early enough to beat the tourist day trippers from Florence and had no trouble finding parking. 

San Gimignano's early development was as a small Eutruscan settlement built on a ridge from the third to second century BC. It flourished in the 12th and 13th century expanding its walled boundaries as 72 towers were built. This would be the equivalent of 21st century monster homes. Today, 14 towers remain and it is a tourist Mecca.

We entered the southern gates and made our way to the Piaza Della Cisterna (aka the well).

We purchased a package pass for four museums and proceeded up the 250 steps go the "Great Tower".  

A great view although Chris did suffer a bit of vertigo.

Back on ground, we saw a number of interesting frescos.

We walked the steeply sloped streets admiring many interesting sights. 

No, it's not a European bank machine..... And right in the main square!

We went through a couple more museums and then stumbled into the Camera del Podesta which had an interesting fresco which I think was a 13th century marriage manual....

In the hot tub naked then off for a romp under the covers..... Not sure about the housekeeper's role in this?

We wandered the streets until 1400h then the heat got us and we decided to head to Centraldo to pick up a few groceries and grab some late lunch at the villa.

After lunch, I did a bit of a walk about the neighbourhood, checking out the owner's winery and a  nearby church built in 967 AD.

An approaching thunderstorm drove me back to the villa. 

The storm dissipated and we were able to get in our daily swim. 

For supper we returned to Osteria di Casa Chianti, just up the road. We got to enjoy the sunset while eating our meal on the patio.