San Gimignano & Siena

We are into our final night in Tuscany and have packed in as much as possible. We left early this morning for San Gimignano, taking the back roads through beautiful landscapes. We spent the next few hours exploring the small medieval hill town that Dante supposedly used as inspiration for his Inferno. We snacked on pastries and coffee before pizza and beer for an early lunch. We then drove onto Monteriggioni and found it almost empty. It is a very pretty town, surrounded by parapet walls, and can be circled in about 5 minutes. We then decided to drive into Siena to see the Piazza del Campo. We wandered slowly down through the town into the Piazza before stopping for another lunch in the sun at one of the restaurants overlooking the square. We ordered risotto, pizza and pappardelle with wild boar ragu and sipped slowly on a bottle of light-bodied Chianti as the sun set over the Piazza. Late in the afternoon, we walked back up to our car via the Duomo before more coffee and gelato for the drive home. We leave Italy early tomorrow morning for our final destination in Burgundy and have booked a country house in Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, with a population of 323. We will use it as a base to sample the local produce, both red and white.

  

PISA AND THE COAST

After the huge day yesterday, we decided to take it easy today. We ate a late home-cooked breakfast before driving the short distance to Pisa and the Coast. As we drove over the hilly back roads, we saw the ‘Leaning Tower’ from a distance, sticking out like a wobbly tooth. Pisa is an unusual town, small but with a very big landmark. Apparently, the Tower is one of Italy’s main tourist attractions (it attracted us), with loads of travellers lining up to have their photos taken holding it up. In a country so full of amazing sights, without its Tower, Pisa would be a very quiet town. After coffee and gelato, we drove on to the coast, which was completely empty. It is no doubt a major attraction in season, but a ghost town now. The water is crystal clear with frequent marble break walls calming the sea. They have also trucked in round white rocks to pass as sand. Maybe in a few million years, it will begin to resemble the real thing, but not any time soon. We returned for a late lunch in the sun at our local restaurant before a siesta and then a walk around the wall at dusk. Tomorrow, for our last day in Tuscany, we plan to head out early to San Gimignano. And if time and aching limbs permit, maybe a quick look at Siena’s Piazza del Campo and Duomo. If not, maybe next time.

FLORENCE POSTCARDS

FLORENCE

Yesterday, we drove to Florence and parked our car on the outskirts before walking into the centre. After getting completely lost, we ended up in town as the Florence Marathon was being run. We walked along the Arno River and across the Ponte Vecchio to the Uffizi gallery to spend some time amongst the Masters. After a quick walk around the gallery, we were tired and hungry so stopped on the terrace for a leisurely lunch in perfect sunshine. As we were not in a rush, we ordered plates of antipasti and a good bottle of local Sangiovese to fortify ourselves to the afternoon ahead. And it worked a treat. In the warming glow of our imbibement, we meandered through the amazing gallery in relative peace and quiet.  Compared with the hordes at other international galleries, the Uffizi was a joy with plenty or room to enjoy the space. With guidebook in hand, we viewed masterworks by Leonardo, Michelangelo and Caravaggio, not to mention Titian’s cheeky ‘Venus of Urbino’ and Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’. By mid afternoon, we wandered out to explore the city more closely.  And what a beautiful city it is. The Arno River was like a mirror reflecting the buildings and bridges more accurately than they appeared in reality. The view from Pont Vecchio was breathtaking before we sat in the late sun at the Pitti Palace. As the sun set, we walked back through the Duomo and then to our car. An amazing day.