Tuscany

Leaving Umbria behind we crossed to Tuscany; everyone tells us Tuscany is beautiful so we have much to look forward to.


Sienna

First stop is Sienna and we stay at a campsite that is about half an hour away on the local bus, but in a beautiful setting high up in the Tuscan countryside amongst the olive groves.



Sienna is a lovely city, centred on the large, shell shaped Piazza il Campo. To be fair the photo’s nowhere near does it justice; having seen a fair few piazza’s by now, we were very impressed when we entered this one.

The impressive Duomo and its bell tower

I just wanted to put this photo in because I keep telling Andrew he looks like Noel Gallagher with his hair brushed forward (not through choice but rather a lack of a barber recently) and those glasses on, and we think this looks like one of those media shots when the stars are trying to rush past the cameras. It doesn’t? Ah well, we can dream (not of being Noel Gallagher though!)

San Gimignano

Not to overdo it on hill top towns, we decided to visit just one in Tuscany and opted for San Gimignano. It has been recommended to us but also we had been told by some fellow travellers that it was too touristy and indeed the guidebooks advise it is perhaps the most visited small village in Italy, so it was a toss up as to how we would find it.

We loved the place and took to it immediately; it was a little touristy but it had a lovely ambience. It was a glorious day and the views from the town were just stunning.

It is a very well preserved medieval village and many frescoes adorn the buildings.

There are 2 interlinked main squares:

The less impressive but pleasant Piazza del Duomo

The very beautiful Piazza della Cisterna, which is named after the still functioning 13th century public cistern in the centre.

Florence

The campsite had an excellent location, up on a hillside overlooking the city; the skyline is very impressive.



The city is dominated by the Duomo and close up, the multi coloured cathedral is particularly stunning and quite possibly one of the best we have seen.

The River Arno runs through the city and is spanned by several bridges; one being the medieval Ponte Vecchio that is lined with shops perched over the water. (Actually, it looks much better from a distance, unless you enjoy shop after shop selling hoards of gold chains)

Passing the time - they told us it was weight watchers!

Returning home to camp, we finished with a beautiful sunset.

Florence was a lovely city that we felt would serve as a gentle introduction to Italian cities. It doesn’t have the immediate impact of other cities but is certainly a charming place to wander and admire some beautiful buildings, sculptures and piazza’s. It will hold special memories for us since we spent the anniversary of our first year together here.

Pisa

Our final destination in Tuscany, we just had to make a quick stop in Pisa and join the tourist masses in holding up the tower! This is why Andrew is chief photographer and not I…

I wont tell you how many attempts and I still couldn’t get the hands right!

Pisa is quite possibly the most touristic place I have ever visited; cant begin to tell you how many stalls were selling leaning mugs, fridge magnets, lamps etc etc, but actually, once you got past all that, the Campo dei Miracoli is quite a beautiful architectural sight, and even though you know about it, the leaning tower is highly amusing in the flesh.