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  • Day 10

    Day 10 - Sun, Apr 28 - Tuscany Towns

    April 28, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    On the dot of 9:00 a.m., we headed off to visit three lovely Tuscan towns - San Gimignano, Volterra and Pisa. We wound our way up and down roads through the green, green countryside. Before we actually got to San Gimignano, Simone took us down a narrow country lane so that we could get a view of the the town from outside the walls. San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. Known as the Town of Fine Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, unique in the preservation of 14 of its tower houses (incredible considering wars, catastrophes, and urban renewal trends), which, with its hilltop setting and encircling walls, form "an unforgettable skyline”. Unforgettable sums it up perfectly. The "Historic Centre of San Gimignano" is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Piazza della Cisterna is the main square of the town. It is triangular in shape and is surrounded by medieval houses of different dates, among them some fine examples of Romanesque and Gothic palazzos. At the centre of the piazza stands a well which was the main source of water for the town's residents. The structure dates from 1346.

    The town is full of small shops selling a wide variety of goods - souvenirs, fine wines, clothing, shoes and fabulous leather goods. We walked all over the town, enjoying the beautiful view and sampling more gelato - a triple cone of salted caramel, chocolate and creme brulée. We are going to have to keep walking to reduce the damage from that kind of decadence!

    Promptly on time, we rendezvoused with Simone - parking is a premium in these small towns - so he does a “scoop-and-run” maneuver - he stops for just a minute; we pile in; he pulls away - we have it down to a science now. We wound our way through more of the beautiful Tuscan countryside to the town of Volterra. It too is walled mountaintop town. Its history dates from before the 8th century BC and it has substantial structures from the Etruscan, Roman, and Medieval periods. The huge attraction here, besides the gorgeous views, is alabaster. It is a calcareous substance mined in the surrounding area that has been widely used for millennia since the Etruscan craftsmen carved it to obtain urns to keep the ashes of their dead. The large natural deposits of alabaster in its surroundings are considered one of the most precious around the world given its particular compactness, transparency, veins and hardness.

    The shops are full of many of the same kinds of goods as in San Gimignano, but with the addition of beautiful alabaster goods - jewelry, vases, tiny animals, chessboards and on and on. It’s mesmerizing to look at it all - such fabulous artisanship.

    Another scoop-and-run at the bus station. Next destination - Pisa, famous for its tower. The Leaning Tower of Pisa or simply the Tower of Pisa is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral, known worldwide for its nearly four-degree lean, the result of an unstable foundation. The tower is situated behind the Pisa Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in the city's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo), after the cathedral and the Pisa Baptistry. The tower's tilt began during construction in the 12th century, due to soft ground on one side, which was unable to properly support the structure's weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed in the 14th century. It gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

    Standing in a large green expanse, Piazza del Duomo houses a group of monuments known the world over. These four masterpieces of medieval architecture – the cathedral, the baptistry, the campanile (the 'Leaning Tower') and the cemetery – had a great influence on monumental art in Italy from the 11th to the 14th century. The Piazza del Duomo is another UNESCO World Heritage site.

    Some members of our intrepid group wanted to climb that almost 300 steps to the top of the tower, but the next available bookings were almost two hours later, well past our designated pick up time.

    Thankfully, the rain that had threatened at all three stops failed to find us, making for another excellent tourist day. Rain finally did appear on the drive to our last stop of the day - a farm and winery where we had yet another 4-course dinner with wonderfully fresh authentic Tuscan ingredients and wines made right there on the farm. It was a very quiet ride back to Florence - we were all tired and very full!

    Our destination for tomorrow is Venice, the City of Canals.
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