Italy | FindPenguins

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Trip start
September 10, 2024
Italy
Off to Italy
September 10, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F
Packed and ready to go for six weeks.
Enjoy your journey [Mary Ellen]
9/18/24Reply
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Italy
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Florence
Sep 12–15, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F
We arrived in Florence Wednesday Eve after a long day of travel. We left Pittsburgh Tuesday evening, arrived at London Heathrow the following morning, then took a National Express bus to Gatwick to get our flight to Florence. From the airport, we caught a tram into the center city and then walked the final 20 minutes . It was 8:00 PM until we arrived at our guest house, named Florest. The proprietor, Daniele, meet us for a late check in. He was very hospitable. Despite it being a long travel day, everything went smoothly and on time.

We slept in this morning, got some breakfast, and then walked to the cathedral (Duomo). Just walking around the outside was magnificent and supposedly more impressive than the interior. They are in the process of cleaning the marble and one of our pictures compares before and after.

We had a 12:30 admission to the Galleria dell Accademia where the Michaelangelo status of David is housed, along with many other statues, paintings, and a display of musical instruments.

From there we headed to the Uffizi Gallery to view works of the Italian Renaissance matters including Leonardo, Michaelangelo, and Rafael.

Next we headed to the river Arno, as we walked to a sporting goods store to buy trekking poles. Once there, we didn't like the price so we headed to another and bought them from a shop that appeared to me staffed by a father and two young daughters.

After a brief stop at our guest house, we headed out to dinner based on the recommendation of our host, Daniele. However, we went without reservations and were turned away. We asked for a recommendation there and went to Perseus where we had a nice dinner.

It was now close to 11:00 PM so we returned to the hotel. We walked over 10 miles and spent more hours on our feet than that would represent as we were standing looking at lots of things.Read more
Looks beautiful [Kate]
9/14/24Reply
Traveler Miss you
9/22/24Reply
Traveler Can't blame you
9/22/24Reply
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Italy
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Florence Day 2
September 13, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
Our first stop of the day was the San Lorenzo Central Market. Fun looking at all the vendor's booths. Jeff had a a panino con lampredotto from De Nerbone. They have been in business for over 150 years. Not my typical breakfast but it was delicious.

We strolled down to the Galileo museum for our 12:30 admission. It was a nice change from all of the art of yesterday. We spent about 2 hours there looking at how science advanced during the Renaissance time period. A lot of this were things Eileen taught her middle schoolers.

After some lunch, we started walking toward piazzale Michaelangelo. We started with a stroll across the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge that has been standing since the 1300s. It is completely filled with jewelry shops. I have no idea how they could make money given the number there. Above the bridge is a covered walkway that has been used by the Medici family to get between the Pitti Palace and their offices (Uffizi). We didn't tour the Pitti, partly because the residences were closed for renovation and we weren't ready for more art.

The Piazza Michaelangelo was high atop the hill offering beautiful views of Florence across the river. There were street musicians playing nice music while we were there. A short distance up there was a beautiful basilica, San Miniato del Monte. We considered waiting to hear the monks and their Gregorian chant but didn't want to wait that long.

The walk back to the our room took about 45 minutes. We rested for about 20 minutes before heading to our 7:45 dinner reservation at the place that turned us away the night before. The food at antica trattoria da Tito was good, including some very tasty desserts. It was our first time trying Vin Santo, paired with a delicious piece of cake. We called it an early night and headed back to the room although I (Jeff) was up till almost 2:00.Read more
Traveler Hi Eileen!
9/14/24Reply
Traveler Hi Diane!!!! 👋
9/15/24Reply
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Italy
2
Florence to Lucca
September 14, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
We checked out of our room, packs on our back. We started off with a trip to the market again. This time we headed upstairs to the food court for a bite to eat. Really should have stuck with the traditional market for food. Not that the upstairs was bad but certainly not like a common food court.

Next to was a stop at another church, Santa Maria Novella, near the train station . This place was massive with courtyards and cloisters. The paintings here was huge and magnificent. Most had been restored, and there was one wall painting that was currently undergoing restoration. There were frescoes through the cloisters, most had not been restored - a project for another day. Hard to imagine the amount of money just spent on art restoration. I guess the 7.50 entrance fee helps a little. Outside the church there was a sizable Piazza with a number of vendors, mostly arts, crafts.

Inside the train station, we had "fun" with the tickets machines (the manned ticket booth had a line that wasn't moving.). One was only accepting cash. Another got as far as saying "printing tickets", then decided to give us our money back. The next clearly said "sick" on the terminal screen. Waiting quite a while at one behind a lady who was clearly having problems. We finally found one that worked and have us tickets. We had about a 30 minute wait before heading off on the 90 minute journey to Lucca. Had it been non stop, it would have been a much quicker ride but lots of stops on the way.

It was about a 15 minute walk to our room inside the city wall. Lucca still had it's walls intact, 100 feet wide. Your are able to walk or ride bikes along them. A bit about Lucca here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucca

The room was on the 2nd floor, so much easier to get to than the 66 steps we had to climb to our room in Florence. There is a nice garden area with tables outside that is viable from our window. After unpacking, we headed out to explore the town. We use the Rick Steve's tour books and started following his city walk, which started about 2 minutes from where we were staying. We never finished the walk. Our first distraction was a small brewpub with craft beers. Good distraction. While there we saw a flyer for a one act opera tonight. We figured why not, so Eileen bought tickets online. After that we continued walking but detoured to a monthly open air antique market.

While there, we heard the beating of drums (had heard them while we were in our room) and followed the sounds to what appeared to be a medieval competition, primarily of archers (crossbow). Unfortunately we missed the competition but we did get to see some sword fighting and the awards ceremony. Neat seeing men, women and children in period dress.

After a quick trip back to our room, we headed out to find some food. We ended up at one of the open air tables in the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, mainly for the atmosphere. There were some musicians in the center playing and lots of people around. The pizza and wine were ok.

Next up was "Cavalleria Rusticana" , a one act opera that was held at the Auditorium del Suffragio, a former church. We were both glad that it was a single act .... 90 minutes was enough for us. The singers and instrumentalists were great. It was a short 4 minute walk back to our room, in by 1100 PM.Read more
Puccini?? [Stacy J]
9/17/24Reply
Traveler Puccini is from Lucca. We could have heard arias from his operas but we chose a one act opera of a lesser known composer. The storyline was easy to follow and the singing was fantastic.
9/21/24Reply
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Italy
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Pisa Day Trip
September 15, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
We started our day going to the Cathedral de San Martino to get our credentials for our walk that we will begin on Tuesday. Credentials are books that one can get stamps from hotels, cafes, and churches along the way to aide as a momento of one's trip and to prove that you walked the required distance to get a certificate of completion. We wanted to get them in advance so we can begin walking early on Tuesday.

From there we took the train to Pisa. The train system in Europe makes getting around so easy. We walked from the train station and took in sights that Rick Steves pointed out in his walking tour. We stopped along the way and had our first gelato of the trip.

Soon we reached the Field of Miracles. That is where the leaning tower of Pisa is as well as a duomo (church), baptistry, museum and cemetery. We toured the baptistry, the duomo, and the cemetery. We also climbed the 250+ steps to the top of the tower. As soon as we walked in the tower we could feel the lean of the building. The tower, and many buildings in the city, lean because they are built on a silt foundation which shifts easily. If you look closely, the baptistry also leans. When the tower was being built, someone said, "Is it me or is the building leaning?", but they kept building anyway. The tower is hollow and the stairs are thin and cylindrical. Once at the top, we had views of the city including a local soccer game. There are 7 bells in the tower. They don't ring anymore so as not to put more stress on the building as they are very heavy, but a recording of the bells is played for church services. We got to hear the recording for the evening service. On the ground, it was fun watching so many people taking the famous picture of someone pushing the tower back up. Given the number of people "pushing", the tower should be back to normal in no time.

It was a short train ride back to Lucca and the walled part of the city. We walked part of the way around on the wall top which has been widened into a walking/bike path before descending into the narrow street town. For dinner we went to the grocery store for fresh bagette, cheese, grapes and wine and picnicked in the garden of our hotel.Read more
Sounds like a wonderful day! [Mary Kapral]
9/15/24Reply
TravelerCool
9/15/24Reply
Traveler Haha
9/15/24Reply
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Italy
Lucca
September 16, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F
Today was a very relaxed day in Lucca before we start hiking tomorrow. We started by walking the wall around the city - about 2 miles. The top of the wall is a very wide paved area for walking, jogging, and biking. It is a nice way to see in the old city and get a view of the main city of Lucca. We also walked by the original old gates into the old city.

We followed this with a bakery lunch and a little nap. Next we climbed 231 steps to the top of a tower to get an even higher view of the old town. There is a garden at the top of the tower.

Later is was a spritzer and bruschetta for an afternoon snack. These are common appetizers in the Tuscany area.

Later we met our friend Brianne from Boston. We originally met her on our Camino hiking trip in Portugal/Spain. She is going to hike the Via Francegenia with us. Together we walked to San Martino so she could get her first stamp and then had dinner. We got back to our room for an early to bed night. Tomorrow we hike!Read more
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Italy
Hiking day 1 - to Altopascio - 12 miles
September 17, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F
We left our room around 8:30 and started walking toward the city walls. First stop was a cafe for a light breakfast, enjoyed in the open air of the Piazza. Leaving there, we headed in the direction of a sporting goods store to shop for trekking poles. The good people at TSA in Boston had confiscated Brianne's. I guess she looked dangerous. This last 5 times she flew with them, no problem.

We took a rather roundabout way to the store but we eventually made it. In a few minutes, the poles were in her possession and we headed to the marked trail to continue our journey.

Today's hike was 97% paved surface. At times we were walking very busy roads but other times were like country lanes and neighborhood streets. Generally, we found it nicer and more pleasant than anticipated based on what we had read.

At our lunch stop, Eileen and I split a pizza. How special on our anniversary. Taking advantage of lunch stops today and tomorrow, I think the following two days have nowhere to stop.

When we got into Altopascio, our first stop was for a beer. It felt good to sit and enjoy it. Then on to our room. We are staying at Villa Lucca, a gated property. Our room has a beautiful wooden floor and large, old wood furniture with marble tops. A short nap for Jeff and showers for both prepped us for dinner at a Moroccan restaurant. When they heard us speaking English, they sent for a young (teenage) girl to interpret. The food was good. We headed back to our room, Brianne was staying at a nearby hotel.

Our hope is to get a good rest. We have an 18 mile hike tomorrow.Read more
TravelerHappy Anniversary you two love birds!
9/17/24Reply
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Italy
Altopascio to San Miniato
September 18, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
Today was a long day. We hiked 18.5 miles. The day started with a light drizzle on and off. It wasn't too bad and kept the morning cool for hiking. Our day took us through a little bit of highway, but mostly through farmland, vineyards and over dykes. And then, after 17.5 miles, straight uphill. We should get used to it since most of these towns were built during the medieval time frame and were built on hills for protection. Most days will end with an uphill climb. The scenery today was calm, peaceful, and beautiful, even though it is fall and the crops are about finished.

One of the fun things about doing a trip like this is meeting people along the way. Yesterday we saw two pilgrims but didn't have a chance to talk to them. Today we met a lady from Italy who was hiking alone for four days. She was able to get four days away from her family and child (aged 6). Many Italians walk this trail in stages. I'm sure she will come back another time and do another section. We also met a group of people from Australia and Scotland who were hiking together. In that group was a mother and daughter. Later we met a husband and wife who are hiking a different trail. They started in France and are hiking to Assisi. They have been hiking for 50+ days and have only seen other hikers for the last 2-3 days. Many days they hiked through areas with no places to stop for food or shelter so they had to carry everything to eat and sleep! They have about two weeks left until they finish their trip. Once we reached San Miniato, we showered and then went in search of a new plug adapter. Europeans use different plugs. The adapter we have used has worked on other trips and in Florence and Lucca. But in these smaller towns, they have different plugs. Since we use our phones for directions and pics we had to find a new adapter. We found a store where they spoke no English and we couldn't ask for what we wanted in Italian so, yeah google translate. We typed it in our phone, in English, the guy read it Italian and we got what we needed! The conveniences we have today.

Next we had a very nice dinner of pasta with mushrooms and truffles - something the area is known for. For dessert we had tarimisu and tarts.Read more
How did you find that precious little snail??? I'm loving your photos! [Stacy]
9/21/24Reply
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Italy
San Miniato to Gambassi Terme
September 19, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
Today was 15 miles of the true Tuscany rolling hills. Beautiful countryside of farms, vineyards, and olive groves, plus a little forest. The pictures cannot do this countryside justice. The landscape is so artistically created like a patchwork quilt. And even though it is the end of the season for so many crops, it was still beautiful. It was not as long a day as yesterday but the up and down hills were continuous and the last 2 miles were straight up. Also, since it was through farmland and vineyards, there were no cafes or places to stop. We had to carry our food and enough water for the trek. We were tired when we arrived.

When we started walking today, we saw many groups of pilgrims leaving the piazza where we were having our morning coffee. It was comforting to know that there were more pilgrims on the same journey.

We met a group from Australia, two ladies from Florida and a couple from Scotland. We spent the night at Ostello Sigerico, an old church and monestary converted into a pilgrim's place to stay. Here we met a couple from Belgium, another lady from Australia traveling alone, and a family - mom, dad, and two young children in strollers- from Italy, and again saw an Italian friend from yesterday. We meet an Australian couple who had started in France mid-July and where planning on reaching Assisi in early October. They carried camping gear for when no accommodations or services were available.

Our hostel a church and former Monastery, offered wonderful lodging and a pilgrim dinner. I believe the building we stayed in dated back to the 1200s. It was fun to be with so many others on this same journey. Some of these people are only here for a week or so, others are traveling to Rome like us. Maybe we will see some of them again, or maybe we will meet others. Only the trail knows!Read more
fun to meet all those folks! beautiful countryside! [Dee Bagshaw]
9/21/24Reply
Beautiful landscapes! [Stacy]
9/21/24Reply
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Italy
Gambassi Terme to San Gimignano
September 20, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F
We started our day with a breakfast with other pilgrims. Today was just a 10 mile hike, but it was mostly uphill. We started off with a nice downhill but then hit a very long uphill. And it was 75 degrees and sunny. 75 doesn't feel that warm until you are walking miles uphill.

Though all of the pilgrims left from the same place, leaving 5 - 10 earlier or later can mean not seeing many people along the way. After a nice downhill, there was a long uphill followed by a downhill and then a 2 mile uphill. There was no place to stop for food and drink adding the way. Though it was short, it was a hard walk. The scenery though was once again very look beautiful. We walked through/by many, many vineyards and no less than 6 wineries.

We didn't see our hostel friends along the way but today we met Willie and Noreen from Glasgow. Willie is 83 and Noreen is 72. They started their hike from the Italy/Switzerland border and have been hiking for a month already. They have done many hikes and walk 6 miles everyday. Willie explained about the "monroes" in Scotland, mountains with peaks greater than 3000 ft, asking with some good hikes to do in Scotland.

We have seen many more pilgrims the last couple days. Most are from Europe or Australia, although we have me Laurie and Judy from Florida.

We arrived at San Gimignano hungry and ready for a rest. We were too early to check in to our B&B but they did let us leave our backpacks. We are sharing a room with Brianne here.

We had some lunch and then walked the touristy streets of the old town. Many people come here for a day trip from Florence or stay here to do wine touring. The town is known for its towers. It used to have 72 in medieval times but now has 10. After checking in and taking a nap, we sat in the piazza, had wine, and people watched. Next we had dinner followed by gelato from the world best gelato place, or so they advertise!
After walking around a little more, we turned in early hoping to get an early start the next morning.Read more
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Italy
San Gimignano to Abbadia d'Isola
September 21, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F
We started the day a little earlier today since it was to be closer to 80 degrees. We stopped at a bakery to fuel up and then left the walled city on the other side. The city has a prettier entrance on the side we were leaving.

Today was more about rolling hills. Leaving the city, the fog was lifting from the valley making for our first beautiful scenes. At one point there was a choice to go the original route, or to go a little shorter, suggested route . We chose the suggested route. The first six miles went by quickly once again through vineyards and farms, hilly but not as strenuous as yesterday. We stopped at what we thought would be our halfway point in Colle di Val d'Elsa, a rather large old city and suburban area. While walking through the city we passed a wedding and a baptism.

We left there following the signs and our map app. The signs led us through a beautiful wooded area walking by the river Elsa with several waterfalls. We crossed the river via big boulders several times. It reminded me of the state parks at home. It was a local's favorite for hiking and swimming.

Upon exciting this beautiful area we expected to have about 3 miles to go. But then we saw a map that told us we had about 5 miles to go. Apparently, the trail we took was another variation that we didn't know about. Back on the trail we again followed the signs and the app map only to find out that somehow we ended up on the original trail adding another mile to the trip bringing our total for the day to 17.25 miles.

Just before the end of our day, we stopped at a cafe for a well deserved break. We spoke to two ladies from Paris who were on a pilgrimage to Assisi. They were Monica (86) and Belle (72). They had walked the same trail we did today. Belle spoke French and a little bit of Italian, English and Spanish. Monica spoke French and some English. Somehow we managed to have a wonderful 20 minute conversation.

Eventually we found our way to an old monastery (1001 ad) that has been converted into a museum and hostel. It was a beautiful place and a wedding had just taken place in the church. We were able to eat dinner in the courtyard and relax for the evening.Read more
I'm loving your photos! And your narrative makes me think that I'm right there with you! Enjoy!! [Stacy]
9/21/24Reply
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Italy
Abbadia d'Isola to Siena
September 22, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌩️ 55 °F
We left the Abbada monestary and walked 1.5 miles uphill to the town of Monteriggioni. This town is a medieval fortress town on top of a hill. There are 14 towers and you can walk on top of walks between the towers. It was Sunday morning and early so we had to wait for the cafes to open. When one opened at 8:30, we had breakfast and got sandwiches to go. This is another day where there will be no more services until we get to Siena. Most of the day was a "later, rinse, and repeat" kind of day. Uphill, downhill, past a vineyard or olive trees or countryside, and then do it again and again, occasionally throwing in a couple of castles. The hills weren't very strenuous, just continuous much like a roller coaster. It was a pretty day but not the most exciting day. Arriving in Siena, we were tired and enjoyed a beer. We will stay in Siena for a rest day tomorrow.Read more
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Italy
Siena
September 23, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F
Eileen and Brianne, our friend from Boston, did just a little bit of touring in Siena walking mostly around the shopping area and the major plazas. The Piazza Publico is the very large main plaza with a fountain similar to one in Rome. Around the edge of the plaza is an area that was one used for house racing. And circling the plaza are very old, tall, medieval like buildings. It is definitely the central point of the city. We also walked (uphill) to the Piazza del Duomo, where the very beautiful Cathedral of Siena sits. There was a long line to get inside so we just took in the massive outside with its sculptures and mosaics. We did go into the chapel across the plaza which was more impressive than most of the churches we have been in while in Italy. On our way back we stopped at the Church of St Catherine in the goose district. There are seven different districts in the whole old town area and there were a lot of geese in the goose district. Siena is very hilly and no space is wasted. See the pictures for a glimpse of how they use all space.Read more
We loved our stay in Siena. I'm enjoying your trip! [Stacy]
10/2/24Reply
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Italy
A sudden change of plans
September 24, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F
While hiking to Siena, Jeff started having vision issues with his left eye. When we arrived in Sienna we went to the University Hospital emergency room. We were able to see an ophthalmologist that evening who determined that he had a tear and a bleed in his retina. They asked us to return the next day in hopes that the blood would have dissipated and a simple procedure could be done to fix the problem. We went the next day, but the blood was still there and surgery was indicated. We could have had the surgery done in Italy - we had complete trust in the doctor - however, the recovery process would be weeks and we wouldn't be able to do even the simplest of touring. So for that reason we booked a flight home the next day. Jeff has an appointment scheduled with surgery to follow. We are thankful that the issue occurred when we were in a major city and not a small village. The two weeks we had in Italy were phenomenal and we are thankful for them. I'm sure we will go back another time to complete the trip.Read more
glad you were able to make it home.....and also to have the experiences that you did....hope Jeff is ok [dee]
9/27/24Reply
I’m so sorry to hear this!!! Sending prayers to [Diane]
9/28/24Reply
Oh, no!!! I just hopped on to get caught up. Oh my goodness, thank God you were not in a remote village. I'm praying that Jeff's surgery was successful. [Stacy]
10/2/24Reply
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Trip end
October 23, 2024