Wednesday, November 13th:
Arrive in Pisa at 8 pm, explore Pisa by moonlight for 4 hours including 1 hour taking pictures of the Leaning Tower and Cathedral. =) A busker practicing guitar on the steps of the Cathedral made for an even more enchanting setting.
Mmmm. Grilled veggie panini while admiring the tower. =)
With the moon.
And without the moon. (this is how I end up with over 400 pictures/day)
The Baptistry. Poor quality photo, yes, but loved the green of the grass!
Cathedral.
Thursday, November 14th:
Explore Pisa historical center, visit the Baptistry and Cathedral (stunningly beautiful and ornate inside...the pulpit - unbelievable!!) Eat a picnic on the steps of the Baptistry, get train tickets to Florence for the next day, scope out the Via Piaggia as a place to go running the next morning, discover a great walled park, and check out a couple of museum art exhibits when it starts to rain. Dinner at an awesome little bar called Orzo Bruno that brews their own beer - literally the only place in Pisa to get a microbrew, according to two locals who offered to help translate the menu for me. End up getting a platter with some cheese, olives, sun dried tomatoes, hummus, and salad. Chat with my magnificent menu translators for a few hours. Learn the difference between "mi scuzi" and "scuza" and get a few pointers for places to visit in Tuscany.
View from my hostel!
Inside the cathedral (next 5 photos, too)
The ridiculously ornate pulpit.
And a wee bit of perspective for said pulpit.
Baptistry (but in black and white, for a different feel) =)
Friday, November 15th:
Run to and along Via Piaggia from my hostel, which, I forgot to mention, has a view of the leaning tower from my window!! Lovely view and lovely run! Discover another severely leaning tower on my run, part of an ancient church. So impressed by these leaning towers and their battles with gravity. Finally make up my mind (after a full day of debating) to climb the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower. This simple act costs 18 euros. ("WHAT??!!! Seriously??" would be the appropriate response, and the answer is sadly, "Yes"). I had been warned about this by the receptionist at my hostel, who recommended against this absurdly expensive excursion, but I finally decided I couldn't come to Pisa and not climb to the top of the tower. So I invested in the upkeep of the Piazza dei Miracoli and I didn't regret my decision! =)
It was one of the coolest, weirdest feelings to climb the stairs of a tower leaning at 5 degrees (used to lean at 5.5 degrees, but in the 90's they closed it for 10 years to stabilize it and corrected its lean by half a degree). Anyhoo, the weirdest thing about it is that for part of the climb, when you're working "against the lean" it is abnormally challenging to climb the stairs, and when you're climbing "with the lean" it almost feels like you're not climbing stairs at all, but rather walking on flat ground. It was really trippy!! I was very amused! =) The view from the top was also fantastic!! (although we can no longer climb to the top of the 8th story, just to the level of the bells). I also timed it perfectly, but haphazardly, to be at the top when the bells rang, so that was a little extra bonus as well. =)
Repeated my picnic experience by the Baptistry because it was such a grand experience and the weather was mild and very inviting for an outdoor picnic. Made a new discovery for an excellent picnic combo: anchovies (the kind you find in a jar, preserved in a vinegar solution) and raw mushrooms. mmmmmm. I've never combined them before, but I found it to be a spectacular combo!) And dessert was a kaki, but the "apple kind" as my Italian CS host calls it, that is solid and can be cut with a knife and eaten without too much mess.
Catch a train to Florence, and meet my first Tuscan CS host, Enrico. He is great! He picks me up from the train station, we stop by his house to drop off my bags and have a cup of tea, then head out to an 8K race he had that evening. On the way, we stopped in Vinci (of Leonardo Da Vinci) to see the town that Leonardo was born in. At the race, I was EVER so tempted to participate, but knew that running twice in 1 day was not a good idea, and that if I got started, I would not respect my current 5 minute run / 1 minute walk intervals. So I walked a bit while he ran and then we participated in a little pizza party after the race (Tuscan pizza - yum!). So fun, but made me miss racing so much!
Climbing the stairs of the Leaning Tower...
From the top of the Leaning Tower!
Love love love the black and white function on a gray day.
Vinci
Pizza party post Enrico's race.
Saturday, November 16th:
Enrico drops me off at the train station so I can go explore Florence on my own in the morning, and we meet up at 3 pm. I am completely swept off my feet by the absolutely tremendous façade of the Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore so end up spending most of my morning taking pictures, visiting inside the cathedral (not as impressive, except for the frescoe on the cupola.....36,000 sqaure feet of frescoe!!! INSANITY!!) and stopping by a covered market to get food for a picnic in the parc. Oh. My. OH MY! Such spectacularly good food! I had a little shmorgishborg of delicacies including a roasted red pepper, pickled artichoke heart, prosciutto ham, a seeded bread roll, and parmesian cheese with sundried tomatos and balsamic vinegar. The latter was my absolute favorite thing! It was spectacularly delicious! I has just ordered the cheese, but the man behind the counter was very genereous and threw a few tomatoes and a dash of balsamic on and it accentuated the cheese to new heights of greatness! =)
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. You will see many pictures of this façade. I was obsessed and enraptured after first sighting. Daily gawking ensued.
Gates of Paradise on Baptistry
Back to the Cathedral...the detailed carving is absolutely unreal.
Cupola of the Cathedral.
Bell Tower.
Parmesian with sundried tomatoes and balsamic...
And some more of the picnic.
Public fountain - luxury style, with one side bubbly, one side regular. Ridiculous!
Busker on Ponte Vecchio
When Enrico and I met up, we also met another one of his friends from the world of CS and the three of us walked around some of the more "to-be-seen" parts of Florence, caught sunset from the Piazza Michaelangelo with a stunning view of the city, and had dinner at a food festival of mini gnocchi in a truffle cream sauce. It was decadent and faaaaaaaaaabulous!! Dessert of coffee and a candy brittle flavored gelato with a walk to Ponte Vecchio to see a busker topped off the evening. I bought his two CD's to add to my collection of busking CD's and we listened to them the next day on our exploration of Tuscany...
Sunday, November 17th:
Plan to run in the morning (through the Tuscan hillsides - dream come true!) but postponed my alarm at 5 am because I could not fall asleep with too many thoughts of where to go next. As of Saturday night, I didn't know where I would go exploring, nor where I would sleep for Monday and Tuesday nights. The possibilities were varied and all so appealing! My brain just kept running through various ideas and I could not fall asleep, so I regretfully decided to cancel my run in the morning and get an extra 90 minutes of sleep....disappointing way to start the day.
But made up for it with a brilliant, yet speedy exploration of Tuscany. Start the day in Certaldo, birthplace of the writer Boccaccio, and supposed location of much-anticipated chocolate festival. The town was incredibly quaint, at the top of a hillside covered in olive trees, but the chocolate festival was a bit of a let-down. More like a few chocolate vendors at a market. =/
Next stop: San Gimignano for a supposed chestnut festival. If a single tent can count as a festival, then success! I don't buy it though. I did, however, buy roasted chestnuts from the single vendor, and was very happy with my purchase, just disappointed by the lack of festival!! The village, again, was a completely worthwhile stop in and of itself as it is known as one of the most picturesque villages in Tuscany and I can see why. Very touristy though. Reminded me of the main street of the Mont St. Michel. Literally overtaken by touristy commercial shops. Takes away from the charm a bit, but I was still very excited to experience this medieval village.
Next up, the Abbey of San Galgano. Gorgeous, roofless remains from a 12th century (I think) abbey and a sword in a stone: subject of many hypotheses and mysteries. Great place for pictures!
Finally, conclude the day in Siena. By the time we arrive it's already dark, so I get to experience Siena by night and am enraptured by the Piazza del Campo and the idea of horses racing around the perimeter, as they do each year in July and August. Crazy!
Vineyards with yellow AND red leaves!
Kaki tree!!
San Gimignano seen from Certaldo
Favorite square in San Gimignano
Abbey of San Galgano
Siena
The day was fabulous but super fast-paced. I am such a slow-poke I could have have spent a full day in each of the towns we visited. I also felt awkward taking pictures because I didn't want to hold up the group (the other CS friend from Saturday joined us today as well. Thankfully she likes to take pictures too)! Back at home for the night, book my next two nights at a hostel in Florence...
Monday, November 18th:
Get my run on in the Tuscan hills! And it's just as fantastic as I had imagined! My CS host lives in a little town near Florence that is tucked in the hillsides, so I was rewarded with beautiful rolling hills after a decent little 10 minute climb.... olive trees, vineyards, cyprus trees and villas dotting the landscape - it felt surreal!! I was ecsatic!!
My CS host drops me off at the train station around 10 am. We say our goodbyes and I thank him for making my first three days in Florence fantastic. I arrive in Florence city center around 11 am and get started with my first full solo day exploring this overwhelmingly outstanding city!
Decide to spend the 10 euros on entrance to the Duomo complex in Florence because it is an incredibly good deal (especially when compared with the 18 euros for solely the Leaning Tower in Pisa). Here, for 10 euros, you get entrance to the Baptistry, top of the cupola of the cathedral, remains of Santa Reparata under the cathedral, top of the bell tower, and Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore Museum which is where Michealangelo carved the David and it houses the original "Gates of Paradise" by Ghiberti (awesome!!).
Monday I did all but Santa Reparata (ticket is valid for 24 hours so since I ran out of time on Monday - surprise surprise! - I finished the tour the next day). The Baptistry is incredibly ornate and breath-taking inside, from the richly-tiled floor, to the phenomenal mosaics on the dome. I walked to the top of the cupola next, and had incredible views of Florence!! I was so excited and went a little picture crazy. =) Lunch at the covered market at a super well renowned place called Nerbone, buy some fruits (all local and delicious - pears, grapes and kakis) and head back to Duomo complex for sunset from the top of the bell tower. Disappointingly, no visible sunset. Check out the museum last as it's open latest, and back to the hostel at 6:30 pm for free wine and apperitivo =) excellent!! I've never seen free wine and snacks offered at a hostel, but this place was truly extraordinary - it's called Academy Hostel, if you ever have a need. =)
After the social hour, I went back out to explore more of the city by night, found some of the ancient Roman walls, and UNESCO classified neighborhoods, took pictures of the city by night from Piazza Michelangelo and ended the night with some computer "errands" and enjoying a kaki fruit, but the kind that is super gooey inside and needs a spoon to be eaten with any kind of decency. It was scrumptious!
Cupola of the Baptistry - crazy mosaics!
A wee zoom on one of the mosaics.
And for some perspective.
Back to the cupola of the Cathedral.
From the top of the dome of the Cathedral...
Kaki fruit!! The kind that necessitates a spoon!
Tuesday, November 19th:
Start the day exploring the South side of the Arno River and find a massive Roman door, which creates some lovely black and white pictures. Once the cathedral opens, go check out the excavations of Santa Reparata, original cathedral from the 5th century on the site of the present day Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and some ruins from ancient Roman houses. I love that kind of stuff!
At noon, catch a bus to Fiesole, about 30 minutes outside of city center, to check out more ancient ruins =) an archaeology museum and remains of an amphiteatre. I was incredibly lucky with weather that day as the only rain I had was during my two bus rides - perfect!! I was not so lucky with choosing my day to visit Fiesole, as everything I wanted to visit is closed on Tuesdays. Bummer. Didn't even think to check hours as most muséums were closed on Monday. Lesson learned. At least visiting the archeological sites wasn't my only goal of the bus ride; my CS host had recommended a walk from Fiesole to Settignano to enjoy some Tuscan hillsides and I took him up on his advice.
Although the walk was not quite the ideal I had created in my grand imagination (20 - 30 km, out in the Tuscan countryside all day, on a little path winding through vineyards and olive trees....was that too specific an ideal??) =) it was, nonetheless, spectacular! Only 6 km on a paved road to Settignano but along the way discovered the Parco di Monte Ceceri and followed a little trail that led to a lovely view (though slightly obscured by trees). The best views were actually along the way, and despite the fact that it was on road, I still got to walk by countless olive and cyprus trees, a handful of kaki trees, fantastic fall colors across the hillsides, and ended up with stunning views of Florence at sunset. Exceptional! It was like a living postcard, with low-lying clouds creating spectacular contrasts against the mountain backdrop, and the silhouettes of the most prominent structures. Stuuuuuupendous!
It rained on the bus ride back to Florence, and while I visited the Academy Gallery (and gawked at Michelangelo's David for about 20 minutes) but for the rest of my stroll through Florence that night - dry! Excellent! Had dinner at the oldest (self-proclaimed) trattoria in Florence of torteli with a black truffle cream sauce and a glass of chianti wine. Mmmmm! Coffee and caramel flavored gelato for dessert while walking along the Arno River. Exquisite!
Roman door and passerby, for a little perspective.
And a different perspective to show the size of the deadbolt. =)
Wednesday, November 20th:
Start the day with a run in the sun =) along the Arno River and up through Parco della Cascine. My last day to explore Florence as I have a train to Lucca at 5:38 pm, and feel a little overwhelmed because there is so SO much I still want to see in this spectacular city. No way to fit it all in, so decide on the following:
Visit the Basilica de San Lorenzo (no pictures allowed in the Basilica, which was disappointing, but also time-saving) the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (designed by Michelangelo - really cool!), the Medici Chapel (Capella dei Principi was absolutely tremendous and awe-inspiring, despite the scaffolding. Unfortunately no pictures allowed here either. =/ This was one of the most impressive places in Florence, for me) and learn about the history of the Palazo Strozi as it is the only free part of the building. My first three visits all cost money, and I'd reached a point where I wasn't willing to pay money to enter buildings anymore. Florence is phenomenal, but unfortunately you have to pay for entry to most places, and it gets spendy incredibly quickly. Most disappointing for me that day was the Church of Santa Croce. Many renowned people are buried there, but they were asking 6 euros to enter and multiple parts of the church were unavailable due to works in progress. Decided to pass on that one, and instead visited the Church of Orsanmichele, which had an incredible altar.
Lunch was the famous Lampredotto. It is a specialty specific to Florence, and it is basically a cow's fourth stomach. I debated whether to go for it or not, and finally decided I had to - it's part of my trip, trying the local foods! So I got a recommendation from a local for the best place to go, and it was DELICIOUS! I was honestly shocked! Had it panini style with a pesto sauce and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Finished my afternoon in a recommended wine shop to sample a few wines and buy a bottle for my next CS host. While sampling, a generous gentlemen brought a little apperetivo plate over and we ended up chatting with a lot of gestures as he didn't speak much English. =) The apperitivo was simple but amazingly delicious: slices of fresh bread doused in olive oïl and sprinkled with salt. HOLY olive oïl. One of the best things I have ever tasted. It was green. Freshly pressed from olives they harvested themselves, that season. It was unreal! THAT is what I wanted from my Tuscany experience! Italian wine and fresh Italian olive oïl on bread. Yes, please.
Meet my CS host, Stefano, in Lucca at 7 pm and chat the night away while making dinner, which he generously provides....pasta with a homemade tomato sauce (fresh basil and olive oïl added), and freshly grated parmesian cheese, salad with a dressing of olive oïl, salt and lemon juice (YUM!! definitely plan to recreate that myself later) and a dessert of local cake (Tarto Verdura) and local liquor called Biadina. Magnificent!
Library Medicea Laurenziana
Crazy small vehicle I watched a woman park by motorcycles and bikes. Very convenient!
Famous Florence Lampredotto.
Thursday, November 21st:
Leisurely breakfast of Italian latte with a chestnut honey (faaaaantastic) and biscuits. No rush because it is pouring outside. =( Plan to visit Lucca and the Devil's Bridge today, but Plan B - make a soup for Friday night first: zuppa di cavolo nero. =) YUM! Basically a terrific vegetable and bean soup. We chop veggies and chat - no better way to spend a rainy, chilly day! Plus he's super patient with my attempts to practice Italian and super interesting to talk to as he has traveled an absurdly awesome amount and he's a journalist, so he's in the know. =)
We end up attempting the Lucca visit around 3 pm after a light lunch of fresh mozzarella cheese with tomatoes, bruschetta with mozzarella cheese, anchovie and oregano, drizzled with olive oïl (mmmmmmm!!!!!) and pecorino cheese drizzled with honey. Yum yum yum yum yum. =)
Explore Lucca for about 2 hours under umbrellas and heavy rain. Bummer. Cute town, but not the best way to appreciate it. Home to change into dry clothes and dinner at a nearby restaurant called Pio. OH. MY. Hands down most phenomenally exquisite and fun dining experience in Tuscany. Why??? Primarily because they brought us 5 bottles of various local, fresh olive oils, and we got to compare them all on a bruschetta topped with cooked cabbage greens. It was amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing to taste such fresh olive oïl! I am so ecstatic that I haphazardly ended up in Tuscany for olive, chestnut and truffle season! =)
For dinner we shared a dish called 'Farinatta' (an uber thick veggie soup with polenta) and a torteli dish with meat sauce. Also shared sides of greens and chickpeas. The flavors of the food were exquisite, and I might have overdosed on olive oïl. =) Back at home that night, he let me taste some of his homemade Limoncello - another big YUM!!
View from my second CS house. Run in these hills on Friday!
The bruschetta with mozzarella and sardine and to the side, the parmesian with honey. Num num num. =)
Church in Lucca.
Amphitheatre "place" in Lucca.
Sampling the 5 local fresh olive oils - amaaaaazing!
The bruschetta with cabbage greens.
Dessert = local specialty made with chestnuts and ricotta cheese.
Friday, November 22nd:
Run through more gorgeous Tuscan hillsides. LOVE the rewards that hillclimbs have here. The views are breath-taking. Rolling hillsides covered with dark pines, olive trees, yellow vines, and dotted with stone houses, villas and churches. A thin layer of fog clinging to the bottom of the valleys also accentuated the awesomeness. =)
Stefano takes me on a day trip by car to the coast today!! =) Hoooray! So generous, and so fun! We primarily visit Lerici, and Portovenere (the latter being the last village just South of the Cinque Terre). We don't have time to make it to 5 Terre, but I'm actually less disappointed than I expected! I will be back in better weather for my 5 Terre exploration. =) Instead, we take an apperitivo in Pietrasanta and visit a museum with some fantastic sculptures. Dinner is the innnnnncredible zuppa di cavolo nero that we prepared on Thursday. Served warm with olive oïl drizzled on top - it was spectacular! Oh yes, and how could I forget - we started with a foccacia sandwhich with speck (smoked ham), rocket leaves and stracchino (cheese). Also decadent! Dessert was more homemade limoncello and a tart with ricotta cheese and chocolate.
The ricotta cheese and chocolate tart. Good for dessert, or breakfast! =)
Snow on the mountains! Gorgeous!
Portovenere as seen from Lerici.
Lerici
Portovenere. Loved this view...
And maybe even more in black and white!
Museum with sculpture exhibit.
Scrumptious zuppa di cavolo nero
I feel like I need to go run 20 marathons right now, just writing about everything I ate during my trip. It was delightfully delicious but absurdly rich as well. It was really my all-out foodie experience of a lifetime!
Saturday, November 23rd:
My last day in Tuscany, we went to Lucca to explore a bit more of the town without rain. Highlight was the bird's eye view from the top of the Tower of Guinigi and seeing the amphitheatre part of the town from above. One last quick stop at the "amphitheatre" for a panoramic picture. Bus to Pisa airport at 11:30 am.
Mmmmm. Local grapes. Perfect snack for the bus ride.
Goodbye, Tuscany! You've been so very good to me. I can't wait until next time!
