Lucca is an interesting place as it retains the complete original wall around the central city. If my knees were better I would have rented a bike and been able to ride completely around the city on top of the walls. We had a nice lunch and tried gnudi, a pasta-free mozzarella cheese and spinach dumpling seasoned with sage. Only bad thing to note about today was the parking ticket (sigh).
On the way to Pisa we passed fields and fields of sunflowers. Pisa was touristic, with everyone having their picture taken “holding up” the tower. The city itself, and the crowds were so much smaller than Florence that it felt manageable. After the photo shoot we proceeded to Tierrenia to try and find a beach. The beaches there were comprised entirely of white rocks, many the size of river rocks back in AZ. Very difficult to walk on, but excellent for stacking.
Another lazy day at the Villa. More swimming, catching up on reading and just taking it easy. For dinner we decided to try our Host’s recommendation for a steak-house. Bisteccatoscana was located in downtown Pistoia but we found the place and parking with only one wrong turn – one would think we almost know our way around. There are no choices at the restaurant except for your beverage. They serve only steak, grilled outside. We could watch the grilling on a monitor above our table. Side dishes were boiled chick peas, potatoes and a fried/cheesey/baked eggplant. Dessert of coffee gelato, biscotti and dessert liquors finished the meal. Not a bad way to celebrate Bill’s birthday.
As if we didn’t have enough of the crazy drivers yesterday, we decided to cross the mountains to Vinci, birthplace of Leonardo, and home to a museum of his accomplishments. Next we traveled to Larciano Castle, built as fortification for the town, between the 11th and 13th century. More beautiful scenery but we had more close encounters and narrowly avoided being forced off the road into a ditch.
Recovering from all the driving and catching up on the blog. Enjoyed the pool and did laundry. Drove to San Baronto in the hills for pizza dinner. Narrow twisty roads are a challenge. Between bicyclists, suicidal motorcyclists and cars driving fast and wide around turns, it is amazing we were not side-swiped.
Took the train from Pistoia to Florence. The city was crazy crowded with tourists. We utilized a hop-on-hop-off bus to see sights. Beautiful architecture and sculpture everywhere you look.
Spending a week in Tuscany, near Pistoia and Florence, in an 18th century villa with gardens, chapel, pool, frescos, and tile floors. Quiet and relaxing.
Leaving Locarno, we crossed the Italian side of the alps and descended toward Milan. Heading east toward Bologna we found a flat, hot environment. Spent the night in Bazzano, at the Alla Roca Hotel, which Bill said reminded him of a place you might find in Jerome, AZ. The next morning we drove over the mountains into Tuscany, on the smaller back roads. Slow going and some tight traffic but very scenic.
