Tuscany, Part 1

27th April, 2000

The campsite at Chiavari was no more appealing the next day, so we decided to move on.   To be fair, the Ligurian coast is cramped and very popular as the nearest coast to the Milanese and people of Turin.   They seem more than happy in both of the sites we had stayed at and the staff were both welcoming and helpful.

After the super camp we left in France, with its heated shower block and copious hot water, we were beginning to think that Italy was a little primitive.   We were on our way to Tuscany and had picked the Camping Belsito at Montecatini Terme because of its good write-up in our guide.     We were not to be disappointed.  Kate is pictured, right, surveying the chaos as we set up camp.  To the right is the edge of our personal ensuite facility with loads of hot water and private shower.   This site would be hard to leave.

As we walked round the camp, before choosing a pitch, we came across Marion and Derek who were the first Brits we had spoken to in Italy.   They had come for a night and stopped for ten.   They mentioned that, as it was their last night, they were going to dine at Montecatini Alto, twenty minutes walk up the hill.    We importuned to join them and shared a wonderful warm evening on the terrace of the Hotel Gaia overlooking the funicular that runs down to Montecatini Terme.

28th April, 2000

Our neighbours had left before we were up.   We had some concerns at lugging our caravan around Europe with an automatic car, but at least we have the right power/weight ratio.   Our friends had a heavier caravan and a 2 litre automatic, which they said could be a bit marginal on some hills.   More scary was the fact that they had no oil cooler for the gearbox and we hope they do all right.

We set off for town to find the Tourist Office and Internet, as well as a bit of shopping.   Montecatini Terme is a marvellous spa town with wide streets and graceful buildings.   We parked near the Tourist Office, which is opposite the Hotel Excelsior, shown below left.   Close by there was a Travel Agent.  We had been thinking of getting to Sicily more quickly by boat before it became too hot and we picked up a leaflet.   By now it was lunch time, so we took our packed lunch to the park opposite and watched the lunch-time joggers.  Further down the road was the Town Hall, shown below centre, which we passed on the way to the Internet shop in Via Mazzini, close to the Piazza del Populo. 

We returned and drove further up the road, which opened into a wide park area with the baths, shown above right.  We soon found the supermarket to which our friends had pointed us and were relieved to find that it was a little better than the first ones we had found in Italy.   Things were definitely looking up.   It wasn't raining - for a start.

29th April, 2000

We thought we would indeed take the boat to Sicily and decided a reconnaissance of the port in Livorno was in order.   Though the boat leaves late in the evening, we still feel more relaxed if we "know the ropes".   Finding the port was a bit harder than expected because the Sicily boat goes from the industrial port.    This is essentially a freight port that caters mostly for truckies and was, we thought, a little intimidating, compared with those we had used in the north of Europe.    At the ticket office the company man was very helpful and gave us pricing details.   His English was vastly better than our Italian.  

The guide book is a bit dismissive of the town of Livorno but it has a few redeeming features such as the statue of Ferdinando I with four Mori (slaves), shown far left, and the Fortezza Vecchia in the Porto Mediceo, shown near left.

We had lunch in the square next to the statue, and a coffee in the nearby Cafe 4 Mori, where we read our guide book to begin planning our next stop in Pisa.   We entered Pisa passing under the viaduct, shown right, which reminded us of its Roman ancestry.   After a little aimless meandering, we found the old town and the Leaning Tower and, by good luck, somewhere close to park.    We walked into the walled Campo dei Miracoli, which is every bit as astonishing as the guide books tell you.  If the tower was vertical, it is still worth seeing it.

The Campo contains more than just the Tower, which everyone knows of.    Below left is a view of the Cathedral, with crowds enjoying a bright, warm Saturday.   The interior of the Cathedral, shown below centre, is every bit as impressive as its exterior suggests.   In front of the Cathedral is the large, round Baptistry, to the upper galleries of which we climbed by a narrow staircase within the wall.   A view looking down is shown below right.   As there is only one stairway, and it is narrow, passing is a friendly affair.

The Tower is being straightened a little by removing soil  from beneath its high side, as shown in the diagram below left.   This is being done by a line of drills, which slope into the ground.  The belief is that, without correction, the Tower will certainly collapse.   The plan is to return it to the tilt it had soon after it was finished.   To arrest any further tilt, huge cables are wrapped around the Tower and anchored some way off.   It is, of course, closed to visitors.

We set off back to camp and, by chance, stumbled on a huge Continente hypermarket on the road to Lucca.   Things were now really looking up and we were beginning to enthuse over Italy. 

30th April, 2000

We set off for Florence, taking the little road past the camp to Pistoia, from which we get the word 'pistol'.   We got well lost, but eventually found the place and had a little wander.   There are some great sights in Pistoia, but we missed them.

We did, however, come across an arcade, shown above centre, from which brass band music came and, shortly after, they began to march the streets. 

We arrived in Florence and, as might be expected for a Sunday, it was teeming with tourists.   Despite this, we found somewhere to park, near the River Arno and walked along its bank.   To the left is a view looking across the Arno at its south bank.   Below left is the mandatory picture of the wife posing against the Ponte Vecchio.   We were lucky to get this shot as moments before and straight afterwards the bridge was chock full of people.

We walked across the Ponte Vecchio and returned.   We couldn't resist an Italian ice cream, though we did resist the jewellery shops that lined both sides.    Above centre you can see the crowds on the bridge.   We made our way to the Uffizi Museum, where the queue, four deep,  lined two sides of the huge square.   You can book to avoid queuing for hours, but we were told they were booked solid for a week.   Sadly, we decided we were born too late and there is never likely to be a time when we could leisurely stroll round the Museums of Florence.    We satisfied ourselves walking around the city, stopping first at the Piazza della Signoria, shown above right, then on to its magnificent Cathedral, shown below left and, with its Babtistry and Tower, centre.   The city it liberally sprinkled with impressive buildings and statues, such as the one shown below right in the Piazza S. Trinita.

1st May, 2000

It was Bank Holiday but, as it was Monday and dry, we did our house work and later walked to the "Alto" town to take photos and video as we had not taken them on our first visit.   It was now a little overcast, but we continued and photographed the square, above left, the Hotel Gaia, above centre, where we had dined, and the view across the town, above right.  The town follows the crescent of the hilltop, with a Church at each end.  The stained glass window, left, can be seen in the more modern Church, shown above right.

The Church at the other end of the village, shown below left, looked a bit of a ruin and we almost walked by it.   Inside, however, it is quite elegant, as shown in the other photographs below.   We are not sure why the centre one looks so blue, but it may be the light from the stained glass windows.   The organ, on the right, had a "carriage clock" look to it, quite unlike anything we had seen.

We looked over the rolling Tuscan scenery, shown left, as the sky darkened.   As we had carried the tripod around, we posed for the joint picture, shown right, before making our way back to camp.  The rain, however, soon caught us and we got well wet again.

2nd May, 2000

Lucca is a recommended visit in our guidebook and by our English neighbours, who suggested we took our bikes as the city is flat and very cycle friendly.   In fact we didn't and, as it was a bit wet, probably as well, but another time we would.

The city has thrived since Roman times, growing rich on olive oil and the silk trade.   At one time the city state conquered Pisa and Pistoia.     We parked to the west and, after waiting for a heavy rain shower to pass, entered via the Porta Victor Emanuele in the huge Renaissance walls that ring the city.  We were amused by the spacious rooms either side of the gate, within the walls, which must have been occupied by troops in past times.  A huge open fireplace graced each of the rooms, which were generally decaying but some comic had painted a picture in a frame over one of the fireplaces.   We walked down Via San Paulino, looking briefly at the Church of the same name, shown above centre and right.    Lucca has some 30 Churches, but we decided that one or two would probably suffice.

The Church of San Michele is shown to the left and is used on publicity material for the town on account of its striking facade.   It is yet another unfinished Church as it has been intended to build the body of the Church to the height of the facade.

We went on to see the Church of San Frediano, shown to the right, with its 13th century mosaic facade.  This Church has a stunning interior and includes a huge 12th century font, shown below left.

Among the many interesting items in the Church of San Frediano was what we assumed to be the embalmed body of Santa Zita, shown left.   The Chapel containing Santa Zita seemed to be of great interest to the local visitors.

Eventually, we found the Piazza del Anfiteatro, shown far left, whose buildings exactly follow the old walls of the Roman Amphitheatre on which they are built and from which no doubt most of the materials came.

We completed our short tour walking back to the car park atop the city walls, along which a wide road runs for pedestrians and bicycles.   We spotted the Palazzo Pfanner, shown above centre, with its magnificent gardens.  To the right, we show the Porta Victor Emanuele in glorious sunshine as we were leaving.  A couple of hours previously, we had been unable to get out of the car because of torrential rain.

Last updated:  18/03/01