Tuscany in a day: Pisa, San Gimignano, Siena, Vineyard visit

This was a tough day, i was so sick all i wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep until i couldn't sleep anymore. I was achy everywhere and felt like id been run over by a bus, a couple of times, just for the fun of it. I wanted bed, sleep and to see nothing more than the inside of my eyelids.
Instead, i got myself a good dose of delicious Italian coffee and let the tour coach do its thing. I was absolutely knackered but it was worth doing and i know, if i was feeling 100%, it would have been a great day.

The tour guide was great, he knew a lot but didn't feel he had to talk the whole time - my headache thanked him heartily for that. My nose and chest however were not happy with the inconsiderate bogan Aussie who smoked like a chimney at every stop and then sat behind me reeking of cigarettes - if i had the strength, nothing would have delighted me more than throwing her off the nearest cliff. Yes being sick makes me cranky and short tempered. Lucky for her though, i had a sample of perfume in my bag which i spritzed everywhere while blessing the cotton socks of the sales person who put it in my hand.

Anyway, sick or not, here is the armchair traveller's, smoke-free version of the tour. Do let me know if you enjoy it!

Pisa

 

Tuscan countryside and vineyard visit

Our lunch stop for the day at the Tenuta Torciano Vineyard

Appetisers at Tenuta Toriano delicious olive oil on fresh bread, cheese and bruschetta followed by a simple tomato pasta drizzled with truffle oil and almond biscuits. The group also got to sample different wines with each dish, many were quite merry by the end of our lunch!

The grounds of Tenuta Toriano

The grounds of Tenuta Toriano

San Gimignano

Piazza della Cisterna - a charming town square in San Gimignano

The view of San Gimignano from the ruined turret of Rocca di Montestaffoli

Piazza della Cisterna

The ruined towers of San Gimignano

View from Rocca di Montestaffoli

Siena

Siena - Piazza del Campo and Town Hall. The Piazza is home to the  Palio di Siena (Il Palio) horse races.

Beautiful inside and out - the Cathedral of Siena.
Its floors are different paintings with different marble used for colours - simply stunning!

The Piccolomini Library inside the Cathedral of Siena,
This is a small library that houses the huge hand written and painted choir books. The detail in the books and the bright, well preserved, colours of the room is worth a visit.

Well, thats all for this photo tour of Tuscany. I hope you enjoyed the photos!

VP

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6 Non-Artsy Highlights of Florence

Florence can be a bit much to someone who isn't into art or architecture so here is my list that hopefully will let everyone enjoy Florence. I would love to hear about your favourite non-artsy thing to do in Florence, just leave me a comment :)

Florence Markets - Mercato Centrale

Inside Mercato Centrale you can find truffle oil, fresh pasta, Breseola which i love, fruit and veg, cheeses and more. There is a great coffee place and you can order fresh pasta and eat at a makeshift restaurant right next to the shop. Outside is a sort of flea market where, with a bit of haggling, you can pick up some great leather souvenirs.

 
Seeing Michelangelo's David

OK well this is a bit artsy, but its David, i mean come on, he is HOT! If you have a boyfriend, its guilt-free ogling ;) Yes i do realise I'm talking about a marble statue and no I'm not ashamed.

Watching people draw the Ponte Vecchio

OK this is a sneaky one too. In my defence, i cant draw for shite so seeing someone else contentedly sketching a scene or recreating popular paintings is amazing. The Ponte Vecchio is a lovely bridge too so i can understand why people would want to try to capture it.

The Ponte Vecchio, Florence

Re-enacting A Room with a View.

If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, all you need to know is that there is a scene where a boy throws the girls postcards into the Arno and then grabs her and kisses her passionately. Girls, get your boys on to this bridge and re-enact the scene! Boys....don't miss an opportunity ;)

Seeing the tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo Machiavelli at Santa Croce

There is something pretty cool (and a bit morbid) about seeing the tombs of names that i have heard so often that i often forget that these were real people - dead people, but real, not fiction.

Galileo

Michelangelo

Dante

Machiavelli

Rossini

Weird and wonderful street signs

These might be hard to find but you might stumble across them if you keep an eye out. Someone with a sense of humour and a good eye for design came up with these and, you have to admit, they are clever. Doubt the authorities even noticed it.

 

 

 

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