Monday morning found most of us "dragging" so we took a rest from sightseeing, but headed out in the afternoon up into the surrounding hills to the old town of Fiesole. Settled by the Etruscans about 400 years before Florence was started as a Roman colony it sits above the valley that is now filled with "our" city of 420,000.
Ruins of a Roman amphitheater and baths can still be seen there. It's very peaceful and tranquil up the hill and the view of Florence and the surrounding Tuscan countryside is incredible. Some of our group even climbed the steep street up to San Francesco Church - that was quite a feat for our age group! Back at LaContessina, we had supper together in the courtyard - I had prepared a pasta casserole and salad before we went off on our afternoon adventure. More later!
I HAVE SET UP A NEW PHOTOBLOG SITE FOR THE 2014 TOURS. YOU CAN STILL SEE PHOTOS FROM 2008 TO 2013 HERE. TO VIEW THE LATEST TOURS GO TO: WWW.INTUSCANYWITHPATRIZIA.BLOGSPOT.COM
Domenica in Pisa e Lucca! Sunday in Pisa and Lucca.
We were off to Pisa on the 9:37 a.m. train, arriving at 10:30. We strolled through part of the city, crossed the Arno river and found ourselves right there in front of the leaning tower! We decided on a meeting time and scattered to eat, take photos and shop . . . and there were hundreds of folks doing the same thing! After a short bus ride we were in the charming city of Lucca. The old city is completely surrounded by a fortified earthen wall built in the 1500's that's 2.5 miles around, ten feet wide with a walking and biking path. We loved the plazas, churches and cafes too! After several hours there, we boarded the train again for our journey back to Florence. It was a beautiful sunshine filled day and a good time was had by all. More later!