October 22, 2023
The ship docked back in the port of Athens aka Piraeus early this morning. We are meeting our fearless driver, Nic, at 7:20 for the transfer to the airport to hop on our flight to Rome. Despite some fattening of the suitcases from retail therapy in the Greek Isles, Nic manages to stow our luggage and we’re off. Sunday morning traffic is light and we make it to the airport with plenty of time to spare.
We’re flying to Rome on a Sky Express flight. Given the plethora of luggage, it’s a good thing that we opted to pay for extra bags/extra weight for our checked suitcases. The original 15 kg limit would not have cut the mustard for Elaine and Linda who had been more selective about their packing than Glenda and I.
The airport procedures are efficient so now all we have to do is find a nice spot to hunker down and wait for our flight to be ready for boarding. The hours tick by and soon enough we’re on a bus to the plane which departs Athens and arrives in Rome more or less on time. The travel Gods continue to smile on us and we head to the car rental desk with all our luggage in tow. The rental counters are severely understaffed so it takes what seems like forever to get our car. To compensate for the inconvenience, we get a much needed upgrade to a bigger SUV that may just be able to haul us and our luggage through the hills of Tuscany! Lol.
Getting out of the airport is a bit of a challenge as the exit is blocked by a fellow motorist that can’t seem to get the gate to open. Eventually, he backs up and we give it a go. After several attempts the gate miraculously opens and we’re off. Thankfully, Glenda has a phone plan so we can use google maps to take us to our San Miniato and our first apartment in Borge Bucciano. The journey is relatively smooth other than forgetting the ticket for one of the tolls and a bit of difficulty with one of the zillion traffic circles near our destination (I think we went through it three times before getting it figured out). Unfortunately, the delay at the airport has us arriving after dark so we have a few challenges finding our destination and end up driving in some tight spots with our “giant” SUV. Thankfully, we arrive none the worse for the wear, figure out the locks and haul our luggage up several flights of stairs to our rooms.
Accommodations are basic but clean with a killer view that we don’t see until the morning. It’s been a long time since breakfast/lunch so our first order of business is something to eat. There is a list of options available in the book at the hotel and we decide on a local restaurant/pizzeria, Casa di Lucullo, which is a short 3.5 km away. We program their address into google maps and we’re off with only a bit of a challenge with our “favourite” travel circle.
Casa do Lucullo is a local haunt and there are quite a few locals but I’d guess we’re the only tourists. We all opt for pizzas washed down with some of the local house red. We were hungry and the food was good. Sated we head back up the hill for a relatively early night.
Tomorrow is another day. Adventure awaits …
October 23, 2023
We were supposed to have a walking tour in Pisa this morning but the guide had to cancel at the last minute so we’ve decided to brave this city, straddling the Arno, unsupervised! Pisa is best known for its iconic Leaning Tower which was already tilting when it was completed in 1372. The 56m white-marble cylinder is the bell tower of the Romanesque, striped-marble cathedral that rises next to it in the Piazza dei Miracoli.
Google maps is again our navigator and we eventually find parking near the train station with only a wee bit of aggravation. On exiting the parking structure, we spy a beautiful carousel which makes a great landmark to find our car for our return journey.
Before we search out the Tower, coffee and a bite to eat are the first order of business as the espresso the girls had back at the ranch has worn off! On our way, we run across some beautiful art installations and statues of notable citizens of Pisa.
GFirst up is the mural Tuttomondo painted on the wall of the S. Antonio church buildings by Keith Haring in 1989. His art started in the American suburbs has its roots in graphic comics, industrial gadgets and the informal art of Pollock. In Pisa, Haring found the perfect place to sum up his artistic experience, sending a message of universal peace to all the citizens.
Nearby is the Domus Mazziniana where Giuseppe Mazzini died on March 10, 1872. Mazzini was a Genoese propagandist and revolutionary and the founder of the secret revolutionary society Young Italy (1832). The house, a National monument since 1910, was completely razed during the Second World War and rebuilt in 1952. Today, the Domus Mazziniana is a public research and high culture institution dedicated to the study of Giuseppe Mazzini. The reproduction of the text of the Oath of the Young Italy dominates its facade.
We also stumbled across this monument to Niccolo Pisano, master architect and sculptor of the Italian thirteenth century. It is located in the Piazza del Carmine in front of the Chiesa di Santa Maria del Carmine built in 1325 by Carmelites.
Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de’ Galileo, commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei or simply Galileo, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer. Sometimes called the father of modern science, Galileo was born in the city of Pisa. This statue is located in the Largo Ciro Menotti in the heart of the city of the Tower.
Soon enough we found a sandwich shop/cafe to fuel up before we start wandering through town in the general direction of the Tower sticking with pedestrian only streets where possible.
Eventually, we come across Pisa’s most famous landmark. In addition to the iconic Tower, the Piazza dei Miracoli houses the Duomo (the Cathedral), the Baptistery and the Campo Santo (the monumental cemetery). The medieval complex includes these four sacred buildings, the hospital and few palaces and is framed by medieval walls.
Why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa lean?
The tower was built as the freestanding bell tower of the Pisa Cathedral in 1372. The tower was doomed from the start as the ground beneath the tower is too soft on one side to properly support its weight. Gravity played its part and the tilt increased over the decades for the structure to be finally completed. The tilt continued to gradually increase until the structure was stabilized by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
In addition, to the main attraction, there are also some interesting statues in the Piazza including this one of the shewolf Capitolina who raised the twins Romulus and Remus and symbolises the birth of Rome.
Another interesting installation is an angel lying on its right side, with one wing in the ground, and the left arm and top of the head missing. The Fallen Angel is a bronze figure symbolizing the frailty of human life and the fine line between life and death.
The statue of Cosimo I de’ Medici stands in the middle of Knights’ Square just in front of the Palazzo Della Carovana. Grand Duke Cosimo is represented in the robes of Grand Master, standing on a high pedestal subduing a dolphin as a symbol of his domination over the seas. The fountain, in front of the pedestal, has a basin in the form of a shell decorated with two grotesque monsters.
After checking out the Piazza and getting the requisite shots of Glenda and Elaine holding up the Tower, we find a nearby market for some retail therapy and wander a bit more before settling on Bar Centro in the Casino dei Nobli. the Casino was built in mid 18th century in the Plazza del Ponte di Mezzo. We were lucky with our timing as when the skies opened up we are undercover enjoying some salad, pasta and vino.
After a late lunch, we wander back to our car stopping to buy groceries on the way. The trip back to our accommodations is uneventful. After a bit, we enjoy a light dinner of charcuterie and wine before calling it a night.
Tomorrow is another day. Adventures await …
Judy’s Rambles 