Today starts early with a bright blue sky and swallows flying in formation. We are pleased to be heading home. Bob will have missed us.
Our train leaves at 10.01 but our flight leaves Pisa at 15.50, so we have time to kill somewhere. Val is voting for a walk in Pisa to take in the old town.
Our train was a little bit late but we still managed to get a seat eventually. Val and I got off at the station just before the Pisa Main Terminal as this is where the Leaning Tower and the Cathedral are. We were just inundated by people and as we have cases with us we didn’t go too far. We walked to within easy distance of the Cathedral and the Leaning Tower and took photographs
We found the nearest place for coffee was McDonald’s, facing a street market but in blazing sunshine, absolutely boiling hot .
After coffee we walked back to the station only to find that their next train wasn’t for over an hour. Our only solution was to walk to Pisa Central and get the shuttle bus to the airport
Val got on the train and I got off to take a quick picture of the train and before I knew it the train pulled out of the station without me. There’s a little bit of a high point for us. I’m waiting at the Pizza Central station and Val’s gone
Eventually the train came back and I jumped on and met up with Val at the airport, where we bumped into Valerie and Malcolm, who were standing around because you can’t check in until 2.5 hours before the flight . In the airport we had a delay of over an hour and were supposed to get away by 15.20. We didn’t take off until after 17.25.
We took the train from the railway station in Monter whatever it’s called and it was absolutely crammed with young people going somewhere, all refusing to give up a seat for us old-age pensioners, kind of looking on very arrogantly. Anyway eventually we’ve arrived in Lucca and we’re presented with the city wall picture below
There used to be more than 250 towers in Luccas’s mediaeval skyline, showing the wealth of the city. Today, only two remain. The 50 m high Torre dell’Oro has 207 wooden steps that take you up behind the clock mechanism developed by Swiss engineers in the 18th century .
Our aim is to walk up two the remaining towers, one is called Torre della Ore and I’m not sure of the other one but we’ll find it later .
In 1391 Labruzio Cellotti was commissioned by the Republic of Lucca to build a clock for the Palazzo Pubblico. In 1471 this clock was installed in one of the city’s surviving towers, called the Torre della Litte (Tower of Dispute), because of the numerous arguments between the rival families for possession of it. In the end in 1490 the Republic bought it from the Deversi family and today it soars above the city and is called the Torre dell’Ore or the Tower of Hours. The clock stopped for several years at the end of the last century but the people of Lucca wanted it to be stored. It is now in full working order and visitors who stop for a while within the walls will hear its solemn evocative chimes.
Whether you come from Via Filungo, the best known street in Lucca, or a little side street called Ciasso Barletti, you will be struck by its size and gracefulness and your imagination will be stirred. However I recommend you approach it from Ciasso Barletti because this short narrow street, which is what Ciasso means, envelopes you in its mediaeval atmosphere and prepares you not only for the sight of the Torre della Ore but also for walking the entire length of Via Filungo, flanked by ancient palazzos that are still proud and magnificent.
As you walk along Ciasso Barletti don’t forget to look up at the roofs that almost touch each other. They seem to enjoy hiding the sky; however they show just that little bit that manages to filter down through the shadows, almost creating a magical backdrop to the streets with the old T-shaped shops that still open onto it as examples of the old pride in doing business, a pride that survives to this day.
Ciasso Barletti has its own undiminished dignity preserved intact over the millennia since the time of 56 BC when Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus held a famous meeting in which 200 senators and people of considerable military and political importance took part. You will remember this little street just as you will remember the Torre della Ore that appears in its majesty as soon as you set foot in Via Filungo. It stands almost in front of you, a little to the left, its base made with solid, close-packed, centuries-old stones.
This was one of the few towers left and still to be seen after Augustione della Fagiola of Pisa besieged Lucca on the 14th of June 1314, then entered it and put it to the sword and fire for three days, destroying churches and palazzos and knocking down the towers so that the people could no longer look out over the plain.
When you look at it don’t forget that a legend has grown up here as well. People say that up there, where the bells are, it’s sometimes Labruzio Celletti, the clockmaker who strikes the hours. The tower is too high to see him especially as they say. He appears at night when the city is plunged in darkness and absolute silence. People who hear the chimes in their sleep can tell they’re not the usual times and that it’s as if a skilled and loving hand was at work.
Numerous traps have been laid at night with lights switched on suddenly from roofs and roof terraces and shining white daylight on the belfry. Some people say they’ve seen the shadows of a man shielding his eyes from the blinding light, trying to hide and then running away. Others say that all they heard was a loud noise, almost like the shrill whistle of the wind.
Whether the legend is true or not, people who live in Lucca will tell you that on certain nights those particular chimes make them sleep more soundly and give them the gentle forgetfulness that helps them to face day-to-day life without the frenetic stressful rhythms that make the inhabitants of so many other cities in the world unhappy
So here we are. We arrived in Florence and we’re sitting outside the Duomo. The queues are horrendous. There are more queues than you can shake a stick at and we have an hour to kill before going to see the David, where again there is a large queue
We’ve just seen our friends from Essex and they wandered off towards the river, hopefully to find somewhere where there aren’t so many people
After a wonderful coffee we left the square where the Duomo is and walked to the museum which holds the original David. I haven’t been there for many years and only remembered seeing the statues. I was amazed when eventually we got inside at how big it was and how much more there was to see that I just don’t remember the statue itself of David is five metres high and was completed by Michelangelo when he was twenty-six. It took him several years. He was 22 or 23 when he started it. He got a piece of scrap marble that was left in the grounds of the Duomo and asked permission if he could carve something out of it. Out of it came the David. More than 5 tonnes of glorious marble nudity.
After about an hour we felt we’d seen enough paintings of the Madonna and Jesus and John the Baptist. Really the original purpose was to see the David, which we’d more than done, and I’ll add photos after this.
We then left the museum and walked back to the Duomo, past the Duomo and on to the Ponte Vecchio, where Val had originally bought a necklace some how many years ago? 10 years ago. We found the original shop and earrings to go with the original necklace were offered at €170 the bridge itself was originally full of butchers and fishmongers but now it’s full of extremely expensive jewellers, brand names and things that we couldn’t possibly consider spending money on. Having walked across the bridge, we found a nice little cafe where we’re sitting now. We found Moretti beer at €7 a bottle so here we are in the sun enjoying ourselves. Now I’ll add pictures.
In 1593 Ferdinando I introduced a law that banned all businesses involved in the vile arts . He couldn’t stand the smell when he was walking along the raised corridor across the bridge so he banned all meat and fish mangers and only jewellers have been allowed there since. The bridge was built in 1345 after the collapse of an earlier 10th-century bridge. This was the only Florentine bridge to survive the Nazi bombings of 1944.
After a very nice beer we elected to have affogato with pistachio ice cream. It’s something we’ve always felt the best we had was in Norwich from our local gelateria, the owners of which were from the west coast of northern Italy. I have to say this affogato was superb and a very very close contender. A little bit expensive but hey ho, you’re only in Florence once in God knows how many years
On leaving the café, we decided to walk along the river to view the Ponte Vecchio from a distance. We took some pictures, and then Val asked to walk to a particular square where the copy of the David is standing outside the Medici Palace, which happens to be closed on Thursday. We had a wander around there and then wandered on a bit further and found ourselves in a square full of stalls from guess where, Normandy and Provence, with beer, tartiflette, potato, Provençal raclette cheese, wine, etc.
After our beer, sitting in a very warm, nay hot, square, we set off for the main railway station to head back to our hotel, which is about an hour away. The station is absolutely heaving. It’s nothing like I remember it 50 years ago but hey ho, things change
This train was difficult to find. We had platform 4, which was down an alleyway and across a platform, and we were told several times we couldn’t go down there. Eventually we found the train and it’s pretty full . Infact it’s crammed.
Our first day in Monte whatever it’s called . The weather is glorious. The sky is blue and the sun is blazing down and we have a temperature of about 26°C. We took the funicular railway to Montecatini Alto which was an interesting ride after the stories of the funicular railway in Lisbon.
The town is very quaint and very beautiful, going back to the 14th or maybe earlier century . There is a church at the peak of the town which celebrates Saint Barbara, who is the saint of fire, firemen, and weapons and ammunition. It’s a bit of a tourist trap. The centre of the town is predominantly restaurants, cafes, gelateria, tourist trinket shops, and alike.
But on such a nice day, wearing shorts and T-shirts, it seemed appropriate.
As you’ll know reader, we’re now back in the UK doing less mileage but still continuing to walk. I was delighted to receive 50 Australian dollars from a friend in Melbourne this morning very early.
Today the post is written by Val with her birthday tomorrow.
We had tickets for a Vatican tour. As usual, we set off walking from the hotel, leaving at 7 a.m. allowing plenty of time for our 8.30 check in. It was just as well as our rendezvous-vous was at the museum entrance, at the opposite end of the Vatican City to St Peter’s. Once we knew where we were going, we enjoyed a pleasant coffee stop.
We arrived at the museum entrance and there were long queues everywhere. Thankfully as ticket holders, we were able to bypass most of them.
The tour began with an extensive tour of the gardens. Our young guide was excellent and the tour informative. We then had a talk about the art of The Sistine Chapel and a guided tour along the galleries approaching the chapel. After spending a short while in the chapel we took a brief snack break then looked at some of the museum exhibits: art then ethnology.
We wanted to view something else in the afternoon, and it began to pour with rain so we were pleased that the queues for the Parthenon weren’t too long. It was truly awe-inspiring.
Finally it was time for lunch and after checking out somewhere that risked disappointment, we decided to return to our favourite Taverna in the Jewish Ghetto. We were welcomed back like old friends and greeted with a glass of bubbly.. After taking our time over a satisfying meal, we were ready to head back to the hotel and reflect on our day.
We’re now up to 150km of our 160km target……. With a big birthday tomorrow we’ll smash it……
Today we’ve been predominantly in the coliseum, and the forum area. It’s quite stunning how huge everything is. The amount of labour needed to build the buildings that are in the area must have been absolutely massive. Val and I have worn our feet out. Continue looking at our Google photos and blog at http://www.peterball.uk
Today we didn’t start with too much of a plan, other than a visit to the catacombs. The Catacombs of San Sebastián site was fairly quiet at 10 a.m. We enjoyed a breakfast coffee then a relaxed tour of the catacombs which included a visit to the church to view the obligatory relics and the final work by Bernini.
It made sense to call at the Baths of Caracalla on the way back. The site is immense and the scale of the baths almost impossible to comprehend. This was made all the more difficult by the lack of informative signage. Sadly the audio tours were not currently working.
Then we paused at the Circus Maximus, the Colosseum and the Forum as we walked past. As there was an Italy v England 6 nations rugby match scheduled for later in the afternoon, it made our walk through this busy area even more interesting!
In our ‘go with the flow’ mood of the day, we did have a pint at The Shamrock Pub! We continued walking and decided, on the spur of the moment to walk up to the terraces of the Vittoriano. It was worth it for the spectacular views of the city.
By then we had worked up an appetite. We stopped at a modest cafe but the toasted omelette ciabatta far exceeded expectations, washed down with an americano and followed by cannoli.
We carried on the Trasteverre. On the Isola Tiberina, despite the recent lunch, the gelateria beckoned. We tried the basil and lemon flavour which was amazing.
There was a lovely atmosphere at Trasteverre but we had no appetite for dinner so we headed up to the Janiculum Hill for more amazing views, lots of marble busts and an enormous statue of Garibaldi.
We had finally run out of steam after a very enjoyable and interesting day, so we headed back to the hotel.
today is started with a walk of about an hour into the city principally downhill. So easy on the legs. Currently we seem to be walking around the edge of Vatican city.
So we seem to have arrived in St. Peter’s Square is it?
we spotted Romulus and Remus on the way to the castle del Angelo
This took us to 09.50 and it was becoming complicated to upload and dictate my posts so from here, I’m now typing this in our hotel foyer.
From her we walked towards Piazza Narvona and stopped for a rather nice coffee on the way,
From here we walked to the Pantheon which was just stacked with people trying to get in. From Val’s research we know we can get in at no cost on Sunday so we decided to opt out and take that option.
Our next destination was Trevi fountain which shocked Val. It was all blocked to stop anyone getting down to it. Now you have to €2!!!, so, being miserly we headed off to find its source which is about 200m away. Having found that Val decided we should head towards Galleria Doria Pamphilj……On the way I spotted “Tavola Calda” which is a chain I had been telling Val about and I first visited in Firenze in 1969…. We decided to stop and have a snack… It was worth it…
We then headed toward the Galleria as it was just a few steps down the road….. What a magnificent place. Val had pre booked and so we were able to just walk in. I took a lot of pictures but basically it was the home of an Italian family who were closely related to several high up people in the Catholic Church right up to the Pope and married English wives in the 18th – 19th and 20th Century. After over two hours here we spotted that one of the last characters played the fiddle and went to Magdalene college Cambridge. He was anti fascist and had a price on his head and refused to let Hitler into palace. Time to move on ……
Val had spotted that there is a Jewish Ghetto and as we were nearby we set off in that direction. Unfortunately as it was getting near to Shabat the great Synagogue was closed to the public, however as we were in the ghetto we wandered through the streets and found a nice kosher restaurant and decided to eat. Again pictures in the photo album above
Val and Peter Ball are ....... 