A Panda to Tuscany++

[Jacques Vert]

We had dinner in Riomaggiore before heading back to Barga:









Our restaurant:

 

[Jacques Vert]

Day 12: Barga - Lucca - Pisa - Firenze:

We checked out of Il Ciocco and as it was not raining we went to Old Barga for the morning before moving on to Florence via Lucca and Pisa:

Il Ciocco from Barga (old town):



Here are some of +1's snaps of Barga:

 

[Jacques Vert]

Of course there is a Basilica and at least 5 other churches:

 

[ellen10]

Love Cinque Terre stayed 4 nights in Manarola a couple of years ago. Walked the trails a couple of days and did a ferry hop another. We were there late September busy but beautiful, weather superb and the food delicious. Vernazza is always very busy because Rick Steeves tells everyone in his travel book to visit and stay there. So very popular with Americans.

I am enjoying your trip report and photos.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Thanks ellen10, always nice to know that someone is reading it.

In relation to the train to Cinque Terra, I should have added that on the day we were at La Spezia trains were running every 30 minutes and the queue to buy tickets took approx. 40 minutes, so of course we missed one train while in the queue. Obviously, buy late the day before or get up early to beat the crowds.

 

[Jacques Vert]

I should also have mentioned that at Cinque Terra the two southern most walking paths (which I am told are the most picturesque and easiest) are currently closed due to landslides.

 

[Jacques Vert]

From Barga, we headed down the valley to Lucca, a nice town surrounded by its medieval walls which remain intact. Unlike Barga which is on a hilltop and has lots of ups and downs and narrow streets, Lucca is flat and the streets are relatively wide. We wondered around and had prosecco in the oval shaped Piazza Anfiteatro:

 

[Jacques Vert]

Of course, as this is our first time in Italia, we had to come here:









Of course the thing that I should have expected, but didn't, is just how disorienting it is inside a building that is out of plumb! When climbing the 250+ stairs of the internal spiral staircase it is quite strange. When going around the high side (1/4) it is hard not to lean against the inside wall. On the low side you fall out against the outside wall. Then going up the sloping side it feels quite steep. But the bit I found most strange was going down the other side: I felt like I was jogging downhill while actually climbing up the stairs.

Maybe I had too much Prosecco in Lucca.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Then onto Firenze (Florence). We checked into the Hilton Metropole on the outskirts of Firenze where I had been offered a standby upgrade to an executive room (with lounge access) if available for EUR29 per night (per room not per person). I took it!

This gave us breakfast each morning, and an upgraded room and....oh yes, almost forgot...happy hour in the lounge from 6 to 9 PM each evening.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Firenze:

The Hilton has a courto (courtesy bus) which takes about half an hour into town and drops you at the central railway station. From there a stroll through this beautiful city took us past the Palazzo Vecchio with its replica of David and the other magnificent statues:



Ok, so it's only a copy but he is still doing OK.






We also stumbled across the Panda's great uncle (from side on its was difficult to tell which was front and which was back):



We also saw the changing of the guard:



Along with a few thousand others:



Before heading towards the Uffizi and making a booking for that afternoon.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Then a stroll down to the river and a look at the Ponte Vecchio:



And caught the local soccer match:



Then back to a bar recommended to us for lunch, The Yellow Bar in Via del Proconsolo This place makes its own pasta and was excellent value:



Then off to the U (where there are lots of old pointings):

 

[Jacques Vert]

+1 took these pics from the cafe at the U:





Then back to the Hilton on the courto in time for happy hour.

 

[Jacques Vert]

There are a lot of great photos on Firenze on AFF, but for the record here are a few more:





(No, that's not us)

 

[Jacques Vert]

And a visit to the markets for some more shopping:





And a couple of shots from the Piazzale Michelangelo on the other side of the river:

 

[ellen10]

Love Florence.....great photos.

 

[Jacques Vert]

OK; so I have been missing in action for the past few days. As most towns in Tuscany are "leave your car outside the town and walk everywhere", I have been a wee bit tired at the end of each day and off to bed.

One reason I have referred to Florence by its Italian name "Firenze" in the above posts is because if you are driving, like we are, there are no road signs to Florence.

A couple of other things regarding driving and particularly parking.



Most tourist/old towns, especially where the walls are still in place (or partly so) have a ZTL (Zona Traffico Limitato). This means you must have a permit to enter that area: basically residents and delivery vans only. Occasionally there will be an exemption for those staying at a hotel near the outer limit or to access a parking station just inside the walls.





Beware of the parking bay markings. Blue lines (as above) usually (but not always) mean that visitors/tourists can park but must pay a fee so look for the pay point nearby (or sometimes not so near). Yellow is often for disabled and white is usually residents only. But with most things in Italy the rules vary and sometimes blue is free, etc. etc.



Few signs have the English translation as this one does. The crossed hammers means working days (including Saturday) and the cross means Sunday.

We found the best option was to park in a parking station or an area with a boom gate (take a ticket and pay at the end). Sometime a little dearer but at least you don’t have to return to the car every two hours to feed more money into the meter as there is usually a two hour limit. There is also often a minimum payment of 0-50EUR.

There could be a fine on its way to your credit card if you get it wrong.

Also the Miss Garmin we purchased in Monaco has proven invaluable although her Italian pronunciation is dreadful; and she has another 44 countries left on the maps!

 

[Jacques Vert]

Day 14: San Gimignano

Before leaving Firenze the Panda got a flat tyre so after a few phone calls and going around the block a couple of times we found the garage and EUR15 and an hour later we drove to Siena via San Gimignano.




San Gimignano is another walled medieval Tuscan town that remains remarkably intact. It is famous for the towers that the wealthier families built to impress (and outdo) each other. Many of the towers remain and can be seen from a distance when driving in this area.




In centuries past, it was the church that was all powerful and so the grandest architecture, art and other valuables are often to be found in the local church/cathedral/basilica. By now, we have seen many, many churches and you get to the point where you don’t feel the need any more. But SG’s church is one that is worth the EUR4 entry fee.



That's the outside of the church on the right. Not much to look at on the outside but on the inside the walls are covered in three rows of frescos telling the stories from the Old and New Testaments.

NO FOTOS! And Commanda Lei (the lady commandant/boss mari) stands at the entrance watching to make sure.









Then onto Siena through lovely countryside passing by some interesting towns and villages we would return to in a couple of days.

At Siena we stayed at the Mecure at Siena Degli Ulivi. This is supposedly 2.5 km from the old town and maybe it is the way the crow flies but by the time the road crosses the railway line and zig zags up the hill it is more like 15 minutes drive and then finding a parking spot took as long again. The Mecure was typical, only this time our room was very hot. “No Senior, the government won’t allow us to use air conditioning in the rooms this time of year”. So heating not allowed in Barga, cooling not allowed in Siena? Not sure I am getting the whole story on that one.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Siena

Yes, another walled medieval Tuscan town; each with its own character of course.

This one is famous for its Piazza del Campo, which it really quite a treat. The local lads hold a horse race here around the outside of the square once a year which of course attracts hordes of tourists.







A couple of other scenes:

 

[Jacques Vert]

More Siena:

Another town, another dozen churches, but the Duomo here is quite breathtaking.







Most of these Duomos contain frescos, painted ceilings, statues, paintings and lots of gold, especially around the Altar. But what sets this one apart is the floor, simply stunning:





Yep, those are floor tiles (actually, inlaid marble). Completed by various artist/floor tilers over a couple of centuries, it is not to be missed. If you only visit one church in this part of Italy, make it this one.

 

[Jacques Vert]

More floor tiling: