Viva Italia Part 4 of 5 - Toscana and Pisa
The other night, I caught a glimpse of Amanda Seyfried ham it up in "Letters to Juliet" while my squeaky, underutilized brain feverishly tried to make sense of the pie and bar charts I was churning at half a snail's pace. It wasn't really her or the sorry excuse for a love interest she had in that movie that caught my eye, but the setting in which they were placed. In that moment I braved to look at the TV screen, they were walking across the Siena Piazza where the bi-annual Palio races are held.
In my last Viva Italia post, did I say that Florence is my favorite stop of all? Well I lied. Siena is. Well, I like them both, but I think Florence comes to mind as a favorite because we did the Tuscany / Pisa day tour while we were in Florence. So that's it and it is official, Siena is my true favorite stop. End of.
I've always had a silent love affair with Tuscany. I read of their food, wine and scenery, and felt that immediate pull. I saw its cuisine featured on the Living Channel over cable and I fell in love. I was so determined to experience the real thing that I dreamed I could go on those 2-week cooking immersion courses that let you live and learn their food all at the same time.
Almost four years later from when that dream started, I took a day trip to Tuscany from Florence instead.
While I try to be adventurous, I was not about to explore as culture rich a territory as Toscana without the proper guidance. And while Rick Steeves has more than helped through our Italian adventure thus far, for Tuscany, I opted to go with the experts. Hello Viator.
I haven't really used the site all that much, but the reviews were good and they all seem to come from like minded travelers who appeared to be of sound mind and body so a-booking we went. Of the many choices, we picked the "Tuscany in One Day Sightseeing Tour" and it included a tour of Siena, Lunch at a Chianti wine estate, a tour of San Gimignano, and a stop at Pisa for the infamous leaning tower and then back again.
The most memorable points of our first stop was the Piazza where the Palio horse races were held. It was a really wide space that sloped towards the middle, like a really shallow bowl, or a large fruit plate. Everything was laid out in stone and you can almost close your eyes and see the horses galloping around the perimeter making their rounds as they raced each other to the finish. It can actually take you at least 15-20 minutes just walking the perimeter of that plaza at a leisurely pace - that is how big that space is and how tiny you feel when standing in the middle of it. Not much to do but loiter though, so next we went to the Siena duomo.
Of all the duomos, the Milan one is still my favorite overall but the one in Siena had a little not-so-secret room that had the most beautiful ceiling ever. I was just enchanted. So maybe, on the whole, the Milan duomo was my favorite but interior wise, the Siena one was tops. After that, it was just another church in another Italian locale.
Next was lunch at an organic Chianti wine estate. Even before we reached our destination I was madly shooting pictures to capture the beauty of the countryside. Who knew it would really look like it did in the movies and postcards, even without the photo editing? I was so enthralled. And the play of light hiding and shining through fast moving clouds like a wave of gold rolling across the vineyards -- It was like a painting come to life in full 3D.
This is probably why I ran out of batteries at this point.
I've always said I need to get a spare battery for my camera (I still don't have one by the way) and its in times like these that I am most reminded of my need. But you know how it is when crises pass and you forget the rationale behind that need.
So there I was, in the middle of all that beauty, holding a useless SLR camera. I toured the winery a bit forlornly now, as it pained me that I can't document what I was seeing. Standing next to the largest cow / yak / buffalo I have ever seen and I can't even take a proper picture to show you guys where my bistecca was coming from. It was a sad moment for me, but it lasted only till they started serving the food and most importantly, the wine. I love Tuscan wine, and I didn't need to drive at all on this trip, so despite my little camera fiasco, I was a happy little camper.
They served garlic bruschetta and 3 cheeses to start, handmade pasta with Chianina beef ragu, Tuscan ham, salami, and cheese, a light garden salad, cantuccini for dessert, and an unending flow of wine through the meal. I actually thought it wouldn't be filling given the portions, but I was stuffed even before dessert landed.
I didn't see much of the countryside on our drive from the wine estate to San Gimignano, I was too busy napping in the coach not even slightly bothered that I am missing out on some scenery.
By the time we got to San Gimignano, I was slightly rested and ready for action. Then as soon as I saw all the slopes and hills, I realized I wasn't truly ready after all. I was panting and dying for a place to rest my butt and my feet before I even topped that very first hill. Too much food I think. Yet... I still made room once I heard that San Gimignano is home to the world's best Gelato. So there I was queuing on a line that felt like a mile long for a taste of this Gelato. I had pistachio and almond, and my already full tummy, hastily made room for the treat.
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| The Church and the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
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| Flashing...err... Leaning Tower of Pisa |
Last stop was the leaning tower of Pisa. It was a disappointment. The space was not as big as I expected and it was crawling with scammers, tourists trying to get cheesy shots of the tower and vendors selling the tackiest souvenirs on the planet. Even the tower wasn't as big as I thought it would be! Plus, there were so many tourists taking pictures while in the tower, it looked more like the flashing tower of Pisa than anything else. Sigh. I was surly. Deprived of my camera, and nearing my limits in terms of a day's work, I was ready to head back to Florence and the comforts of my hotel. I did get a few shots in after a short resurrection of my SLR and a few more with my phone camera but I really couldn't be bothered at that point. It has been a long day. And while the treasures I found were many, I needed to recharge.
At the end of it all USD 113 a pop was quite a good deal to spend on a full day tour with great commentary, a good lunch, and even better wine. While I did cave towards the end, I would do this again in a heartbeat.
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| Chilling by the fountain at Siena |
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| Siena Duomo |
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| Siena Plaza Fountain |
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| Tuscany |
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| Siena |
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| San Gimignano |
http://www.viator.com/tours/Florence/Tuscany-in-One-Day-Sightseeing-Tour/d519-5070TUSCANY
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