Tuscany and Umbria, day 4

Today was mostly a travel and orientation day, as we left the Pisa Centrale train station and headed to Firenze (Florence). It was a very pleasant trip (although Italian trains do not necessarily run on time!). Once in Firenze we caught a bus for a short ride through centro storico (historical centre) on the way to our room at the fabulous Residenze Johlea I.

Our room is not exactly as you see it here (this is not our photograph), as they remodelled slightly. It's current configuration is actually nicer! The Residenze Johlea is not actually a hotel, but a residence. It is a huge suite of apartments (there are six of them) on floor three (which is actually the fourth floor) of a lovely 19th century building.

The Residenze is located in a quiet area just north of centro storico, with all the required amenties (various caffès for our morning cappuccino, enoteca, frutta e verdura, etc.) close by. And, we are just a few minutes walk from the famous Duomo (cathedral), whose huge cupola (dome) was designed by Brunelleschi. This was the first Renaissance dome and the model for many others that were built later. The following is the view from our rooftop terrace. It's not a great photograph (we didn't take it!), but we hope to have some other photos in the next few days. This is one of the main reasons we wanted to come to Firenze.

After checking in, we took an orientation stroll around our neighbourhood and later had a very nice dinner at the Trattoria da Tito, which is just steps from our doorway.

Tuscany and Umbria, day 3

Nice morning, rain in the early afternoon, sunny in the late afternoon, beautiful evening.

Our morning meandering took us to several piazzas in Pisa, including the Piazza Garibaldi. If you look closely to the lower right of the picture, there are some tables through the arched opening. We had a small brunch there. The view of the piazza is nearly the same (except from a lower angle) as the Pisa webcam that we have been watching for the last couple of months. You can also see the actual webcam, because we found it and took a picture of it!

Many of the streets inside the walls of the old city (about half of which are still standing) are quite narrow, as you can see here. We also took two more tours in the Campo dei Miracoli, including one after dinner where we tried to get a night shot.

And, our final dinner at Il Vesuvio - we will miss it!

Tuscany and Umbria, day 2

As usual, breakfast was warm Tuscan bread with assorted jams and/or butter accompanied by cappuccino and orange juice. Today, we mostly wandered about Pisa, which is a delightful small city (about 90,000 people).

Not far from our hotel (actually, nothing is very far!) is the Piazza dei Cavalieri. Then, our first museum - Navi Antiche di Pisa (Ancient Ships of Pisa). Pisa was once a powerful maritime power and was on the coast (which is now several kilometres away). Only four years ago, they discovered a number of ships dating back over 2000 years. There have been hundreds of items recovered, including many amphorae and lamps.

The weather was not perfect today, so at one point we sheltered from a morning shower in part of an ancient citadel located on the Arno River.

Dinner at Il Vesuvio again tonight - eccellente!

Tuscany and Umbria, day 1

Italia! We arrived in Pisa today under a glorious Tuscan sun. We checked in to the Hotel di Stefano (appropriately enough!), a nice, quiet establishment in the heart of Pisa. Then, a stroll to orient ourselves. Less than five minutes later, we rounded a corner and the Leaning Tower hove into view quite unexpectedly. Despite having seen numerous pictures and photos over the years and knowing about it since we were young, actually seeing it is quite startling!

Dinner at Il Vesuvio, which is about ten metres from our hotel, just across the "street" (very narrow - accommodating motor vehicles, pedestrians and laundry). A wonderful meal - pizza, vino della casa, dessert and caffe italiano. All of this in a vibrant atmosphere, with great service and only 19 Euros.