Toscana: Pisa, Lucca, and Florence

Just last weekend I traveled again to Tuscany, but spent more time in towns doing the touristy things. The first stop was to Pisa to take the cliché pictures of me holding the Leaning Tower and pushing it down. It was really a good time (and way touristy)! The tower is in the piazza called Campo dei Miracoli (field of miracles). Next to the tower is a duomo and a baptistry…and they are leaning in different directions! The tower leans 5.5 degrees and continues to tilt, but is kept stable by cables. All the buildings were beautiful, but other than a great view of the river flowing through the town, there wasn’t much else to see in Pisa.

Next I went to Lucca; a small town close to Pisa. I and a friend walked along the 4km path on top of the walls surrounding the city. The grass was so green where the moat was and really contrasted against the gray walls…that is how I had always pictured the castles in England and Ireland. We got another great view of the countryside and then headed for Florence for the rest of the weekend.

Florence is another great city to see. Of course it had a duomo and it was another beauty. This one was very extravagant on the outside but very simple inside. We climbed the 414 steps of the bell tower next to the duomo to get a great view of Florence and the countryside surrounding. Next we spent a few hours at the Uffizi gallery. This museum is home to works by Botticelli, Raphael, Da Vinci, Michelangelo and many more. It was very neat to see paintings I had learned about in art history!

The Ponte Vecchio is the oldest bridge in Florence. A once home to butchers and tanners that polluted the river, it is now lined with jewelry shops. It a very interesting bridge with colorful house looking things on the outside. All over Florence are leather shops as it’s known for its leather…and just had to go check them out! Later that same evening we walked by a stand that was selling warm waffles topped with gelato. So…I forked over the money for a nutella gelato and waffle treat! When in Rome, right?

Also while in Florence we visited the Accademia to see the famous David by Michelangelo. The detail of this statue was so precise. I was amazed by it and could have studied it for hours. Also there are some unfinished works also Michelangelo. They too were so interesting. In the Piazza della Signoria is the Fountain of Neptune that no one likes….Michelangelo didn’t even like it…I really don’t understand why. The group of us later made pb&j sandwiches outside Palazzo Pitti where the Medici family once lived. It was such a warm and sunny day and it was nice to relax a bit before the train ride home.

Tuscany is known for fresh vegetables, olive oil and simplicity in their cooking methods, but they are not vegetarians by any means…they consume lots of meat too! Some of the best food I have eaten came from these trips. I go to try pasta with a wild boar sauce in Siena, and in Florence I ate bistecca alla fiorentina twice! It’s a t-bone steak from Chianina cattle that originated in Tuscany. The steak is sold by the kilogram. I of course ordered a half kilo. Other typical meats consumed are pork, poultry, hare, liver and spleen. It was nice to have a change from pasta, bread and pizza!