Traveling to places new is fun and exciting for the most part, even with the unexpected at times. Our recent trip to Tuscany was a wonderful experience.
Despite a damaged suitcase, rainy days, crowded sites and a cancelled flight we had a memorable belated anniversary trip. Thanks for your advance well wishes, all were very much appreciated.
While traveling, we kept current on damages and deaths caused by dual hurricanes and tornadoes in the U.S. The devastation was staggering to see even from such a distance away. We hope that fellow bloggers, who were in harm's way, are now safe.
While there were no hurricanes, we had downpours on several days as the Tuscan region was having a very wet October. Rain gear and umbrellas came in handy very often on our day travels. The tour guide told us that September, had been very sunny and warm by comparison.
Unlike our UK tour last fall, we stayed in one hotel and traveled daily by tour bus to visit locales anywhere from an 60 to 90 minutes away. (Future posts will present more info on these locations.)
There were a number of highlights, one of the most memorable was seeing Florence Cathedral. Formally the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower, it was started in 1296 in the Gothic style and was structurally completed by 1436.
The Florence cathedral is the fourth largest in the world after Saint Peter's (Rome), Saint Paul's (London), and the Duomo in Milan (Italy). This structure was built to serve as a monument to the wealth and prestige of Florence. It was originally envisioned to be the largest cathedral in Italy and remains one of the largest in the world. Its creation came about from the need to compete with other Italian monuments, such as the Pisa Cathedral and its iconic tower.
Piazza dei Miracoli (formerly Piazza del Duomo) in Pisa dates back to 1064 |
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is still leaning, but did you know that the cathedral and Pisa Baptistry are too; however, the bell tower has the most dramatic lean. The Tower of Pisa is the freestanding bell tower (campanile) of Pisa Cathedral. All three are in the Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles), formally the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square). The name change occurred in the early 20th century after Italian writer and poet Gabriele d'Annunzio described the space as a meadow of miracles (prato dei Miracoli) for the beauty of its architecture. In 1987, the square was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Leaning Tower is the third oldest building on Piazza dei Miracoli after the Pisa Cathedral and Baptistery (the largest baptistery in Italy). There's an admission fee and 30-minute time limit to walk up and back down the 294 tower staircase and usually a waiting line as well. We opted out of this experience.
Terme Tettuccio spa in Montecatini built from 1779-81 was restructured in 1928 |
Cost of a round trip on the funicular was 7 euros (about $7.63 in U.S. dollars) |
Waiting for a flight is tiresome and frustrating; safe travel is wonderful |
Last trip |
My advance apologies for not having enough time to read and comment on your recent posts. I hope to catch up by next week.
19 comments:
I am glad that you had a good time despite the weather. That I could handle, the crowds of people not so much. I once climbed to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was a long time ago, but I don’t recall substantial crowds. But the world population of humans was less than half its current level and doubtless that made a difference.
Welcome Home you two-hugs
Welcome home. I am looking forward to your vacation blog posts. You are off to a good start. The buildings on Cathedral Square are both impressive and beautiful.
I look forward to the rest of the report on your vacation! It was fortunate you could tape the luggage as you did! The day trips from a single hotel sound ideal!
Your adventure in Italy sounds great.- - despite the foul weather. I love the photos, especially the spectacular Florence Cathedral and the Tower of Pisa (which looks a little unnerving....) Looking forward to more photos and more adventures!
...this looks like an exciting and tiring adventure. Welcome home!
I didn't know all those facts about the Pisa tower. Thank you.
Splendid photos. Thank you for the virtual tour. And annoying about the suitcase and delays and all the hassle of travelling. Worth it? I guess. Or, I used to think so.
Being an armchair traveler these days (well except for evacuating for 2 weeks plus from devastation here in NC) I really enjoy seeing these photos! Love the architecture, but am especially impressed by your touring around in all weathers and dealing with delays and ripped suitcase!
What a mix of experiences. We've been in Zurich airport for our Swiss trip and used same airlines with no problems. How nice to have one base and ability to unpack. Our kind of trip.
The cathedral looks amazing! The little red "rope" cars are so cute! Sounds like quite the trip. Hope you both feel better soon--and glad it's not covid. Hope to see and hear all about the trip in more detail. Glad you are hope safe and sound. :)
Welcome home! The sites look lovely. I’ve only heard of a funicular when planning a trip to Pike’s Peak. I’m sorry about the flight issues, but glad that the airline made up for it. I’m also tickled that there are dollar stores in Europe. You have to wonder how your luggage got so damaged!
It looks beautiful there. I especially enjoyed the church.
Welcome home. Sounds like quite an adventure and Swiss Air really came through for you.
Love the photos of the Pisa Tower and the stormy clouds just set it off perfectly.
I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing more about your anniversary trip.
Sue
Hurrah, you're back! Welcome home! It's hard to believe this cathedral was built so very long ago. It is so ornate. It is actually hard to believe that was built at all! So intricate!
P.S. This is a gorgeous photo you got looking at the wing of the plane!
Welcome home!
Your napping companion is worthy of notecards. You both look lovely. Happy Anniversary!
Hi Beatrice, Welcome Home! We just got back from a road trip ourselves...but nothing as exotic as your adventure. Once upon a time, I had the luggage system in Dallas 'eat'/shatter one of my suitcases. Not fun! Our road trip touched Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia. Like yourselves, lots of blogging material to work with. Looking forward to reading about your trip! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Im so glad you had a (mostly) excellent experience -- we love traveling, but seems like nowadays you might as well expect some kind of airport problems; I never talk to anyone who doesn't have at least one unplanned airport adventure from every trip! We sure do. But oh my goodness from your first pictuires here, all the problems were worth it -- it looks just amazing trip and your photos really are stunning. Thanks for sharing and don't worry about not getting around for a while...(I'm still catching up on blogs just from our July trip home from Florida) . However, many thanks for taking time to share these stunning pictures and most of all for letting us know you're home safe .
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