We're Back Home

Aboard SwissAir from Zurich-Boston

Traveling to places new is fun and very exciting for the most part, even with the unexpected at times. Our recent trip to Tuscany covered many of these points. 

Despite a damaged suitcase, rainy days, crowded sites and a cancelled flight, we enjoyed our belated anniversary trip and, as we all know, things happen. Thanks for your advance well wishes.

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. 

Always pack for the weather

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.

Florence Cathedral and duomo

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 top of the Leaning Tower is accessed by 294 steps

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

Montecatini Terme is a spa town renowned for its healing natural waters since Roman times, and there are claims that the waters were used for their healing properties even earlier. The healing consists of drinking thermal waters for a variety of different ailments from stomach problems to diseases of the digestive system. The Italian composers Giacomo Puccini and Giuseppe Verdi were fans of the spa cure.

Cost of a round trip on the funicular was 7 euros (about $7.63 in U.S. dollars)

Since 1898, the Montecatini Terme Funicular has been transporting visitors on a less than 10 minute, 4.5 mile ride to the medieval village of Montecatini Alta. While the funicular has been modernized over the years, the two red carriages, called Gigio and Gigi have not been modified. Funicular derives from the Latin word funiculus, which translates to rope which is what the cables were made from years ago.

Waiting for a flight is tiresome and frustrating; safe travel is wonderful

Our arrival back in NH was delayed a full day because of a much-delayed then flight cancellation and a flight re-routing from the Florence to Bologna airport. On the plus side, SwissAir provided a meal voucher, overnight accommodations, transport to a hotel then to Bologna Airport. (A story for a future post.)

Last trip

This week will be a catch-up one for matters here at home, most importantly recovering from colds (that's all, we tested), filing an insurance claim for a damaged suitcase and other stuff. The photo at left was taken after our flight from Zurich landed in Florence. We bought duct tape in an Italian variety store, Lovely, directly across the street from a 1 Euro store (like a Dollar Store) in Montecatini. We taped all around the rip with black tape, no it wasn't pretty, but functional. Like ourselves, the luggage and its contents arrived back safely in the U.S.

My advance apologies for not having enough time to read and comment on your recent posts. I hope to catch up by next week.